Overlooking the River Yamuna, and visible
from the fort in the west, the Taj Mahal stands at the northern end of vast
gardens enclosed by walls. Though its layout follows a distinctly Islamic
theme, representing Paradise, it is above all a monument to romantic love.
Shah Jahan built the Taj to enshrine the body of his favourite wife,
Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Elect of the Palace"),
who died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child, in 1631.
Proud Architects of Taj Mahal
The names of the chief architect who worked on the Taj have been noted.
Ismail Afandi, who designed the hemispheres and built the domes was from
Turkey. Qazim Khan came from Lahore to cast the gold finial that would top
the dome. Chiranji Lal was called from Delhi to pattern the mosaic. From
Shiraz in Persia came master calligrapher, Amanat Khan. Stone cutter Amir
Ali was from Baluchistan. Ustad Isa of Tukey is however credited to have
been the main architect. It is believed that his design embodied much of
what the Emperor wanted to express.
Agra,
the Chosen City
Approach to the Taj: The walled complex is approached
from the south through a red sandstone forecourt, Chowk-i Jilo Khana, whose
wide paths, flanked by arched kiosks, run to high gates in the east and
west. The original entrance, a massive arched gateway topped with delicate
domes and adorned with Koranic verses, stands at the northern edge of
Chowk-i Jilo Khana, directly aligned with the Taj, but shielding it from the
view of those who wait outside. Today's entrance, complete with security
checks, is through a narrow archway in the southern wall to the right of the
gate.
Garden Mausoleum
The mighty marble tomb stands at the end of superb gardens designed in the
charbagh style so fashionable among Moghul, Arabic and Persian architect.
Dissected into four quadrants by waterways, they evoke the Islamic image of
the Gardens of Paradise, where rivers flow with water, milk, wine and honey.
The "rivers" converge at a marble tank in the centre that
corresponds to al-Kawthar, the celestial pool of abundance mentioned in the
Koran. Today only the watercourse running from north to south is full, and
its precise, glassy reflection of the Taj is a favourite photographic image.
The Structure
Essentially square in shape, with peaked arches cut into its sides, the Taj
Mahal surmounts a square marble platform marked at each corner by a high
minaret. Topped with a huge central dome, it rises for over 55m, its height
accentuated by a crowning brass spire, itself almost 17m high. On approach,
the tomb looms ever larger and grander, but not until you are close do you
appreciate both its awesome magnitude and the extraordinarily fine detail of
relief carving, highlighted by floral patterns of precious stones. Carved
vases of flowers including roses, tulips and narcissi, rise subtly out of
the marble base, a pa ttern repeated more colourfully and inlaid with
precious stones around the four great arched recesses (pishtaqs) on each
side.
The Tomb
The
south face of the tomb is the main entrance to the interior: a high, echoing
octagonal chamber flushed with pallid light reflected by yellowing marble
surfaces. A marble screen, cut so finely that it seems almost translucent,
and decorated with precious stones, scatters dappled light over the cenotaph
of Mumtaz Mahal in the centre of the tomb, and that of Shah Jahan next to
it. Inlaid stones on the marble tombs are the finest in Agra; attendants
gladly illuminate the decorations with torches. The 99 names of Allah adorn
the top of Mumtaz's tomb, and set into Shah Jahan's is a pen box, the
hallmark of a male ruler. These cenotaphs, in accordance with Moghul
tradition, are only representations of the real coffins, which lie in the
same positions in an unadorned and humid crypt below that's heavy with the
scent of heady incense and rose petals.
