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AGRA
A flawless architectural creation
For centuries, the Taj Mahal has
inspired poets, painters and musicians to try and capture its
elusive magic in word, color and son. Since the 17th century,
travelers have crossed continents to come and see this ultimate
memorial to love, and few have been unmoved by its incomparable
beauty.
Taj Mahal stands in the city of Agra,
in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the
Yamuna river. It was built in the memory of the beautiful Arjumand
Bano Begum, who won the heart of a Mughal prince. She was married at
21 to Emperor Jahangir's third son Prince Khurram and stayed loyally
by his side through good times and bad: in the luxurious royal
palaces of Agra as well as the transient tents of war camps.
A memorial to his beloved
In AD 1628, Khurram became king
after a bloody battle of succession; he took the name Shahjahan
or King of the World and showered his beloved begum with the highest
titles. She became Mumtaz Mahal, the Exalted of the Palace
and Mumtaz-ul-Zamani, the Exalted of the Age. But Mumtaz Mahal was
not destined to be queen for long.
In 1631, Shahjahan went on an
expedition to the South and, as always, Mumtaz Mahal accompanied
him. But she died in childbirth at Burhanpur. She had borne
Shahjahan fourteen children, of whom four sons and three daughters
survived. When Mumtaz Mahal died, she was just 39 years old.
Shahjahan was inconsolable and contemporary chronicles tell of the
royal court mourning for two years. There was no music, no feasting,
and no celebration of any kind.
Shahjahan, who was a passionate
builder, now decided to erect a memorial marble that the world would
never forget. The site selected for the tomb was a garden by the
Yamuna river, unshadowed by any other structure. The garden had been
laid by Raja Man Singh of Amber and now belonged to his grandson,
Raja Jai Singh. By a royal firman, Shahjahan gave Jai Singh four
havelis in exchange for the garden. The site was also chosen because
it was located on a bend in the river, and so could be seen from
Shahjahan's personal palace in Agra Fort, further upstream.
A labor of love
Work on the mausoleum began in 1633
and 20,000 workers labored for 17 years to build it. The most
skilled architects, inlay craftsmen, calligraphers, stone-carvers
and masons came from all across India and lands as distant as Persia
and Turkey. The master mason was from Baghdad, an expert in building
the double dome from Persia, and an inlay specialist from Delhi.
The tomb was completed in AD 1650.
But, Shahjahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb in 1658 and
imprisoned in the Agra Fort. He spent his last years in the
Mussalman Burj looking downstream at the Taj where his beloved
Mumtaz Mahal lay. Sixteen years later he, too, was laid to rest
beside her.
The bejeweled Palace
Shahjahan's two biggest passions were
architecture and jewelry and both are reflected in the Taj Mahal. He
visualized a building in marble and then had it decorated with
semi-precious stones inlaid with the delicacy of handcrafted
jewelry. Marble in purest white was brought from Makrana in
Rajasthan, yellow marble and rockspar from the banks of the Narmada
river, lack marble from Charkoh and red sandstone from Sikri. For
the intricate pietra dura the finest gems were collected - crystal
and jade from China, lapis lazuli and sapphires from Sri Lanka,
jasper from Punja, carnelian from Baghdad and turquoise from Tibet.
Yemen sent agates, the corals came
from Arabia, the garnets from Bundelkhand, onyx and amethyst from
Persia. Mumtaz Mahal's final resting-place was ornamented like a
queen's jewel-box.
The Complex
You enter the Taj complex through an
arcaded forecourt where some of Shahjahan's other queens lie buried.
The forecourt also has the Jilau Kana, a bazaar with
cloisters leading to the main entrance of the tomb. The imposing
gateway is made of red sandstone highlighted with marble and has
octagonal kiosks on top. The gateway is an imposing 30 meters high
and a fitting entrance to the Taj Mahal. The soaring arch is
inscribed with a beautiful design of inlaid flowers and calligraphy.
As you enter the dark octagonal
chamber under the gateway, the light streaming in from the opposite
doorway draws you towards it. Here, framed by the arch of the
doorway, the Taj Mahal reveals itself to the viewer with dramatic
power. It stands at the end of a long walkway, framed by landscaped
gardens and an ever-changing sky, its snowy marble glittering in the
sunlight.
Taj Mahal stands at one side of a
garden laid in the tradition charbagh style, with its square
lawns bisected by pathways, water channels and rows of fountains.
Halfway down the path there is a square pool, its limpid waters
reflecting the marble tomb. Unlike other tombs, Taj Mahal stands at
one end of the garden instead the centre. This was done
deliberately, to leave its vista uncluttered by any other building.
The Main Building
The tomb stands on a marble plinth
six-meters high. The four minarets at each corner beautifully frame
the tomb. The plinth stands on a high sandstone platform and at the
far ends of this base are two identical sandstone structures, a
mosque to the west and its jawab, or echo, to the east. This
was the mehman khana or guesthouse. Thus, the main building
is not just of great size but beautifully proportioned and balanced
in design.
The octagonal central hall has four
smaller octagonal halls round it and is decorated with magnificent
inlay and dado panels done in high relief. The bulbous,
perfectly-balanced double dome rises to a height of 45 meters and
the four chhattris flanking and balancing the high drum give it
added height. Taj Mahal rises 75 meters high and is, in fact, taller
than the Qutab Minar.
An ornate marble screen, carved so
fine that it almost has the texture of lace surrounds the cenotaphs
in the central hall. However, as was the tradition during Mughal
times, the actual graves lie in an underground crypt directly below
the cenotaphs.
Intricacy in design
What is most amazing about the Taj
Mahal is the fine detailing. The colored inlay is never allowed to
overwhelm the design, as carvings done in relief sensitively balance
it. The ornate pietra dura and relief carvings are of floral,
calligraphic and geometric designs. However, flowers remain the main
decorative element as the tomb depicts a paradise garden. The skill
of the inlay worker is so fine that it is impossible to find the
joints, even when as many as 40 tiny pieces of semi-precious stones
have been used in the petals of a single flower. Some of the best
calligraphy of Koranic verses can be seen around the entrance arches
and on the two headstones.
The colors of the Taj
Taj Mahal changes its moods with the
seasons and the different times of the day. At dawn, the marble has
a delicate bloom in shell pink, by noon it glitters majestically
white, turning to a soft pearly grey at dusk. On full-moon away
against the star-spangled sky. Monsoon clouds give it a moody blue
tint and it appears and disappears like a mirage in the drifting
mists of winter.
It can be solid and earthbound,
fragile and ethereal, white, amber, grey and gold. The many faces of
Taj Mahal display the seductive power of architecture at its best.
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