My first glimpse of the entrance of Taj Mahal: two towers topped by 11 chittras in the middle guarded by two minarets, the central gate flanked by 2 symmetrical pishtaqs (a Persian term for a portal projecting from
the facade of a building usually decorated with calligraphy
bands, glazed tilework, and geometric designs) on each side.This type of form is commonly
associated with Islamic architecture but was invented much earlier in
Mesopotamia ( present day Iraq), around the third century of the Parthian Persian period.
We went to the monument by the side of the forecourt (jilaukhan). A view of the Great Gate, which is supposed to symbolize the passage from this material world to the spiritual world of the paradise garden, mosque and mausoleum. There are four gardens in the forecourt, which correspond to the 4 similar gardens inside the gate and constitutes a variation of the 9-part hasht bihisht plan found in the mausoleum. The formal gateway to the iwans were a trademark of the Parthian Empire (247 BC–AD 224) and later
the Sassanid architecture of Persia ( 224 -651.), later finding their
way throughout the Arab and Islamic architecture. By the 7th century AD, after the period of Muhammad (c. 570 – 632), this
development reached its peak during the Seljuki era, when iwans became a
fundamental unit in Persian architecture, and later the Mughal architecture.
The space in front of the reflective water channel of fountains in front of the Taj Mahal Mausoleum, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, is full of tourists because of its architectural and historical interest as exemplifying Indo-Islamic Mughal styles, which show the influence of Indian, Persian,
Arab, and Turkish architecture. The characteristic features of Mughal architecture are the bulbous domes,
the slender minarets with cupolas at the four corners, large halls,
massive vaulted gateways and delicate ornamentation. Here, the Taj Mahal complex can be conveniently divided into 5 sections:
1. The 'moonlight garden' to the north of the river Yamuna.
2. The riverfront terrace, containing the Mausoleum, Mosque and Jawab.
3. The Charbagh garden containing pavilions.
4. The jilaukhana containing accommodation for the tomb attendants and two subsidiary tombs.
5. The Taj Ganji, originally a bazaar and caravanserai but only traces of them are still preserved. Between the jilaukhana and the garden lies The Great Gate.
1. The 'moonlight garden' to the north of the river Yamuna.
2. The riverfront terrace, containing the Mausoleum, Mosque and Jawab.
3. The Charbagh garden containing pavilions.
4. The jilaukhana containing accommodation for the tomb attendants and two subsidiary tombs.
5. The Taj Ganji, originally a bazaar and caravanserai but only traces of them are still preserved. Between the jilaukhana and the garden lies The Great Gate.
A front view of the Mausoleum, built by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan for his third and most favourite wife Arjumand Banu Begum, given the nick-name Mumtaz Mahal, a
Persian princess, who died in 1631 during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara. According to history, she was the grand daughter of a Persian noble and was first betrothed to Shah Jahan, then still just a Mughal prince Khurrum in 1607 and were married in 1612, 5 years after that. He loved her very much and would take her with him even during his campaigns. Because he found her appearance and character above all other women, he gave her the title "Mumtaz Mahal" or Jewel of the Palace. When she died, her body was first temporarily buried in a garden called Zainabad on the banks of the Tapti River in Burhanpur. According to contemporary court chroniclers, immediately he heard the news of Mumtaz's death, he was devastated and was not seen for a week at court, considered abdicating and living his life as a religious recluse. It was said that beefore she died, his beard had "not more than ten or twelve grey hairs, which he used to pluck out'. But after she died, they turned grey and eventually white and he soon had to wear spectacles because of his constant weeping. Since his wife died on a Wednesday, all entertainments were banned on that day and the emperor gave up listening to music, wearing jewelry, sumptuous clothes or perfumes for two years. So concerned were the imperial family that an honorary uncle wrote to say that "if he continued to abandon himself to his mourning, Mumtaz might think of giving up the joys of Paradise to come back to earth, this place of misery — and he should also consider the children she had left to his care." It was only due to the constant efforts of Jahan's eldest daughter, the devoted Jahanara Begum Sahib, that he was gradually brought out from his grief and fulfilled the functions of Mumtaz at court. Immediately after the burial in Burhanpur, Jahan and the imperial court turned their attentions to the planning and design of the mausoleum and funerary garden in Agra.
The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and the earlier Mughal architecture. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of
red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with
semi-precious stones, and buildings under his patronage reached new
levels of refinement. Here, both sides of this reflective central water channel and fountain were lined with
trees. Candles would be lit on both sides of the channel to create a constant flickering of light on each side of that channel
whilst the reflection of the Mausoleum would shine at its centre. It was a Moghul innovation to put a high continuous stone plinth between the garden and the water of the river and this became a model for later development of the whole of the city of Agra. Here at the Taj Mahal Jahan incorporated also the idea of a Moghul garden with a reflecting pool and symmetrical design.
Though the principal mausoleum was completed in 1648, the gardens and reflective central water channel and the surrounding gardens and buildings required another 5 years.The concept of the paradise garden (charbagh) was brought from Egypt by
the Mughals as a form of Timurid garden. They were the first
architectural expression the new empire made in the Indian
sub-continent, and fulfilled diverse functions with strong symbolic
meanings. The symbolism of these gardens is derived from mystic Islamic
texts describing paradise as a garden filled with abundant trees,
flowers and plants, with water playing a key role: in Paradise four
rivers source at a central spring or mountain. In their ideal form they
were laid out as a square subdivided into four equal parts. These rivers
are often represented in the charbagh as shallow canals which separate
the garden by flowing towards the cardinal points. The canals represent
the promise of water, milk, wine and honey. The centre of the
garden, at the intersection of the divisions is highly symbolically
charged and is where, in the ideal form, a pavilion, pool or tomb would
be situated.
This is the stone plinth at the side of the river, the site of the "moon garden". In fact, the boundary of the Taj Mahal does not end here. Across the river, there is a garden to the left of this photo, which complements the garden at the forecourt just in front of the Great Gate.
After entering the Great Gate, we found that there were also structures on its left and right. This is the Charbagh (gardens) (a form of Persian garden divided into four parts) on the left of the central water channel.
Part of the Charbagh, all lawn lined with trees with octagonal patterns amidst them.
An old lady resting on one of the benches. One can see the octagonal patterns on the right of the photo. Octagons are a design feature of the Taj Mahal. We also find the same in the garden at the Amber Fort/Palace in Agra.
Part of the garden. The large charbagh
provides the foreground for the classic view of the Taj Mahal. The
garden's strict and formal planning employs raised pathways which divide
each quarter of the garden into 16 sunken parterres 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 fountains. The charbagh garden is meant to
symbolise the four flowing Rivers of Paradise. The raised marble water
tank (hauz) is called al Hawd al-Kawthar, literally meaning and named
after the "Tank of Abundance" promised to Muhammad in paradise where the
faithful may quench their thirst upon arrival.
Getting closer to the Mausoleum now, the Rauza-i munauwara, the focus and climax of the Taj Mahal complex .The marble dome at the top is around 115 feet high (about the same as the length
of the base) is accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical "drum" roughly 23 ft high. ). It's a cubic building with chamfered corners, with pishtaqs (arched recesses), topped by a large dome and several pillared, roofed chattris. It has a near perfect symmetry, about 4 axes, with 4 floors, 4 minarets, 4 charbaghs in front and behind; the lower basement storey containing the tombs of Jahan and Mumtaz, the entrance storey containing identical cenotaphs of the tombs below in a much more elaborate chamber, an ambulatory storey and a roof terrace. Because of its shape, the dome
is often called an onion dome or amrud (guava dome). Its top is
decorated with lotus designs, its dome shape emphasized by four smaller domed
chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners, whose tops replicate the onion- shape main dome. Their columned bases open through the roof of the
tomb and provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires
(guldastas) extend from the edges of their base walls to visually emphasize the dome's height. The lotus motif is repeated on both the
chattris and guldastas. The dome and chattris are topped by a gilded
finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindustani decorative
elements.
According to historians of architecture, the favoured form of both Mughal garden pavilions and mausolea (as a funerary form of pavilion) was the hasht bihisht which translates from Persian as 'eight paradises'. These were a square or rectangular planned buildings with a central domed chamber surrounded by eight elements. Later developments of the hasht bihisht divided the square at 45 degree angles to create a more radial plan which often also includes chamfered corners e.g those in Todar Mal's Baradari at Fatehpur Sikri and Humayun's Tomb. Each element of the plan is reflected in the elevations with iwans and with the corner rooms expressed through smaller arched niches. Often such structures are topped with chattris (small pillared pavilions) at each corner. The eight divisions and frequent octagonal forms of such structures represent the eight levels of paradise for Muslims. The paradigm however was not confined solely to Islamic antecedents. The Chinese magic square was employed for numerous purposes including crop rotation and also finds a Muslim expression in the wafq of their mathematicians. Ninefold schemes find particular resonance in the Indian mandalas, the cosmic maps of Hinduism and Buddhism. At the Taj Mahal, there is a deliberate interplay in its design between the building's elements, its surface decoration, materials, geometric planning and its acoustics. This interplay extends from what can be experienced directly with the senses, into religious, intellectual, mathematical and poetic ideas: the constantly changing sunlight reflected from the Taj's translucent marble is not accidental: it had a deliberate metaphoric role being associated with the presence of god as light.
According to historians of architecture, the favoured form of both Mughal garden pavilions and mausolea (as a funerary form of pavilion) was the hasht bihisht which translates from Persian as 'eight paradises'. These were a square or rectangular planned buildings with a central domed chamber surrounded by eight elements. Later developments of the hasht bihisht divided the square at 45 degree angles to create a more radial plan which often also includes chamfered corners e.g those in Todar Mal's Baradari at Fatehpur Sikri and Humayun's Tomb. Each element of the plan is reflected in the elevations with iwans and with the corner rooms expressed through smaller arched niches. Often such structures are topped with chattris (small pillared pavilions) at each corner. The eight divisions and frequent octagonal forms of such structures represent the eight levels of paradise for Muslims. The paradigm however was not confined solely to Islamic antecedents. The Chinese magic square was employed for numerous purposes including crop rotation and also finds a Muslim expression in the wafq of their mathematicians. Ninefold schemes find particular resonance in the Indian mandalas, the cosmic maps of Hinduism and Buddhism. At the Taj Mahal, there is a deliberate interplay in its design between the building's elements, its surface decoration, materials, geometric planning and its acoustics. This interplay extends from what can be experienced directly with the senses, into religious, intellectual, mathematical and poetic ideas: the constantly changing sunlight reflected from the Taj's translucent marble is not accidental: it had a deliberate metaphoric role being associated with the presence of god as light.
The finial on top of the tomb, the chattris of the minarets
This is the pishtaq ( arch-shaped vaulted ceiling) at the side of the Great Gate
A closer view of the white marble mausoleum. In front of it, is an inscription:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory
It's obvious that many Indians like to visit this world heritatge site too
The mosque at the left of the Mausoleum in red sandstone. At the other side of the Mausoleum is the Jawab, meaning 'answer' which completes the bilateral symmetry of in the design of the Taj Mahal. That complementary "answer" the mosque was originally used as a place for entertaining and
accommodating important visitors. It differs from the mosque in that
it lacks a mihrab, a niche in a mosque's wall facing Mecca, and the
floors have a geometric design, while the mosque floor was laid out with
the outlines of 569 prayer rugs in black or red marble. Two mirror image tombs lie at the corners of the
jilaukhana, conceived as miniature replicas of the main complex
and stand on raised platforms accessed by steps. Each octagonal tomb is
constructed on a rectangular platform flanked by smaller rectangular buildings in front of which is laid a charbargh garden. There are doubts as to whom the tombs might memorialise. Their descriptions are
absent from the contemporary accounts either because they
were unbuilt or because they were ignored, being the tombs of women. It is believed that they relate to Akbarabadi Mahal and the western as Fatehpuri Mahal , Shan Jahan's two
other wives.
A view of the mausoleum taken from the side of the mosque.
A view of the side of the mausoleum. This large, white marble structure stands on a square plinth and
consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway)
topped by a large dome and finial. Strictly speaking, the term iwan refers to the room, not to the portico or arch
with which it is often fronted. The four-centred arch typically opens on
to a central courtyard or Sehan. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic
elements are Persian in origin. Its base is a large, multi-chambered cube with
chamfered corners, forming an unequal octagon that is approximately 180 ft on each of the four long sides. On each of these sides, a
huge pishtaq (or vaulted archway), which frames the iwan 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. No photographs are allowed inside the tomb.On the lower walls of the tomb there are white marble dados sculpted with realistic bas relief depictions of flowers and vines.
The marble is polished to emphasize the exquisite detailing of
the carvings and the dado frames and archway spandrels have been
decorated with pietra dura inlays of highly stylised, almost geometric
vines, flowers and fruits. The inlay stones are of yellow marble, jasper
and jade, polished and leveled to the surface of the walls.The materials for building the Taj Mahal came from all parts of India and Asia: local bricks, and rubble, sandstones from from a quarry near Fatehpur Sikri, some 30 miles away, jaspers from Punjab, white marble from Makrana, Rajastan,about 250 miles away, jade and crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet, the lapis lazulis from Afghanistan, sapphire from Sri Lanka, carnelian from Arabia. In all, 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble. It is estimated that the construction cost came to about $5m at completion. A waqf (trust) was established for the perpetual upkeep of the mausoleum with an income of 300,000 Rupees. One third of this income came from 30 villages in the district of Agra while the remainder came from taxes generated as a result of trade from the bazaars and caravanserais which had been built at an early stage to the south of the complex. Any surplus would be distributed by the emperor as he saw fit. As well as paying for routine maintenance, the waqf financed the expenses for the tomb attendants and the Hafiz, the Quran reciters who would sit day and night in the mausoleum and perform funerary services praying for the eternal soul of Mumtaz Mahal.
Another view of the dome of the mausoleum taken from inside the arch of the mosque on its left. The main finial on the dome was originally made of gold but was replaced by gilded bronze in the early 19th century. This is a
clear example of integration of traditional Persian and Hindu
decorative elements: the finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic
motif whose horns point heavenward. Because of its placement on the main
spire, the horns of the moon and the finial point combine to create a
trident shape, reminiscent of traditional Hindu symbols of Shiva
Another view of the dome with human figures for a proper perspective of its size. In Islam theology, building Mughal tombs to honour the dead was something debatable. For the majority of Muslims, the spiritual power (barakat) of visiting the resting places (ziyarat) of those venerated in Islam, was a force by which greater personal sanctity could be achieved. However, orthodox Islam found tombs problematic because a number of Hadith ( explanations of what's in the Islam bible, the Qu'ran, by authoritative religious leaders and scholars) forbade their construction. As a culture trying to accommodate, assimilate and subjugate the majority Hindu populace, the construction of the elaborate tomb also met opposition from local Hindu traditions which believed that dead bodies and the structures over them were impure. But for many Muslims at the time of the Taj's construction, more elaborate tombs were justified that they were meant as an earthly demonstration or reflection of heavenly paradise (Jannah).
One of the minarets taken from inside the mosque: we see the patterned dark red marble tiles on the floor each in the form of a prayer mat.
The interior of the mosque
The dome of the mosque with geometric patterns
The base of the pillars are decorated in floral patterns in red marble
Another one of such floral patterns
The base of the pillars are decorated in floral patterns in red marble
Another one of such floral patterns
The light at the end of the central corridor, the entrance with a carved marble screen to guard its north and south entrance and exit
There are also doors and doors. Here one sees more clearly the form of the "prayer mat" marble tiles on the floor.
In the middle of the mosque, two children are sitting: the two children of the Imam of the mosque who was kind enough to show me around the mosque
Another niche at the mosque in marble, the mihrab, indicating the direction of Mecca.
An octagonal tower at the end of the mosque opening out directly on to river below
The sun was setting over the river
The mosque in the setting sun. In the foreground is the "moonlight garden": we see the 4-point stars on the paved tiles on the ground and again a repetition of the octagonal motifs.
The minaret and the mosque
The Mausoleum and its 4 guard minarets in the evening sun by the river
The sun is definitely setting
The Mausoleum and its 4 guard minarets in the evening sun by the river
The sun is definitely setting
Our meeting point for the return journey
Between the mosque and the mausoleum there is a circular pond.This forms part of the "moonlight garden". At the centre of the garden al Hawd al-Kawthar, or "Tank of Abundance" promised to prophet Muhammad.
A parting look at the mausoleum
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