jocO quarterly, Vol.2, No.3. Spring 2014 Aesthetics of Iranian Gardens in India Influence of Hindi Gusto on the Indian Subcontinent’s Iranian Gardens in Agra Mohammad Jamshidyan This article retrieved from the research project of "the interplay of Indian and Iranian Art" and a field research trip, which was M. A. in Landscape Architecture organized in 2012 by NAZAR research center. [email protected] Abstract In Mughal age, the cultural exchange between Iran and India increased because of particular political situa- tions. Iranian garden was changed along with other cultural and artistic developments, through immigrating to India. These changes examined in three categories: different political and social conditions, Special geo- graphical location and cultural context of India. This Article surveys one of the factors of these changes: the effects of Indian’s gusto on Iranian gardening. It describes it by what name "ornamentation", through using library studies and field observations in an analytical – expository way. Moreover, indicates how this affect the evolution of Iranian gardens in India. Hence, first we express the word "Indian gusto" and its ornamentation and then represent some signs of Hindi taste for Iranian Garden. These changes categorized in four steps: Firstly, smaller decorative divisions in garden’s plan, second, decorating garden’s implant design with various decorative garden plants, third, Landscaping details and fourth, ornamental use of natural elements such as water and trees. The study shows this affecting, upon different aspects, on the garden without any structural or essential change in the funda- mental system. As a cultural factor in outer layers, Hindi talent imports the structure of the decorative garden and discharges the Iranian Garden’s perspective through an epic aspect. Keywords Aesthetics, Hindi gusto (taste), Iranian Garden, Decoration, Iranian Garden in India. 14 Aesthetics of Iranian gardens in India | Mohammad Jamshidyan Introduction ent or the ability to grasp aesthetic characteristics Mughal dynasty had launched in Delhi, India with of objects - had the total significance in aesthetic the reign of "Babur" in 932 A.H. (905 A.H. – 1526 in eighteenth-century, but now it has lost its value. A.D.); Humayun who had been in Shah Tahmasb’s In the current aesthetics literature, gusto is a broad court in Iran for a long time and was so influenced concept that requires specifying an aesthetic aspect by Iranian culture, originated a great empire in the of a phenomenon. history of India. "The important role of Iran in shap- First authors who contributed to this issue, such as ing the culture and Mughal’s art was so much that "Shaftesbury" and "Hutcheson", believed that the eulogist’s described one of the seniors, who were aesthetic judgment of the "inner sense" relies on a major architecture supporter, as the person who the individual's moral conscience. In these defini- had turned India into Iran (Sultanzadeh, 1999: 64). tions, the gusto is as a criterion for judgment and In this term, Iran’s cultural rich goods, including taste. Persons who assign gusto as a type of aesthet- architecture, music and language had a profound ics scent or intuition, mainly accept that it is kind influence in shaping the Indian culture. Iranian Gar- of an innate feeling that helps the one indicate the den and especially " tomb-garden" - as one of the elegance, glory or eminence of a phenomenon and Iranian gardens- are samples of these products with characteristics such these. Anyway, the obvious as- various functions, which entered into the cities of pect is the satisfaction that receives. India. However, naturally, entrance to a new cul- However, this definition can be represented in dif- ture that was influenced by a different background, ferent fields with more explanations; but the point caused some changes in the body and content. of view in this article, called Hindi gusto, is the or- These changes classify as: namentation taste as an aesthetics pillar in culture Changes that applied due to placement in a histori- and art of India. cal period with different social and political condi- Although the art is an extremely complex cultural tions phenomenon, yet, taste, is not necessarily confined Changes that established due to placement in a spe- to the culture (Whewell, 2010). Hindi taste derived cific geographic location from the culture of this country, is a desire and trim- Changes that occurred due to exposure in the con- mer taste. A collective and innate taste within In- text of Indian civilization and culture dian people occurs in all spheres of their life. An Aesthetics of Iranian gardens in India are from Indian’s aesthetics, takes him to decorate every those effects that consider in the third group, the product that he made. Generally, in other words, cultural context of this land. For this review, we "ornamentation "in India’s gusto space means have must first answer this question: has the Iranian Gar- interest in every ornamental thing and any artifact den changed by entering into this country? In addi- that is representing in a more decorative way in the tion, we should know the level and extent of these Indian community. changes, if they are, in the garden plot. Moreover, Now to precise Hindi taste, we will review some what are the samples of these changes in the Hindi arena where it occurs: gardens? • Hindi taste in literature: For a long period, Iranian language and Literature was the official, scientific, Hypothesis courtier common language in India. At the same With entrance into India, Iranian garden had affect- time, due to the political- Social situation in Iran, it ed by the prevailing aesthetics of Indian art, which became a suitable base for the development of Ira- has a collective and artistic taste, and had some nian poetry. Iranian poetry in Hindi style, influenced changing in the way that created the Hindi Iranian by Hindi "taste", is a poem full of metaphors, alle- garden. Thus, the Hindi gusto is the one that has gory, literary agents and other arrays that actually created important characteristics of this species. is considered as decoration of the text and author’s main speech. "Briefly, we can say that elocutionists Definition of the concept "Gusto" of this method generally have penchant for invent- Gusto is an aesthetic perception. Gusto means ing purports and creating new imagery; perhaps that "taste" (Moien, 1986: 1612) and "some one’s cer- is why the eloquence and simplicity has been pro- tain innate desire for something" (Dehkhoda, 2012) crastinated. Daydreaming, accurate and sometimes and is a congenital taste and tendency that within far from mind imagery, hyperbole and bombast are the realm of a nation, leads all facets of that com- common among these popular poets" (Dashti, 1976: munity life into a series of unique characteristics. 52). In this style, exaggerated attention to the bright Aesthetic taste -which generally refers to the tal- fantasies, imagination, and illusion, daydreaming 15 jocO quarterly, Vol.2, No.3. Spring 2014 and expressing new themes, bringing proverbs and using poetic arts such as metaphor, brevity ant etc. are authorized and has full vogue (Mostafavi Sa- bzevari, 1995). This word arrangement will continue until it under- mine the original word and it itself finds the authen- ticity. Relating to this period of literature history, in the valuable stylistics book, "Bahar" wrote: "... the resident author in India rather wants to say grace than has an expressible content to say; or even if he has anything, instead of writing his words, talks about irrelevant topics" (Bahar, 2003: 259). This sample is a clear touch of poetry in this period: If bumblebee drops on thou’s beauty | Till dooms- day, will rain rosewater, of clouds, in candle’s smoke … (Saeb) Until has rectified thou’s stalk’s wonder | various hereafters have emanated of my eyelashes… Free, I am, of world’s witchcraft’s illusion | Has tumbled out of my mind, the meadow’s peacock … (Bidel Dehlavi) In conclusion it can be said , with the arrival of Ira- nian poetry at India and under certain conditions that mentioned above, influenced by Hindi taste, it got ornamentations and elaborate arrays of lit- Fig.1. Any kinds of Jewelry that used by people, from beggars erature that made the "Hindi -style" in Iran’s bank- too privileged classes. Photo: Mohammad Jamshidian, 2012. rolled literature. However, as noted, this style was coincided with Safavid government in Isfahan, Iran. "Since this method accomplished with "Saeb", we can call it "Isfahani style" - according to his resi- dence in Isfahan – or "Saeb style". As well as his contemporaries called it as "The Mirza way" or "Saeb way". With regards to the late Amiri ... – that introduced this style as Isfahani or Saeb style- Saeb style’s points toward the Iraqi style, only are limited to the sonnet while in the material, the point of view is attending to thinner imagination and imagery and metaphors and new forms" (Mohammadi, 1997: 31, 32). Nevertheless, the influence of India on Iranian literature during this period spared cannot be con- Fig.2. Use decorative tools in different parts of body in addi- nivance. tion to grooming the hand, foot and face, painting in hand and • Hindi taste in clothing: One of the areas that foot is current. Source: www.topnop.ir. are not only in class and in property of the artists, but are to the general public and people's daily life, is people’s coverage and dresses in the land. ingredients of the food as the "text", spices have al- Various and often cheerful colors, clothes with all ways been counted as a "marginal" and decoration kinds of metallic and woody jewelries and lots of of taste and appearance of food.