Like a stone awning, a chhajja is a "thin sloping projection of stone resembling a cornice."1 "Pavilions often had awnings to shade their interiors or extend their space beyond the building."2 Thus, chhajjas protect pavilions from the outside elements. A chhajja is a distinct element of Mughal architecture that is easy to recognize.
1. Philip Davies, The Penguins Guide to Indian Monuments, vol. 2, Islamic, Rajput, European (London: Penguin Books, 1989), 594.
2. J.L. Wescoat Jr., "Gardens, Pavilions, and Tents: The Art of Shelter," in Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum: Architecture in Islamic Arts, ed. Margaret S. Graves and Benoît Junod (Geneva: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011), 241.
Burton-Page, John. Handbook of Oriental Studies. Vol. 20, Indian Islamic Architecture: Forms and Typologies, Sites and Monuments. Leiden; Boston: E.J. Brill, 2008, 74-75.
Nizamuddin Urban Renwal Initiative. "Restoring Mughal Tilework on the Canopies 2009-11."
