Previous Year Question
With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following statements:
White marble was used in making Buland Darwaza and Khankah at Fatehpur Sikri.
Red Sandstone and marble were used in making Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is incorrect
The principal building material employed in most structures at Fatehpur Sikri was red sandstone. According to UNESCO, its buildings are constructed in red sandstone, with marble used only to a limited extent.
Buland Darwaza is principally constructed of red and buff sandstone. White and black marble were used to a limited extent for ornamentation, borders and inlay.
Buland Darwaza, therefore, cannot be regarded as a structure constructed entirely of white marble.
The celebrated structure particularly associated with white marble in the Fatehpur Sikri complex is the Tomb of Shaikh Salim Chishti. It is incorrect to treat the Khanqah as identical to this white-marble tomb.
The official UPSC answer key treats this combined statement as incorrect.
Statement 2 is incorrect
Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza are examples of architecture from the Awadh period. Instead of the heavy red sandstone and marble commonly associated with Mughal buildings, they were constructed principally from Lakhori bricks, lime and Surkhi mortar.
According to the Lucknow district administration, Rumi Darwaza was constructed from thin burnt-clay bricks and lime-crushed-brick aggregate mortar—Lakhori and Surkhi.
Lime plaster made it possible to create its delicate floral patterns and other ornamental details.
It is therefore incorrect to state that Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza were constructed using red sandstone and marble.