About Taj Mahal: The Taj Mahal lit 'crown of the Palace' is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on theSouthern bank of the river Jumuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was comissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife. Mumtaj Mahal; it also graves the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The grave is the central piece of a 17 hector complex, which includes a mosque and guest hopuse, and set in format gardens bounded on three sides by a crenelated wall.contractions of the mausoleum was essentially entire in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been fulfilled in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2020 would be approximately 70 billions rupees. The buildings project employed many 20000 artisans down the direction of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmed Lahauri.
The Taj Mahal was designed as 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." It is regarded by many me as the great illustration of Mughal tectonics and a symbol of India's rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7-8 millions visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the world (2000-2007) initiative.
Inspiration:
The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaj Mahal, who died on 17 June that year, while giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. Contractions started in 1632 and the mausoleum was completed in 1648, while the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The imperial court documenting Shah Jahan's grief after the death of Mumtaj Mahal illustrates the love story held as the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.
Architecture and Design:
The Taj Mahal incorporates and extend on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific motivation came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e-Amir,Humayun's Tomb which inspired the Charbagh gardens and hasht-behesht plan of the site, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb and Shah Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Dilhi. At first Mughal constractions were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Buildings under his patronage prolonged new levels of refinement.
Tomb:
The tomb is the main focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. It is a long, white gem structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the main elements are Persian in origin.
Every side of the iwan is framed with a huge pishtaq or valued archway with two similarly shaped arched balconies stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the chambered 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 chambered corners. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaj Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual graves are at a lower level.
Most of the spectacular feature is the marble dome that surmounts the tomb. The dome is nearly 35 metres high which is close in measurement to the length of the base, and accentuated by the cylindrical "drum" it sits on, which is approximately 7 metres high. Because of its feature, the dome is often called an onion dome or amrud. The high is decorated with a lotus design which also serves to accentuate its height. The shape of the dome is emphasized by four smaller domed chattris placed at its corners, which replicate the onion shape of the main dome. The dome is slightly asymmetrical. Their columned releases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires extend from edges of base walls, and provide visual emphasis to the height to the dome. The lotus motif is repeated on the chattris and guldastas. The dome and chattris are hied by a gilded finial which mixes traditional Persian and Hindustani decorative elements.
The orginal finial was original made of gold but was replaced by a copy made of gilded bronze in the early century. This feature provides a clear sample of integration of traditional Person and Hindu decorative elements. The finial is hied by a moon, a typical Islamic motif whose horns point heavenward.
The minarets, Which are every more than 40 metres tall, display the designer's penchant for symmetry. They were designed minarets--a traditional element of mosques, used by the muezzin to call the Islamic faithful to prayer. Every minaret is effectively divided into three equal parts by two working balconies that ring the tower. At the high of the tower is a final balcony surmounted by a chattri that mirrors the design of those on the tomb. The chattris all share the same decorative elements of a lotus design hied by a gilded finial. The minarets were contracted slightly outside of the plinth so that in the programmed of collapse, a typical occurrence with many tall constructions of the period, the material from the tower would tend to fall away from the tomb.
Exterior Decorations:
The exterior painting of the Taj Mahal are among the finest in Mughal architecture. As the surface area changes, the paintings are refined proportionally. The figurative elements were created by applying paint, stucco, stone inlays or carvings. In line with the Islamic prohibition against the use of anthropomorphic forms, the decorative elements can be grouped into either calligraphy, abstract forms or vegetative motifs. Throughout the complex are passages from the Quran thet comprise some of the decorative elements. Recent scholarship suggest that Amanat Khan chose the passages. The calligraphy on the great Gates reads " O Soul, Thou art at rest, Return to the Lord at peach with Him and He at peach with you. The calligraphy was created in 1609 by a calligraphy name Abdul Haq. Shah Jahan comferred the title of "Amnat Khan" upon him as a reward for his "dazzling virtuosity"
On the lower walls of the tomb are white marble dados sculpted with realisted bas releifdepictions of flowers and vines. The marble has been cultured to emphasis the exquisite detailing of the carvings. The dado structure and archway mandrels have been ornamed with pietra dura inlays of highly stylized, almost geometric vines, flowers and fruits. The inlay gems are of yellow marble, jasper and jade, polished and leveled to the surface of the walls.
Interior Decoration:
The interior room of the Taj Mahal reaches far beyond traditional decorative elements. The work isn't pietra dura, but a lapidary of precious and semiprecious stones.The inner chamber is an octagon with the planning allowing entry from each face, although only the door facing the garden to the south is employed . the inside walls are about 25 meters (82 ft) high and are topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq arches define the space at ground level and, like the outside , each lower pishtaq is crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall. The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas, and every balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or jali cut from marble. additionally to the sunshine from the balcony screens, light enters through roof openings covered by chattris at the corners. The octagonal marble screen or jali bordering the cenotaphs is formed from eight marble panels carved through with intricate pierce work. The remaining surfaces are inlaid in delicate detail with semi-precious gems forming twining vines, fruits and flowers. Every room wall is very decorated with dado bas-relief, intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy panels which reflect, in little detail, the planning elements seen throughout the outside of the building.
Garden:
Walkways beside reflecting pool
The complex is about around an outsized 300-meter (980 ft) square charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide every of the four-quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. Halfway between the tomb and gate within themain of the garden may be a raised marble cistern with a reflecting pool positioned on a north-south axis to reflect the image of the mausoleum. The elevated marble cistern is named al Hawd al-Kawthar in regard to the "Tank of Abundance" accepted to Muhammad.
Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees labeled consistent with common and scientific names and fountains. The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by Babur, the primary Mughal emperor. It symbolizes 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 a perfect 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 within the center. The Taj Mahal garden is unusual therein the most element, the tomb, is found at the top of the garden. With the invention of Mahtab Bagh or "Moonlight Garden" on the opposite side of the Jamuna, the interpretation of the Archaeological Survey of India is that the Jamuna river itself was incorporated into the garden's design and was meant to be seen together of the rivers of Paradise. Similarities in layout and architectural features with the Shalimar Gardens suggests both gardens may are designed by an equivalent architect, Ali Mardan. Early accounts of the garden describe its profusion of vegetation, including abundant roses, daffodils, and fruit trees. because the Mughal Empire declined, the Taj Mahal and its gardens also declined. By the top of the 19th century, British Empire controlled quite 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.
Outlying Buildings:
The Taj Mahal construction is bordered on three sides by crenelated red sandstone walls; the side facing the river is open. Outside the walls are several additional mausoleums, including those of Shah Jahan's other wives, and a bigger tomb for Mumtaz's most favorite servant.
The main gateway (darwaza) may be a monumental structure built primarily of marble, and like the Mughal architecture of earlier emperors. Its archways mirror the form of the tomb's archways, and its pishtaq arches incorporate the calligraphy that decorates the tomb. The vaulted ceilings and walls have elaborate geometric designs like those found within the other sandstone buildings within the complex.
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