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TAJ MAHAL
Constructed by Shah Jahan, Taj
Mahal is the museoleum in memory of his favorite
wife Arjumand Banu Begam, popularly known by her title
Mumtaz Mahal, from which the name of the monument is
taken. Widely recognized as the culmination of classical
Indo-Persian architecture, the Taj Mahal is representative
of Shah Jahan's strong interest in building and artistic
innovation. The new architectural style includes aspects
that were to impinge much of subsequent Indian architecture.
Symmetry along two sides of a central axis, new columnar
styles, curvilinear forms, and symbolic decorations based
on naturalistic plant motifs are all characteristics
of the Shahjahan style that can be found in the Taj Mahal
Complex.
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The legandary
Taj Mahal dates back to more than four hundred years
ago. The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders, is a envision
of love by Shahjehan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
The Mogul emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in the memory of his loving
wife a Muslim Persian princess, Arjumand Banu who later became known as Mumtaz
Mahal . Shah Jahan and Mumtaz married in 1612 but Mumtaz died in 1630 after giving
birth to their 14th child, for she died in childbirth. When Mumtaz Mahal was
still alive, she extracted four promises from the emperor first, that he build
the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their
children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. He kept
the first and second promises. It is a symbol of eternal love |
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| Taj Mahal Construction |
Taj Mahal Architecture |
| The land for constructing Taj Mahal was bought from Raja Jai Singh. Situated on the banks of Yamuna River, Raja Jai Singh was also instructed by Shahjahan to provide a regular supply of special, hard and non-porous marble from the quarries of Makrana. A 2½-mile (4.02 km) road ramp was built to haul huge pieces of marble to the site of the construction. Strangely the scaffolding of this enticing edifice was made, not of wood or bamboo, but with bricks. It is probable that the lack of wood made the architects to make brick scaffoldings.
Though the concept behind Taj Mahal was of Shahjahan, but he was greatly assisted in his endeavor by a number of architects. The name of the architect, which is often mentioned during the building of Taj Mahal, is that of Muhammad Isa Khan, who hailed from Shiraz in Iran. It is also said that a creative nucleus of 37 people formed the core advisory group behind this gigantic project. The construction of Taj Mahal started in1632. Work on the mausoleum started in frenzy with thousands of artisans and laborers toiling ceaselessly day after day. Taj Mahal, with the help of an army of 20,000 laborers, took 21 years to complete, who worked under the guidance of Shahjahan. It is also said that the royal coffers went dry after this project was over.
At the end of the first year of construction the mausoleum had taken shape and the grave chamber along with its surrounding works were also completed. The body of Mumtaz Mahal was ceremoniously interred into the tomb. Six years of extensive labor saw the main building of the mausoleum complete and crowned with a dignified guava shaped dome. According to some historians the major construction of Taj Mahal was completed in about 10 years time.
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 The Taj Mahal is conjured most frequently in terms of Islamic architecture. Although Islamic architecture is difficult to define collectively, the Taj Mahal seems to represent its essence and strongest characteristic -- the ability of the Islamic religion and its leaders to exploit into foreign regions and meld the best features of that place with its own to create unique works of architecture. The Taj Mahal is often noted as a monument to love, but it can also be seen as a fusion of architectural traditions and, as such, a monument to multiculturalism. This can be said about many Islamic structures and about many architectural monuments but some background on the Taj Mahal and this period reveals that this is especially true here.
The Mausoleum of the Taj Mahal at Agra stands in a formally laid-out walled garden entered through a pavilion on the main axis. The tomb, raised on a terrace and first seen reflected in the central canal, is entirely sheathed in marble, but the mosque and counter-mosque on the transverse axis are built in red sandstone. The four minarets, set symmetrically about the tomb, are scaled down to heighten the effect of the dominant, slightly bulbous dome. The mosques, built only to balance the composition are set sufficiently far away to do no more than frame the mausoleum. In essence, the whole riverside platform is a mosque courtyard with a tomb at its centre. The great entrance gate with its domed central chamber, set at the end of the long watercourse, would in any other setting be monumental in its own right
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Outlying buildings
The Taj Mahal complex is bounded by crenellated
red sandstone walls on three sides with river-facing side open.
Outside these walls are several additional mausoleums, including
those of Shah Jahan's other wives, and a larger tomb for Mumtaz's
favorite servant. These structures, composed primarily of red sandstone,
are typical of the smaller Mughal tombs of the era. The garden-facing
inner sides of the wall is fronted by columned arcades, a feature
typical of Hindu temples later incorporated into Mughal mosques.
The wall is interspersed with domed kiosks (chattris), and small
buildings that may have been viewing areas or watch towers like
the Music House, which is now used as a museum.
The main gateway (darwaza) is a monumental structure built primarily of marble
and is reminiscent of Mughal architecture of earlier emperors. Its archways mirror
the shape of tomb's archways, and its pishtaq arches incorporate calligraphy
that decorates the tomb. It utilises bas-relief and pietra dura (inlaid) decorations
with floral motifs. The vaulted ceilings and walls have elaborate geometric designs,
like those found in the other sandstone buildings of the complex.
Taj Mahal mosque or masjidAt the far end of the complex, there are two grand
red sandstone buildings that are open to the sides of the tomb. Their backs parallel
western and eastern walls and these two buildings are precise mirror images of
each other. The western building is a mosque and its opposite is the jawab (answer)
whose primary purpose was architectural balance and may have been used as a guesthouse.
The distinctions between these two buildings include the lack of mihrab, a niche
in a mosque's wall facing Mecca, in the jawab and that the floors of jawab have
a geometric design, while the mosque floor was laid with outlines of 569 prayer
rugs in black marble. The mosque's basic design is similar to others built by
Shah Jahan, particularly to his Masjid-i-Jahan Numa, or Jama Masjid of Delhi,
a long hall surmounted by three domes. The Mughal mosques of this period divide
the sanctuary hall into three areas with a main sanctuary and slightly smaller
sanctuaries on either side. At Taj Mahal, each sanctuary opens onto an enormous
vaulting dome. These outlying buildings were completed in 1643. |
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| The Story of a Second Taj Mahal |
| Calligraphy on large pishtaq |
According to popular
legend, Shah Jahan decided to construct another Taj Mahal in
black marble on the other side of the river
Yamuna and to connect the two by a bridge. This structure was
intended to be his own tomb. It has been recorded almost contemporarily
by a French merchant Tavernier : "Shah Jehan began to build
his own tomb on the other side of the river but the war with
his sons interrupted his plan and Aurangzeb who reigns at present
is not disposed to complete it".
Later gazetteers and guide books mention this story almost invariably.
The irregular position of the cenotaph of Shah Jahan as compared
to that of Mumtaz Mahal which occupies the exact centre of the
hall is said to be proof of this assumption. The Mehtab Burj
and the wall adjoining it opposite the Taj Mahal are generally
said to be the foundations and remains of the proposed plan.
Many scholars, however, believe that this idea belongs to fiction
rather than history. The traces which are identified as the foundations
of the second Taj Mahal are actually the enclosing wall of a
garden founded by Babar. The irregular position of Shah Jahan's
cenotaph in comparison to Mumtaz Mahal's, is similar to that
at the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah, and thus should not be of any
striking significance. Besides, according to Islamic law, bodies
are buried with their faces towards Mecca and legs towards the
south, and the husband is placed on the right hand side of his
wife. The interpretation that the cenotaph of Shah Jahan was
not meant to be placed here appears to be superfluous. |
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| Getting There
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By air: Agra is on the
popular regular tourist route Delhi/Agra/Khajuraho/Varanasi and
return. Flights connect Agra to Delhi, Khajuraho and Varanasi.
By rail: Agra lies on the Delhi to Mumbai broad
- gauge railway line. Express trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta,
and Chennai halt at Agra. Luxury Train, Palace on Wheels, starts
and end in Agra.
By road: Agra is connected to Delhi, Rajasthan
and other cities of Uttar Pradesh by an excellent bus service.
City Transport:Internal Transportation includes
Taxis, Buses and Auto-rickshaws. For moving to Taj Mahal, one has
to move to the Taj complex, from where Horse and Camel Carriges
and Battery operated buses and taxis are available to move to Taj
Mahal. |
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