Taj Mahal-Sign of Love

History of the Taj Mahal

The Taj is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the grandson of Emperor Akbar, in the memory of his deceased queen Arjumand Banu Begum, who was more popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal who was also the niece of empress Nur Jahan.

Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, during the birth of her fourteenth child at Burhanpur. It is a known fact that her mortal remains were temporarily buried in the Zainabad garden and six months later, her remains were brought to Agra to be finally enshrined in the Taj Mahal. Soon after the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was deposed and put under house arrest at the nearby Agra Fort, by his own son Aurangzeb. It is said that Shah Jahan spent his last days gazing at the Taj Mahal. After Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him next to his wife.

The land where the Taj stands, belonged to the Kachhwahas of Ajmer (Rajasthan) but was acquired from them in lieu of four havelis, as testified by a court historian, Abdul Hamid Lahauri in his book Badshah-Namah and the firmans (royal decrees). During the construction, a network of wells was laid along the river. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and all other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and from Central Asia and Iran. The Taj Mahal architecture and designing exemplify strong traditions of Persian and early Mughal architecture.

Another fascinating aspect of the construction of the Taj Mahal was the fact that finest raw materials be it the marble or the stones, were obtained from distant countries across the world. The bricks for internal construction were prepared in the vicinity and the fine white marble used in intricate veneering was obtained from Makrana in Rajasthan. Twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were used to embed into the white marble to create the majestic and beautiful work of art. The jasper was brought from Punjab; jade and crystal were from China, the turquoise was from Tibet, the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. Also, red sandstone was obtained from the neighboring mines of Sikri and Dholpur. It took as many as seventeen years to complete the construction of the Taj and the masterpiece was finally ready in 1648.

Taj Mahal Facts

The Taj is not a single piece of architecture, but an entire complex consisting of a rectangular plot measuring 1,902 feet x 1,002 feet on each side and bounded on north and south by two oblong sections. The cynosure is a white marble tomb that stands on a square platform consisting of a symmetrical building with an iwan (vaulted hall), an arch-shaped doorway, and a large dome at the pinnacle. The base structure on the Taj Mahal is a large, cube with chamfered edges. The entire design of the Taj Mahal is completely symmetrical with four minarets, at each corner of the plinth surrounding the tomb. The main chamber of Taj Mahal houses the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan while their graves are located on lower level. Red sandstone mosque on the western, and Mehman-Khana on the eastern side of the tomb creates a beautiful color contrast that is simply a pleasure to look at. The Taj Mahal showcases exquisite specimens of polychrome inlay art both in the interior and exterior, which is finely crafted to perfection.

At the southern point of the complex lies the forecourt with the main gate in front. It also houses the tombs of two other queens of Shah Jahan, which are Akbarabadi Begum and Fatehpuri Begum. The south-east and south-west corners are respectively called Saheli Burj one and two. The complex is set around a 300 meter square garden called the Charbagh garden. The garden is called so since it is divided into four equal sections by pathways. These four sections of the garden are further subdivided by raised pathways into sixteen sunken flowerbeds, which makes for a beautiful view. There is a marble water tank at the center of the garden with a reflecting pool on North-South axis that mirrors the beautiful image of the Taj Mahal.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World

In 1983, The Taj Mahal was given recognition as a UNESCO World heritage site and hence was universally acknowledged as one of the best heritage sites throughout the world. Although there have been several listings for Seven Wonders of the World, or Recommended travel destinations. The Taj Mahal also featured in the recently announced New Seven Wonders of the World, through a recent poll where it is supposed to have fetched as many as 100 million votes. Around three million tourists visit the Taj every year, making it the most admired tourist destination in India. Although tourists flood the Taj every time of the year, majority of the tourists prefer to visit during October, November and February when the weather is relatively cooler and hence more pleasant as well.

Taj Mahal Trivia

Ustad Ahmad Lahouri was the chief designer of the Taj Mahal
The calligraphy found in Taj Mahal is written in the florid thuluth script which was created by a Persian calligrapher Amanat Khan who signed several of the panels.
The sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal have calligraphic inscriptions of ninety-nine names of God.
The tomb of Shah Jahan carries an inscription that 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.
During the Indian uprising of 1857, Taj Mahal faced defacement by the British who plucked out precious stones from its walls.
In the 19th century the British viceroy Lord Curzon, declared a restoration project for Taj Mahal, which was completed by 1908. The British remodeling of the garden is still evident in the lawn styling.
Night viewing of Taj Mahal has been allowed from 28th November 2004 for five nights in a month (which includes the Full Moon night and two days before and after) except Fridays and the month of Ramzan.
If you want to visit the Taj Mahal with your loved one, I recommend you visit it on a full moon night when it is opened for night viewing. The beauty of the serene white structure bathed in the magical moon light, will be a memory that you will cherish forever, but don't get me wrong, the Taj will sweep you off your feet any time you visit it. This monument will entice you with its gold finials and intricate carvings on pristine marble, it will overwhelm you with the surrounding beauty of flowers and greenery but most of all it will take you into the depths of a historical journey, it will be an experience that you will carry in your heart, forever.

The first european visitor of Taj mahal

The first european visitor of Taj mahal

Jean Baptiste Tavernier

The Taj Mahal Architecture of Islam

The Taj Mahal Architecture of Islam-Sign of Love

The Taj Mahal of Agra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, for reasons more than just looking magnificent. It's the history of Taj Mahal that adds a soul to its magnificence: a soul that is filled with love, loss, remorse, and love again. Because if it was not for love, the world would have been robbed of a fine example upon which people base their relationships. An example of how deeply a man loved his wife, that even after she remained but a memory, he made sure that this memory would never fade away. This man was the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was head-over-heels in love with Mumtaz Mahal, his dear wife. She was a Muslim Persian princess (her name Arjumand Banu Begum before marriage) and he was the son of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of Akbar the Great. It was at the age of 14 that he met Mumtaz and fell in love with her. Five years later in the year 1612, they got married.

Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It was in the memory of his beloved wife that Shah Jahan built a magnificent monument as a tribute to her, which we today know as the "Taj Mahal". The construction of Taj Mahal started in the year 1631. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran, and it took approximately 22 years to build what we see today. An epitome of love, it made use of the services of 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants. The monument was built entirely out of white marble, which was brought in from all over India and central Asia. After an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees (approx US $68000), Taj Mahal was finally completed in the year 1653.

It was soon after the completion of Taj Mahal that Shah Jahan was deposed by his own son Aurangzeb and was put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Shah Jahan, himself also, lies entombed in this mausoleum along with his wife. Moving further down the history, it was at the end of the 19th century that British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908, as a measure to restore what was lost during the Indian rebellion of 1857: Taj being blemished by British soldiers and government officials who also deprived the monument of its immaculate beauty by chiseling out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. Also, the British style lawns that we see today adding on to the beauty of Taj were remodeled around the same time. Despite prevailing controversies, past and present threats from Indo-Pak war and environmental pollution, this epitome of love continuous to shine and attract people from all over the world.

Design and Construction of the Taj Mahal

Named the Taj Mahal in honor of Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum was constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (including jade, crystal, lapis lazuli, amethyst and turquoise) forming intricate designs in a technique known as pietra dura. Its central dome reached a height of 240 feet (73 meters) and was surrounded by four smaller domes; four slender towers, or minarets, stood at the corners. In accordance with Islamic tradition, verses from the Quran were inscribed in calligraphy on the arched entrances to the mausoleum, in addition to numerous other sections of the complex. Inside the mausoleum, an octagonal marble chamber adorned with carvings and semi-precious stones housed the cenotaph, or false tomb, of Mumtaz Mahal. The real sarcophagus containing her actual remains lay below, at garden level. 

The rest of the Taj Mahal complex included a main gateway of red sandstone and a square garden divided into quarters by long pools of water, as well as a red sandstone mosque and an identical building called a jawab (or "mirror") directly across from the mosque. Traditional Mughal building practice would allow no future alterations to be made to the complex. As the story goes, Shah Jahan intended to build a second grand mausoleum across the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal, where his own remains would be buried when he died; the two structures were to have been connected by a bridge. In fact, Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan's third son with Mumtaz Mahal) deposed his ailing father in 1658 and took power himself. Shah Jahan lived out the last years of his life under house arrest in a tower of the Red Fort at Agra, with a view of the majestic resting place he had constructed for his wife; when he died in 1666, he was buried next to her.

The Taj Mahal Over the Years

Under Aurangzeb's long rule (1658-1707), the Mughal empire reached the height of its strength. However, his militant Muslim policies, including the destruction of many Hindu temples and shrines, undermined the enduring strength of the empire and led to its demise by the mid-18th century. Even as Mughal power crumbled, the Taj Mahal suffered from neglect and disrepair in the two centuries after Shah Jahan's death. Near the turn of the 19th century, Lord Curzon, then British viceroy of India, ordered a major restoration of the mausoleum complex as part of a colonial effort to preserve India's artistic and cultural heritage. 

Today, some 3 million people a year (or around 45,000 a day during peak tourist season) visit the Taj Mahal. Air pollution from nearby factories and automobiles poses a continual threat to the mausoleum's gleaming white marble façade, and in 1998, India's Supreme Court ordered a number of anti-pollution measures to protect the building from deterioration. Some factories were closed, while vehicular traffic was banned from the immediate vicinity of the complex.

Interior decoration

The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far beyond traditional decorative elements. Here, the inlay work is not pietra dura, but a lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones. The inner chamber is an octagon with the design allowing for entry from each face, although only the door facing the garden to the south is used.

The interior walls are about 25 metres (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, as 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, and 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 chattris at the corners. Each chamber wall 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 octagonal marble screen or jali which borders the cenotaphs is made from eight marble panels which have been carved through with intricate pierce work. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid in extremely delicate detail with semi-precious stones forming twining vines, fruits and flowers.

Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves. Hence, the bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan were put in a relatively plain crypt beneath the inner chamber with their faces turned right and towards Mecca. Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph is placed at the precise center of the inner chamber on a rectangular marble base of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) by 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).

Both the 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. Shah Jahan's cenotaph is beside Mumtaz's to the western side, and is the only visible asymmetric element in the entire complex. His cenotaph is bigger than his wife's, but reflects the same elements: a larger casket on a slightly taller base, again decorated with astonishing precision with lapidary and calligraphy that identifies him. On the lid of this casket is a traditional sculpture of a small pen box.

The pen box and writing tablet were traditional Mughal funerary icons decorating the caskets of men and women respectively. The Ninety Nine Names of God are found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, in the crypt including "O Noble, O Magnificent, O Majestic, O Unique, O Eternal, O Glorious... ". The tomb of Shah Jahan bears a calligraphic inscription that 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."

The calligraphy on the Great Gate reads

"O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you."

The calligraphy was created by a calligrapher named Abd ul-Haq, in 1609. Shah Jahan conferred the title of "Amanat Khan" upon him as a reward for his "dazzling virtuosity". Near the lines from the Qur'an at the base of the interior dome is the inscription, "Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi." Much of the calligraphy is composed of florid thuluth script, made of jasper or black marble, inlaid in white marble panels. Higher panels are written in slightly larger script to reduce the skewing effect when viewed from below. The calligraphy found on the marble cenotaphs in the tomb is particularly detailed and delicate.

Interior decoration (Inside) of Taj Mahal

Interior decoration

The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far beyond traditional decorative elements. Here, the inlay work is not pietra dura, but a lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones. The inner chamber is an octagon with the design allowing for entry from each face, although only the door facing the garden to the south is used.

The interior walls are about 25 metres (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, as 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, and 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 chattris at the corners. Each chamber wall 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 octagonal marble screen or jali which borders the cenotaphs is made from eight marble panels which have been carved through with intricate pierce work. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid in extremely delicate detail with semi-precious stones forming twining vines, fruits and flowers.

Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves. Hence, the bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan were put in a relatively plain crypt beneath the inner chamber with their faces turned right and towards Mecca. Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph is placed at the precise center of the inner chamber on a rectangular marble base of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) by 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).

The calligraphy of Taj Mahal

The calligraphy of Taj Mahal

The pen box and writing tablet were traditional Mughal funerary icons decorating the caskets of men and women respectively. The Ninety Nine Names of God are found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, in the crypt including "O Noble, O Magnificent, O Majestic, O Unique, O Eternal, O Glorious... ". The tomb of Shah Jahan bears a calligraphic inscription that 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."

The calligraphy on the Great Gate reads "O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you."

The calligraphy was created by a calligrapher named Abd ul-Haq, in 1609. Shah Jahan conferred the title of "Amanat Khan" upon him as a reward for his "dazzling virtuosity". Near the lines from the Qur'an at the base of the interior dome is the inscription, "Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi." Much of the calligraphy is composed of florid thuluth script, made of jasper or black marble, inlaid in white marble panels. Higher panels are written in slightly larger script to reduce the skewing effect when viewed from below. The calligraphy found on the marble cenotaphs in the tomb is particularly detailed and delicate.

Design and Construction of the Taj Mahal

Design and Construction of the Taj Mahal

Named the Taj Mahal in honor of Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum was constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (including jade, crystal, lapis lazuli, amethyst and turquoise) forming intricate designs in a technique known as pietra dura. Its central dome reached a height of 240 feet (73 meters) and was surrounded by four smaller domes; four slender towers, or minarets, stood at the corners. In accordance with Islamic tradition, verses from the Quran were inscribed in calligraphy on the arched entrances to the mausoleum, in addition to numerous other sections of the complex. Inside the mausoleum, an octagonal marble chamber adorned with carvings and semi-precious stones housed the cenotaph, or false tomb, of Mumtaz Mahal. The real sarcophagus containing her actual remains lay below, at garden level.

(American soldiers siting and behind the scene of Taj Mahal under construction)

The rest of the Taj Mahal complex included a main gateway of red sandstone and a square garden divided into quarters by long pools of water, as well as a red sandstone mosque and an identical building called a jawab (or "mirror") directly across from the mosque. Traditional Mughal building practice would allow no future alterations to be made to the complex. As the story goes, Shah Jahan intended to build a second grand mausoleum across the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal, where his own remains would be buried when he died; the two structures were to have been connected by a bridge. In fact, Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan's third son with Mumtaz Mahal) deposed his ailing father in 1658 and took power himself. Shah Jahan lived out the last years of his life under house arrest in a tower of the Red Fort at Agra, with a view of the majestic resting place he had constructed for his wife; when he died in 1666, he was buried next to her.