The
Taj Mahal more often Persian for
"Crown of Palaces", is an ivory-white marble mausoleum
on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned
in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan
(reigned 1628–1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42-acre complex, which includes a mosque and a
guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated
wall.
Construction
of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643 but work continued on other
phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed
to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time
to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion
rupees (US$827 million). The construction
project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of
architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
The
Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the
jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of
the world's heritage". Described by the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, as "the tear-drop on
the cheek of time", it is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's
rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year. In 2007, it
was declared a winner of the New Wonders of the World (2000–2007)
initiative. ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN THE TOMB | The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of
the Taj Mahal. It is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth
and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped
doorway) topped by a large dome and finial.
Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.
The base
structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered
corners forming an unequal eight-sided structure that is approximately 55
metres (180 ft) on each of the four long sides. Each side of the iwan is
framed with a huge pishtaq or vaulted archway with two similarly shaped
arched balconies stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs
is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely
symmetrical on all sides of the building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at
each corner of the plinth facing the chamfered corners. The main chamber houses
the false sarcophagi
of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual graves are at a lower level. | THE GARDEN | The complex is set around a large 300-metre (980 ft) square charbagh
or Mughal garden.
The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the
garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. Halfway between the tomb and gateway
in the center of the garden is a raised marble water tank with a reflecting
pool positioned on a north-south axis to reflect the image of the
mausoleum. The raised marble water tank is called al Hawd al-Kawthar in
reference to the "Tank of Abundance" promised to Muhammad.
Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of
trees and fountains.
The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian
gardens, was introduced to India by Babur, the first Mughal
emperor. It symbolises the four flowing rivers of Jannah
(Paradise) and reflects the Paradise
garden derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning 'walled
garden'. In mystic Islamic texts of the Mughal period,
Paradise is described as an ideal garden of abundance with four rivers flowing
from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west,
south and east.
Most Mughal charbaghs are rectangular with a tomb or pavilion
in the center. The Taj Mahal garden is unusual in that the main element, the
tomb, is located at the end of the garden. With the discovery of Mahtab Bagh
or "Moonlight Garden" on the other side of the Yamuna, the
interpretation of the Archaeological Survey of India
is that the Yamuna river itself was incorporated into the garden's design and
was meant to be seen as one of the rivers of Paradise. Similarities in layout
and architectural features with the Shalimar Gardens
suggests both gardens may have been designed by the same architect, Ali Mardan.
Early accounts of the garden describe its profusion of vegetation, including
abundant roses,
daffodils,
and fruit trees.
As the Mughal Empire declined, the Taj Mahal and its gardens also declined. By
the end of the 19th century, the British
Empire controlled more than three-fifths of India and assumed
management of the Taj Mahal. They changed the landscaping to their liking which
more closely resembled the formal lawns of London. |
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