Abstract:

Thisstudy examines the parameters to analyze the form of local mosques in 21st century India. Since the advent of Mughals in India, mosque architecture has been immensely celebrated due to the fact that many inventions happened in building techniques and styles. Till today it has continued, though implicitly, and has been absorbed in the architecture of mosques which are mostly locally built. This is evident from their forms, especially, replicating those arches, minarets and domes. So, in this scenario, the question is what should be the form of local mosques in contemporary India when Islamic countries like Bangladesh, despite regarded as a developing country, is building creatively innovative and modern mosques? To respond to the question, local mosques built after the 1970s in India and Bangladesh are selected based upon their funding, year of construction, number of occupants, and built-up area. They are analyzed according to parameters of the form of mosques deduced from the literature study. According to results after analysis, it is found that there is a high grade of religious symbolism that is still prevalent in India unlike in Bangladesh. Besides, there is no participation of local people in mosque construction as well as in design with no interaction with the architects and clients who are involved in the process. The idea of Postmodernism and its features seems to have no role when local mosques in India are analyzed.

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