Information AboutTaj Mahal |
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The Taj Mahal ('' located in Agra , India . The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal . Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. Some dispute surrounds the question of who designed the Taj Mahal; it is clear a team of designers and craftsmen were responsible for the design, with Ustad Ahmad Lahauri considered the most likely candidate as the principal designer. UNESCO advisory body evaluation The Taj Mahal (sometimes called "the Taj") is generally considered the finest example of Mughal Architecture , a style that combines elements of Persian , Turkish , Indian , and Islamic architectural styles. While the white Dome d Marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. In 1983 the Taj became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim Art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." UNESCO World Heritage List, Taj Mahal: Brief Description , 1983. , who commissioned the Taj Mahal -"Shah jahan on a globe" from the Smithsonian Institute ]] ]] ORIGIN AND INSPIRATION In 1631 Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal's period of greatest prosperity, was griefstricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the birth of their daughter Gauhara Begum , their fourteenth child.http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/taj_nav/main_tajfrm.html Contemporary court chronicles concerning Shah Jahan's grief form the basis of the love story traditionally held as the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.Muhammad Abdullah Chaghtai ''Le Tadj Mahal D'Agra (Hindi). Histoire et description'' (Brussells) 1938 p46 'Abd al-Hamid Lahawri ''Badshah Namah'' Ed. Maulawis Kabir al-Din Ahmad and 'Abd al-Rahim u-nder the superintendence of Major W.N. Lees. Vol. I Calcutta 1867 pp384-9 ; Muhammad Salih Kambo ''Amal-i-Sal\lih or Shah Jahan Namah'' Ed. Ghulam Yazdani Vol.I (Calcutta) 1923 p275 Construction of the Taj Mahal was begun soon after Mumtaz's death. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648, and the surrounding buildings and Garden were finished five years later. Visiting Agra in 1663, the French traveller François Bernier wrote the following:
Influences in Delhi , constructed in 1560, shares substantially the same pattern as the Taj Mahal]] The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on many design traditions, particularly Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from a number of successful Timurid and Mughal Buildings . These include the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand ), Chaghtai ''Le Tadj Mahal'' p146 Humayun's Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the ''Baby Taj''), and Shah Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Delhi . Under his patronage, Mughal building reached new levels of refinement.Copplestone, p.166 While previous Mughal building had primarily been constructed of red Sandstone , Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with Semi-precious Stones . THE GARDEN The complex is set in and around a large '' Charbagh '' (a formal Mughal Garden divided into four parts). Measuring 300 meters × 300 meters, the Garden uses raised pathways which divide each quarter of the garden into 16 sunken Parterre s or flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the center of the garden, halfway between the tomb and the Gateway , and a linear Reflecting Pool on the North-South axis reflect the Taj Mahal. Elsewhere the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and Fountain shttp://www.taj-mahal-travel-tours.com/garden-of-taj-mahal.html. Interior decoration The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far beyond traditional decorative elements. One may say without exaggeration that this chamber is a work of '' Jewellery ''. Here the inlay work is not pietra dura, but Lapidary . The inlay material is not marble or jade but precious and semiprecious Gemstone s. Every decorative element of the tomb's exterior has been redefined with Jeweler 's art. The inner chamber The inner chamber of the Taj Mahal contains the cenotaphs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan. It is a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship, virtually without precedent or equal. The inner chamber is an octagon. While the design allows for entry from each face, only the south (garden facing) door is used. The interior walls are about 25 meters high, topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq arches define the space at ground level. As is typical with the exterior, each lower pishtaq is crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall. The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas; each balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or '' Jali '' cut from marble. In addition to the light from the balcony screens, light enters through roof openings covered by the chattris at the corners of the exterior dome. Each of the chamber walls has been highly decorated with dado bas relief, intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy panels, reflecting in miniature detail the design elements seen throughout the exterior of the complex. The jali The octagonal marble screen or ''jali'' which borders the cenotaphs is made from eight marble panels. Each panel has been carved through with intricate piercework. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid with semiprecious stones in extremely delicate detail, forming twining vines, fruits and flowers. The cenotaphs and tombs Mumtaz Mahal's Cenotaph is placed at the precise center of the inner chamber. On a rectangular marble base about 1.5 meters by 2.5 meters is a smaller marble casket. Both base and Casket are elaborately inlaid with precious and semiprecious gems. Calligraphic inscriptions on the casket identify and praise Mumtaz. On the lid of the casket is a raised rectangular lozenge meant to suggest a writing tablet. Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves, so the bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan are laid in a relatively plain crypt beneath the inner chamber of the Taj Mahal. They are buried on a north-south axis, with faces turned right (west toward Mecca). Shah Jahan's cenotaph is beside Mumtaz's to the western side. It is the only visible asymmetric element in the entire complex (see below). His cenotaph is bigger than his wife's, but reflects the same elements: A larger casket on slightly taller base, again decorated with astonishing precision with lapidary and calligraphy which identifies Shah Jahan. On the lid of this casket is a sculpture of a small pen box. (The pen box and writing tablet were traditional Mughal funerary icons decorating men's and women's caskets respectively.) "O Noble, O Magnificent, O Majestic, O Unique, O Eternal, O Glorious... " These are six of the Ninety Nine Names of God, which are to be found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, in the crypt. The tomb of Shah Jahan bears a calligraphic inscription, not taken from the Qur'an, but referring to the resting place of this Mughal Emperor. Part of the inscription reads; "He traveled from this world to the banquet-hall of Eternity on the night of the twenty-sixth of the month of Rajab , in the year 1076 Hijri ." Details of lapidary ''(craftsmanship is best seen in enlarged version -- click image to see enlargement)'' |
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