The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c30.s1.58.4

v3.c30.s1.58.4

the magnificent pillars of deodar in the larger halls, and the delicate openwork traceries of window screens and balustrades, skilfully put together out of innumerable small pieces of wood, all help to enhance the charm and accentuate the stylishness of this architecture. As a protection against the heavy rain and snows of Kashmīr, the use of birch bark nailed in multiple layers above the roofs and overspread, in turn, with turf and flowers could hardly have been improved upon; and the planting of irises and tulips on the roofs was a singularly happy inspiration, not only because of their own intrinsic beauty, but because their tenacious roots gave added strength to the fabric of the roof covering. For the rest, however, it must be confessed that the construction of these buildings leaves much to be desired. The Muslim builder knew no more than the Hindu about trusses or struts or other devices familiar to the modern architect, and when there was an unusually large area to be roofed, the best he could do was to insert intermediate pillars for the support of the ceiling with ponderous piers of logs above the pillars to carry the sloping roof—as extravagant and cumbersome an arrangement as could well be imagined, and one which inevitably led to the premature collapse of the overweighted structure.