• ISSN 2320-771X (Online)
  • Monthly since 2013
  • Open access
  • Double blind peer review
editor@ijrhs.net
IJRHS International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Published by ResaGate Global
Submit manuscript

Art, Architecture and Religious Practices During the Medieval Period in India

  • Dr. Nageshwar Joolu

Keywords:

Medieval India, religious architecture, sacred art, temple patronage, devotional practices, cultural exchange

Abstract

Art, architecture, and religious practices acted as intertwined shaping factors of the cultural development of medieval India. This paper explores how religious buildings, art works, and devotional activities interacted with each other from about 750 to 1700 CE. Using a qualitative comparative approach, the analysis compares six architectural complexes: Khajuraho, Great Living Chola Temples, Qutb Complex, Hampi, Humayun's Tomb, and Taj Mahal. It draws on scholarly sources and institutional records focusing on the aspects of patronage, space, art, and worship. The analysis uses descriptive statistics to outline the characteristics of the chosen corpus rather than estimating conditions in medieval India. It shows that religious monuments served simultaneously as places of worship, coercive or ceremonial statements of authority, spaces for artistic production, and repositories of collective memory. Architectural interaction took place alongside political competition and religious differentiation. The conclusion is that the cultural production in medieval India can be understood as interrelations between patrons, artisans, religious institutions, and participants of the worship.

Loading

References

  1. Asher, C. B. (1992). Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press. cambridge.org
  2. Davis, R. H. (1997). Lives of Indian images. Princeton University Press. Princeton University Press
  3. Flood, F. B. (2009). Objects of translation: Material culture and medieval “Hindu-Muslim” encounter. Princeton University Press. aaeportal.com
  4. Hawley, J. S. (2015). A storm of songs: India and the idea of the bhakti movement. Harvard University Press. JSTOR
  5. Michell, G. (1995). Architecture and art of southern India: Vijayanagara and the successor states 1350–1750. Cambridge University Press. cambridge.org
  6. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Great Living Chola Temples. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. whc.unesco.org
  7. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Group of Monuments at Hampi. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. whc.unesco.org
  8. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. whc.unesco.org
  9. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Khajuraho Group of Monuments. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. whc.unesco.org
  10. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. whc.unesco.org
  11. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). Taj Mahal. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. whc.unesco.org

Related articles

How to cite

Dr. Nageshwar Joolu (2026). Art, Architecture and Religious Practices During the Medieval Period in India. International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 14(11), 18-24.

Licence

This article is open access, published under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Copyright remains with the authors.