[UPPSC-UP Special Syllabus Decoded] Architecture, Culture & Heritage of Uttar Pradesh

1. Architecture of Uttar Pradesh: Evolution & Significance

Trend: Shift from descriptive questions to analytical questions on “Maintainability” and “Economic Impact” (Heritage Tourism).

A. Ancient Architecture

• Mauryan Era:
  • Pillars: Sarnath (Lion Capital), Prayagraj, and Meerut (Ashokan Pillars).
  • Stupas: Dhamek Stupa (Sarnath) – Analysis of brickwork and cylindrical shape.
• Gupta Period (Golden Age):
  • Temple Architecture: Dashavatara Temple (Deogarh, Lalitpur) – India’s first Panchayatana style temple.
  • Brick Temples: Bhitargaon Temple (Kanpur) – Earliest surviving brick temple with a shikhara.
• Buddhist Architecture: Mahaparinirvana Temple (Kushinagar), Jetavana Monastery (Shravasti).

B. Medieval Architecture

• Sharqi Style (Jaunpur):
  • Known as “Shiraz-e-Hind.”
  • Unique Feature: Massive Propylon (arched pylons) screens and the absence of minarets.
  • Examples: Atala Masjid, Jhanjhari Masjid.
• Mughal Style:
  • Fatehpur Sikri: Synthesis of Persian and Indian styles (Panch Mahal, Buland Darwaza).
  • Agra: Evolution from Red Sandstone (Agra Fort) to White Marble (Taj Mahal, Itimad-ud-Daulah – first use of Pietra Dura).
• Awadhi Architecture (Lucknow):
  • Key Features: Use of Lakhauri bricks and lime plaster (Gara).
  • Examples: Bara Imambara (Asfi Imambara) – Famous for its gravity-defying vaulted hall and Bhulbhulaiya (Labyrinth); Rumi Darwaza.

C. Modern & Colonial Architecture

• Indo-Saracenic Style:
  • Lucknow Charbagh Railway Station: Fusion of domes and chhatris.
  • Allahabad University: “Oxford of the East” architecture.
• Gothic Style: All Saints Cathedral (Patthar Girja), Prayagraj.

2. Significance and Maintainability of Architecture

Trend: Critical evaluation of preservation policies vs. urban development.

Significance

• Cultural Identity: Tangible proof of UP’s “Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb.”
• Economic Value: Backbone of the Heritage Arc (Agra-Lucknow-Varanasi) tourism economy.

Maintainability Issues (Challenges)

• Environmental Threats: Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) issues; Acid rain impact on marble.
• Encroachment: Illegal constructions within the 100m “Prohibited Area” of ASI monuments (e.g., encroachments near Imambaras).
• Funding Gaps: Lack of funds for state-protected monuments vs. centrally protected ones.
• Delisting Crisis: In 2024, ASI identified 18 monuments to be delisted as “untraceable” or having “lost national importance,” 9 of which are in UP (e.g., Kos Minars, Telia Nala Buddhist ruins).

Conservation Initiatives

• Adopt a Heritage 2.0: Inviting private companies (Monument Mitras) for amenity management (e.g., Red Fort taken by Dalmia Bharat).
• Adaptive Reuse: Converting forts into hotels (See Current Affairs below).

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Heritage Tourism Policy (PPP Mode): In 2024-25, UP Govt floated tenders to convert historic forts into Heritage Hotels under PPP mode to ensure self-sustainable maintenance.
  • Sites: Chunar Fort (Mirzapur), Barua Sagar Fort (Jhansi), Chattar Manzil (Lucknow), Barsana Jal Mahal (Mathura).
• Temple Architecture Museum: Foundation laid in Ayodhya (2024) to showcase the evolution of Nagara style architecture across India.

3. Museums of Uttar Pradesh

Trend: New specialized museums and digitization of history.

Major Existing Museums

• State Museum (Lucknow): Oldest; Artifacts from Mauryan to Mughal era.
• Government Museum (Mathura): World’s best collection of Kushan Art and Mathura School sculptures.
• Sarnath Museum: Houses the National Emblem (Lion Capital).
• Bharat Kala Bhavan (Varanasi): Inside BHU; famous for miniature paintings.

New & Upcoming Museums (Current Affairs Focus)

• Navy Shaurya Museum (Lucknow): Being built near Ekana Stadium. It will house the decommissioned INS Gomati warship.
• Tribal Museum (Balrampur): Dedicated to the Tharu tribe culture (Imlia Koder village).
• Rashtriya Prerna Sthal (Lucknow): Inaugurated in Dec 2024; A massive museum and memorial dedicated to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deendayal Upadhyaya, and SP Mookerjee.
• Digital Kumbh Museum (Prayagraj): Special attraction for Mahakumbh 2025 to showcase the spiritual history of the Akharas via VR/AR.

4. Archives of Uttar Pradesh

Institutional Framework

• UP State Archives (Lucknow): Custodian of government records, firmans, and rare manuscripts from the Mughal and British eras.
• Regional Archives: Located in Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Agra.

Role & Modernization

• Significance: Crucial for historical research and legal land disputes (Revenue records).
• Digitization: Current project to digitize 1 crore+ pages of pre-independence records to make them accessible to scholars online.

5. Archaeology of Uttar Pradesh

Trend: Connecting excavations to the “Mahabharata Era” and “Bronze Age Warrior” narratives.

Key Archaeological Sites

• Pre-Historic:
  • Belan Valley (Prayagraj): Continuous sequence from Paleolithic to Neolithic.
  • Lahuradewa (Sant Kabir Nagar): Earliest evidence of Rice cultivation (approx. 9000-8000 BC), challenging global theories.
• Indus Valley Civilization (IVC):
  • Alamgirpur (Meerut): Easternmost limit of IVC.
  • Hulas (Saharanpur): Late Harappan phase.

Recent Excavations & Discoveries (High Priority)

• Sanauli (Baghpat):
  • Discovery: Royal burials, Copper Chariots, and Antennae Swords.
  • Significance: Suggests a Warrior Class contemporary to IVC (2000 BCE) but culturally distinct (likely linked to Vedic/Mahabharata traditions).
• Lakshagriha (Barnawa): ASI excavation validated local folklore connecting the mound to the “House of Lac” from Mahabharata.
• Hulaskhera (Lucknow): Revealed a continuous settlement history from Kushan to Medieval times.

 Current Affairs Linkage :

• Tilwara Sakin (Baghpat): In April 2025, ASI excavated 4,000-year-old Chalcolithic objects here, including copper pots and geometric engravings similar to Sanauli, reinforcing the theory of a sophisticated copper-age civilization in the Upper Ganga-Yamuna doab.
• Agiabir (Mirzapur): New explorations in June 2024 by BHU revealed artifacts bridging the Pre-historic to Early Historic gap.
• Delisting of Monuments: The removal of 9 UP monuments (like Kos Minars in Mujahidpur) from the protected list in 2024 highlights the crisis of “urban encroachment” destroying archaeological footprints.