1. What was a Shikhara?
Shikhara was the topmost portion of the building. The top of the building built during Chola rulers was called Shikhara.
2. What is pietra dura?
Pietra dura are coloured, hard stones placed in depressions, carved into marble or sandstone creating beautiful ornate patterns.
3. What are the elements of Mughal Chahar bagh garden?
Chahar bagh garden was placed within rectangular walled enclosures and divided into four quarters by artificial channels. Such garden was the river front garden. Here dwelling was not located in the middle of the chahar bagh but at its edge close to the bank of the river.
4. An inscription in Shah Jahan’s Diwan-i- Khas in Delhi stated: "If there is paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here." How was this image created?
Shah Jahan was quite amazed to see Kashmir. He could not forget its gardens, lakes, mountains covered with ice, greenery, etc. It moved him and he was so impressed that he said, "If there is a paradise on Earth, it is here."
5. Why were temples constructed?
The temples were a miniature model of the world ruled by the king and his allies. As they worshipped their deities together in the royal temples, it seemed as if they brought the just rule of the gods on earth.
6. How did Sultan Mahmud glorify himself?
Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in his campaigns in the subcontinent attacked the temples of defeated kings and looted their wealth and idols. By destroying the temple of Somnath, he tried to win credit as a great hero of Islam.
7. Where were Chahar Bagh constructed?
Chahar Baghs were constructed by Mughals in Kashmir, Agra and Delhi.