:: --> have u spent a significant amount of time in Rayalaseema? Have u travelled around in Rayalaseema?
: I don't know what you consider significant. I did spend some time in Rayalaseema and I traveled around the region.
: I am a reasonably well-informed person about my state and country. If Rayalaseema was known for its mosques and tombs, I wouldn't be finding it out from an article posted on Sulekha now; I would have known it 15 years ago when I spent some time there. Besides, answer me one question: name one famous Mughal-style monument in Rayalaseema that is well known all over Andhra Pradesh and outside AP.
--> I am not an expert on traditional Indian architecture. I cannot pinpoint a particular mughal monument in rayalaseema and claim it is famous, but in fact the author of the article i gave has specified two outstanding specimens of Islamic architecture in Rayalaseema. I do not know if these are Mughal monuments though this can be ascertained easily i would imagine. Note that the article (which you have clearly refused to read despite my giving the link 2 or 3 times to u) is actually a review of a book written on the subject. Here are the details of the book:
Islamic Architecture of Deccan (With Special Emphasis on Rayalaseema Region)/R. Vasantha and M.A. Mannan Basha. New Delhi, Sharada Pub., 2004, xiii, 197 p., maps, plans, illustrations, $83. ISBN 81-85616-71-X.
--> From the review article:
"Mosques and tombs in Deccan, especially at Rayalaseema are most celebrated and intriguing of India's Islamic Monuments. No survey of Islamic Architecture would be complete without these, and yet no work has ever before considered in its entirety or in its context. In this book, Rangachar Vasantha combines the most thorough study ever made of these magnificent monuments with an original investigation.
The social and artistic ingenuities of the Adil Shahis, Qutb Shahis and Mughals brought a fresh breeze into this region and gave a new life to Islamic art in Deccan specially Rayalaseema region and revitalized it into fresh activities, which were undreamed of in the preceding ages. The most outstanding examples are Siddhi Masood Khan mosque at Adoni and Baqshi Chabumiya mosque at Amarapuram, each one is unique in itself, true to the architectural tradition of the past.
The first part of the book scans the geographical, historical and religious background in which the Islamic Monuments and its Architecture progressed in Deccan and later in the Rayalaseema region. The second part brings the monuments (mosques, tombs and dargahs) into focus with a rich examination of its architectural and geometrical patterns with their esoteric and philosophical values, analyzing it in relation to the Adil Shahi, Qutb Shahi and Mughal tradition within which it was created.
Copiously illustrated with colour plates, plans and maps, this is an essential book for anyone interested in Islamic art and architecture and is the perfect guide to the enthralling monuments of Rayalaseema.
: : --> What do u mean by non-local influences. Are u claiming that the Qutbshahis, Adilshahis, and Mughals were 'non-locals'?
: Yes, not local to Rayalaseema. Qutbshahis were based in neighboring Telangana, Adilshahis in neighboring Karnataka.
--> Then how come we have monuments of Qutbshahis, Adilshahis and Mughals in Rayalaseema?
: : Is it also ur claim that akbar, jahangir and their descendants were non-locals?
: Yes, for Rayalaseema. Akbar and Jahangir never set foot in the region, and their rule did not extend there. So they were very much not locals. It is in the same sense that I would be a non-local in Bangalore or Kolkata and you in Hyderabad or Chennai.
--> I clarified my question in the addendum to my post. I meant do u think Akbar and Jahangir were non-locals with respect to the region under their control. I think i know ur answer to this now.
-Rashmun
p.s. The review of the book clearly states that Rayalaseema monuments are a very significant contribution to Islamic art. Your claim that you saw a whole lot more monuments in Telangana than in Rayalaseema may be reconciled with the view of the authors if we agree with the following:
Telangana monuments are greater than Rayalaseema monuments in quantity, while the Rayalaseema monuments are superior in terms of quality.
This is of course a possibility i am suggesting; the matter will have to be investigated further for final ascertainment.
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