India

=== Architecture ===
{{Main|Architecture of India}}
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| image1            = Aks The Reflection Taj Mahal.jpg
| caption1          = The Taj Mahal from across the [[Yamuna river]] showing two outlying red sandstone buildings, a mosque on the right (west) and a ''jawab'' (response) thought to have been built for architectural balance
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Much of Indian architecture, including the [[Taj Mahal]], other works of [[Mughal architecture|Indo-Islamic Mughal architecture]], and [[Dravidian architecture|South Indian architecture]], blends ancient local traditions with imported styles.{{sfn|Kuiper|2010|pp = 296–329}} [[Indian vernacular architecture|Vernacular architecture]] is also regional in its flavours. ''[[Vastu shastra]]'', literally "science of construction" or "architecture" and ascribed to [[Mamuni Mayan]],{{sfn|Silverman|2007|p = 20}} explores how the laws of nature affect human dwellings;{{sfn|Kumar|2000|p=5}} it employs precise geometry and directional alignments to reflect perceived cosmic constructs.{{sfn|Roberts|2004|p=73}} As applied in [[Hindu temple architecture]], it is influenced by the ''[[Shilpa Shastras]]'', a series of foundational texts whose basic mythological form is the ''Vastu-Purusha mandala'', a square that embodied the "[[Absolute (philosophy)|absolute]]".{{sfn|Lang|Moleski|2010|pp = 151–152}} The Taj Mahal, built in [[Agra]] between 1631 and 1648 by orders of [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Shah Jahan]] in memory of his wife, has been described in the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]] as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".{{sfn|United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation}} [[Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture]], developed by the British in the late 19th century, drew on [[Indo-Islamic architecture]].{{sfn|Chopra|2011|p = 46}}