Come, walk along the pathway beside the reflecting pool with fountains up to the mausoleum crafted in soft & pure marble and jeweled with semi precious stones, where in the serenity of paradise rests the Queen in peace with her King. Come to unfold the pages from the past to churn the charm out of its mystique and enrich your imagination about this marvel of an epic in stone, The Taj! The grace of perfection of proportions and grandeur of geometrical patterns of well appointed gardens enhancing the poise of the whole complex together add magnificence to the delicacy of this manse of love, dedication and purity, ‘The Taj’ Come take a dip into the saga of ‘The Taj’, culled out from no fiction but facts and unfurl a saga, which is set out of nothing but pure love! The Taj displays its different moods through its varied shades. The Taj has as many shades as any kind of beauty can ever have! The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening, golden when the moon shines and the intermediary variants during different hours of the day and during different seasons in a year. Picturesque descriptions by the historians contemporary to the period of its making, the facts revealed by the scholars & archaeologists of today and the panoramic montage of the reasons behind its making are sketched with every step you would walk towards the mausoleum the next time you visit The Taj! A look this time at the Taj will keep you indulged with thoughts superimposing your sight and would make you feel the presence of Shah Jahan, the Maker and Mumtaz Mahal, the Reason, as though walking along with you. Whence its breathtaking splendour makes you wonder breathlessly and you tend to pause for a while but to continue staring at ‘The Taj’, you would sense them standing beside you! If one has a heart that beats and that beat throbs to seek, the purity of love in galore! Surely one deserves a visit to ‘The Taj’, as much as ‘The Taj’ deserves your visit once, and more! Come to ‘The Taj’ with blissful pride! Bring the saga come alive!! Come; fall in love, every time!!! Visiting Hours - Taj Mahal Sunrise to Sunset (Friday Closed) also Other Monuments-from sunrise to sunset The Makers of the Taj The Fifth Mughal Emperor: Shah Jahan [1592 – 1666] Shahab Uddin Muhammad Shah Jahan I (full title: Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Abu'l-Muzaffar Shahab uddin Muhammad, Sahib-i-Qiran-i-Sani, Shah Jahan I Padshah Ghazi Zillu'llah [Firdaus-Ashiyani]) ruled India from 1628 until 1658. From ‘Khurram’ to Shah Jahan: The blue-eyed of the Mughal Royals, the young ‘Khurram’ impressed his father the Emperor Jahangir with his intense military successes of 1617 against the Lodi in the Deccan, which effectively secured the southern border of the empire. The grateful father rewarded him with the prestigious title 'Shah Jahan Bahadur ', which implicitly sealed his inheritance. The name Shah Jahan comes from Persian meaning "King of the World." His early years saw him receive a cultured, broad education and distinguish himself in the martial arts and as a commander of his father's armies in numerous campaigns, where he became responsible for most of the territorial gains of his father's reign. Khurram also demonstrated a precocious talent for building, impressing his father at the age of 16 when he built his own quarters within Babur's Kabul fort and redesigned several buildings within Agra fort. He was the fifth Mughal ruler after Babur, Humayun, Akbar, and Jahangir. While young, he was a favorite of Akbar. Like Akbar, he was eager to expand his empire. Even while very young, he could be pointed out to be the successor to the Mughal throne after the death of Jahangir. He succeeded to the throne upon his father's death in 1627. He is considered to be one of the greatest Mughals and his reign has been called the Golden Age of Mughals. Shah Jahan erected many splendid monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra. The Pearl Mosque at Agra, the palace and great mosque at Delhi. The celebrated Peacock Throne, said to be worth millions of dollars by modern estimates. He was the founder of Shahjahanabad, now known as 'Old Delhi'. Other creations of Shah Jahan also include the Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas within the Red Fort in Delhi. As a young man, he was married to two wives known as Akbarabadi Mahal (d.1677 AD), and Kandahari Mahal (m.1609 AD). Beforehand however, in 1607 AD, Khurram had been betrothed to Arjumand Bano Begum, the granddaughter of a Persian noble, who was just 14 years old at the time. She would become the unquestioned love of his life and they were married in 1612 AD.
According to the official court chronicler Qazwini, the relationship with his other wives "had nothing more than the status of marriage. The intimacy, deep affection, attention and favour which His Majesty had for the Cradle of Excellence [Mumtaz] exceeded by a thousand times what he felt for any other”. Shah Jahan was utterly devoted to Mumtaz Mahal, who was his constant companion and trusted confidante and their relationship was intense. Indeed, the court historians go to unheard of lengths to document the intimate and erotic relationship the couple enjoyed. Sheela Reddy in her Taj Trivia termed Shah Jahan as ‘The Man of Marble’. Quoting the Austrian art historian Ebba Koch and her book, “The Complete Taj Mahal”, she says that Shah Jahan picked the site for Taj for its great view from Raja Jai Singh of Amber, in exchange for four mansions. The Rule Although his father's rule was generally peaceful, the empire was experiencing challenges by the end of his reign. Shah Jahan reversed this trend by putting down a Islamic rebellion in Ahmednagar, repulsing the Portuguese in Bengal, capturing the Rajput kingdoms of Baglana and Bundelkhand to the west and the northwest beyond the Khyber Pass. Under his rule, the state became a huge military machine and the nobles and their contingents multiplied almost fourfold, as did the demands for more revenue from the peasantry. It was however a period of general stability — the administration was centralised and court affairs systematised. Historiography and the arts increasingly became instruments of propaganda, where beautiful artworks or poetry expressed specific state ideologies which held that central power and hierarchical order would create balance and harmony. The Wealth Under Shah Jahan the Mughal Empire attained its highest union of strength with magnificence. The land revenue of the Mughal Empire under Shah Jahan was 20.75 million sterling. The magnificence of Shah Jahan’s court was the wonder of European travellers. His Peacock Throne, with its trail blazing in the shifting natural colors of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, was valued by the jeweller Tavernier at 6.5 million sterling. The Cause of the Taj The Mughal Empress: Mumtaz Mahal [1593 AD – 1631 AD] Arjumand Banu Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal (April, 1593 - 17 June 1631) meaning "beloved ornament of the palace" was an Empress of India during the Mughal Dynasty. Her father was the brother of Empress Nur Jehan (who subsequently became the wife of the emperor Jahangir). She was religiously a Shi'a Muslim. Betrothed to Prince Khurram in 1607 AD at the age of 14 years, she was married five years later on 10 May 1612, a date selected by the court astrologers as most conducive to ensuring a happy marriage to Prince Khurram, who later ascended the Peacock Throne of India as the fifth Mughal Emperor and popularly known as Shah Jahan I. She was his third wife, and became his favorite. After their wedding celebrations, Khurram "finding her in appearance and character elect among all the women of the time", gave her the title 'Mumtaz Mahal' Begum (Chosen One of the Palace). The intervening years had seen Khurram take two other wives. Mumtaz Mahal had a very deep and loving marriage with Shah Jahan. Even during her lifetime, poets would extol her beauty, gracefulness and compassion. Mumtaz Mahal was Shah Jahan's trusted companion, travelling with him all over the Mughal Empire. His trust in her was so great that he even gave her his imperial seal, the Muhr Uzah. Mumtaz was portrayed as the perfect wife with no aspirations to political power . Despite her frequent pregnancies, Mumtaz traveled with Shah Jahan's entourage throughout his earlier military campaigns. She was his constant companion and trusted confidant and their relationship was intense. She died in Burhanpur [1631 AD] in the Deccan (now in Madhya Pradesh) during the birth of their thirteenth child, a daughter named Gauhara Begum. She had been accompanying her husband whilst he was fighting a campaign in the Deccan Plateau. Her body was temporarily buried at Burhanpur in a walled pleasure garden known as Zainabad originally constructed by Shah Jahan's uncle Daniyal on the bank of the Tapti River. Her original grave still lies here. Burhanpur was never intended by her husband as his wife's final resting spot. As a result her body was disinterred in December 1631 and transported in a golden casket escorted by her son Shah Shuja and the head lady in waiting of the deceased Empress back to Agra. There it was interred in a small building on the banks of the river Yamuna. Shah Jahan stayed behind in Burhanpur to conclude the military campaign that had originally bought him to the region. While there he began planning the design and construction of a suitable mausoleum and funerary garden in Agra for his wife, a task that would take more than 22 years to complete, the Taj Mahal.
The contemporary court chroniclers paid an unusual amount of attention to Mumtaz Mahal's death and Shah Jahan's grief at her demise. In the immediate aftermath of his bereavement, the Emperor was reportedly inconsolable. Apparently after her death, Shah Jahan went into secluded mourning for a year. When he appeared again, his hair had turned white. His back was bent, and his face worn. Since Mumtaz had died on Wednesday, all entertainments were banned on that day. Jahan gave up listening to music, wearing jewellery or rich and colourful clothes and using perfumes for two years. Jahan's eldest daughter, the devoted Jahanara Begum, gradually brought him out of grief and took the place of Mumtaz at court. The Queen Mumtaz Mahal’s personal fortune valued at 10,000,000 rupees was divided by Shah Jahan between Jahanara Begum, who received half and the rest of her surviving children. Immediately after the burial in Burhanpur, Jahan and the imperial court devoted themselves to the planning and design of the mausoleum and funery garden in Agra, now known as the Taj Mahal or fondly, The Taj! Creation The Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures with the white domed marble mausoleum being its most significant component. Entrusted to a board-of-architects by the Emperor Shah Jahan, the construction of the Taj Complex began about 1631 AD. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 AD by employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen, whereas, the outlying buildings and gardens were finished five years later in 1653 AD. HINDU PRECEDENTS The Indo-Islamic architecture had incorporated and reinterpreted many of the traditions, forms and symbolism of both the indigenous Hindu architecture with the predominant Islamic architecture ever since the era of the Delhi Sultanate (1192 AD - 1451AD). During the Mughal Empire, the extent varied according to the prevailing political climate; scant with Babur, extensively with Akbar, but they ruled a land dominated by non-muslims and most buildings were built with Hindu craftsmen and labour under the direction of Muslim artists and architects. The vegetative tracery, inlay work and most obviously the lotus dome and finial of the Taj Mahal are all testament to this synthesis. ARCHITECTS AND CRAFTSMEN The exquisite and highly skilled Inlay work was developed by Mughal lapidarists from techniques taught to them by Italian craftsmen employed at court. The look of European herbals, books illustrating botanical species was adapted and refined in Mughal Inlay work. History obscures precisely who designed the Taj Mahal. In the Islamic world at that time, the credit for a building design was usually given to its patron rather than its architects. From the evidence of contemporary sources, it is clear that a team of architects were responsible for the design and supervision of the works, but they are mentioned infrequently. A labour force of about twenty thousand workers was recruited from across the Northern India. Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, inlayers from southern India, stone cutters from Baluchistan, and a specialist in building turrets, another who carved only marble flowers were part of the thirty-seven men who formed the creative unit. Overview "A white marble tomb built in 1631 - 48 in Agra, seat of the Mughal Empire, by Shah Jehan for his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, the monument sums up many of the formal themes that have played through Islamic architecture. Its refined elegance is a conspicuous contrast both to the Hindu architecture of pre-Islamic India, with its thick walls, corbelled arches and heavy lintels, and to the Indo-Islamic styles, in which Hindu elements are combined with an eclectic assortment of motifs from Persian and Turkish sources."______ Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman Architecture: from Prehistory to Post-Modernism. p223 The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage." The tomb laid out in rectangular shape can be approached through an immense gateway with huge arch and alcoves strewn on either side that stands tall and erect, as though guarding something precious. Three other smaller gateways follow the red sandstone towers topped with domes in white marble together make a pretty picture. .The tomb is at the northern end with an expanse of greenery and fountains between it and the gateways. The ceiling is adorned with floral patterns and the dÊcor of floors with geometric designs. The inner of the main structure is in lakhauri [a kind of earthen brick], which have been carefully covered with marble, whereas the adjoining structures are covered with red sandstone.
Majestic and sensuous, glistening brightly in the afternoon sun, the bulbous dome and minarets with a slight inward tilt, have all been inscribed meticulously with the Holy Verses bringing forth the arabesque ornamentation. The white marble from Makrana in Rajasthan has added its own natural beauty to this mausoleum that attracts tourists from all over the world. The blooms are worked out in immense detail and every dot and alphabet of the Holy Quran is neatly etched, cut and inlaid to perfection. The flowers, chiefly lilies mirror the Mughal love for gardens. One particular flower on the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal is said to have been inlaid with 35 different precious stones. The central hall is surrounded by eight rooms that have a corridor running through them. The aura of serenity is all pervading, while translucent glass separates them to let-in the dim sunlight, making the interiors look solemn and intriguing. However, it is the dome that leaves one gasping in awe. While the outer dome rises to 44.4 metres in height, the inner is 24.35 metres an architectural and technical feat. Ismail Afandi from Turkey, who also worked for the Ottomans is said to have been its designer. Marking an amalgam of Hindu and Islamic architecture are the typically Hindu Chhatris [An umbrella like structure] at the dome base from the corners Coming out of prevailing solemnity in the environ, one gets speechless with awe at the grandeur of the by gone era, enticing particularly the panels with lilies and tulips together with iris flowers that symbolise death. The Makrana marble will perhaps never again be handled; with so much grace and care and such elegance of balancing the ornamentation on it. The beauty and splendour of elegant craftsmanship that makes up the inlay work and calligraphy in fact, further accentuates the deathly calm of the mausoleum and in the quietude, it is the softly filtering rays of the sun through the lattice work on marble panels that strikes one as unusually ethereal in nature. The romanticism and sheer majesty of the structure is unbelievably true! No wonder if millions of people chose it amongst the World’s top wonders. Architecture Taj Mahal is an ambassador of Shah Jahan's strong interest in building and artistic innovations. The new architectural style includes aspects that were to impinge much of subsequent Indian architecture. Symmetry along two sides of a central axis, new columnar styles, curvilinear forms, and symbolic decorations based on naturalistic plant motifs are all characteristics of the Shah Jahan style that can be found in the Taj Mahal Complex. PRELUDE The mausoleum is entirely clad in white marble. Alluding to the stone's luminosity, the Mughal poets compared it to early dawn or to a cloud. Kalim wrote: It is a [piece of] heaven of the colour of dawn's bright face, because from top to bottom and inside out it is of marble - Nay, not marble because of its translucent colour (av-u-rang) The eye can mistake it for a cloud. Kanbo refers to “the illumined tomb (rauza-i-munauwara) on who’s every stone slab from early morning until late evening the whiteness of the true dawn is reflected, causing the viewer to forget his desire to move towards the highest heaven”. CONCEPTS Under the reign of Shah Jahan the symbolic content of Mughal architecture reached its peak. Inspired by a verse by Bibadal Khan, the imperial goldsmith and poet, and in common with most Mughal funerial architecture, the Taj Mahal complex was conceived as a replica on earth of the house of Mumtaz in paradise. This theme permeates the entire complex and informs the design and appearance of all its elements.. A deliberate interplay was established between the building's elements, its surface decoration, materials, geometric planning and its acoustics. This interplay extends from what can be seen with the senses, into religious, intellectual, mathematical and poetic ideas. SYMBOLISM In the Taj Mahal, the hierarchical use of red sandstone and white marble contributes manifold symbollic significance. The Mughals were elaborating on a concept which traced its roots to earlier Hindu practices, set out in the Vishnudharmottara Purana, which recommended white stone for buildings for the Brahmins (priestly caste) and red stone for members of the Kshatriyas (warrior caste). By building structures that employed such colour coding, the Mughals identified themselves with the two leading classes of Indian social structure and thus defined themselves as rulers in Indian terms. Red sandstone also had significance in the Persian origins of the Mughal Empire, where red was the exclusive colour of imperial tents.
Its symbolism is multifaceted, on the one hand evoking a more perfect, stylised and permanent garden of paradise than could be found growing in the earthly garden; on the other, an instrument of propaganda for Jahan's chroniclers who portrayed him as an 'erect cypress of the garden of the caliphate' and frequently used plant metaphors to praise his good governance, person, family and court. Plant metaphors also find a commonality with Hindu traditions where such symbols as the 'vase of plenty' (purna-ghata) can be found and were borrowed by the Mughal architects. INTERPRETATION The building was also used to assert Jahani propaganda concerning the 'perfection' of the Mughal leadership. Wayne Begley put forward an interpretation in 1979 that exploits the Islamic idea that the 'Garden of paradise' is also the location of the 'throne of god' on the day of judgement. In his reading the Taj Mahal is seen as a monument where Shah Jahan has appropriated the authority of the 'throne of god' symbolism for the glorification of his own reign. Koch disagrees, finding this an overly elaborate explanation and pointing out that the 'Throne' sura from the Qu'ran (sura2 verse 255) is missing from the calligraphic inscriptions. This period of Mughal architecture best exemplifies the maturity of a style that had synthesised Islamic architecture with its indigenous counterparts. By the time the Mughals built the Taj, though proud of their Persian and Timurid roots, they had come to see themselves as Indian. Copplestone writes "Although it is certainly a native Indian production, its architectural success rests on its fundamentally Persian sense of intelligible and undisturbed proportions, applied to clean, and uncomplicated surfaces." ELEMENTS Uniformity of shapes has been set in a particular hierarchical accent. One type of column, called the Shah Jahani column is used in the entire complex. It has a multi-faceted shaft, a capital built-up from miniature arches, concave elements and a base with four multi-cusped arched panels. Proportions and details of the columns vary according to their position in the complex; simplest in the bazaar streets, larger and richer in the funerary area. The chief building of the entire complex is the mausoleum and the most naturalistic decoration appears here. The flanking buildings; the mosque and mihman khana [Guest House meant only for assembling for prayers] share mirror symmetry and display less naturalistic and less refined ornament; in the garden buildings, it is used only sparingly; and none appears in the Jilaukhana or the bazaar and caravanserai complex. The elements of the subsidiary units are arranged with the same mirror symmetry. Integrated into the overall qarina symmetry is centrally planned elements; the four-part garden, the four-part bazaar and caravanserai complex, and the miniature chahar baghs of the inner subsidiary tombs. The mausoleum and the great gate have centralized plans THE PRINCIPLES Principles of Shah Jahani Architecture and as they are expressed in the Taj Mahal: The complex of the Taj Mahal explores the potential of the riverfront garden as both an ideal funerary and a utilitarian worldly construct; it also expresses in canonical form the architectural principles of the period.
1. Rational and strict geometry. 2. Perfect symmetrical planning with an emphasis on bilateral symmetry (qarina) along a central axis of the main features. In a typical Shah Jahani qarina scheme two symmetrical features flank a dominant central feature.
3. A hierarchical grading of materials, forms and colours. 4. Triadic divisions bound together in proportional formulas. These determine the shape of plans, elevations and architectural Ornament.
5. 6. 7. 8.
Uniformity of shapes, ordered by hierarchical accents. Sensuous attention to detail. A selective use of naturalism. Symbolism.
These principles govern the entire architecture of Shah Jahan. They are expressed most grandly and most consistently in the Taj Mahal. THE SYMMETRY The architecture was to express this concept through perfect symmetry, harmonious proportional relationships, and the translucent white marble facing which gives the purity of the geometrical and rational planning the desired unworldly appearance. The mausoleum is raised over an enriched version of the nine-fold plan favoured by the Mughals for tombs and garden pavilions.
A variant is used in the great gate. In the mausoleum the plan is expressed in perfect cross-axial symmetry, so that the building is focused on the central tomb chamber. And the inner organization is reflected on the facades, which present a perfectly balanced composition when seen from the extensions of the axes which generate the plan. Bilateral symmetry dominated by a central accent has generally been recognized as an ordering principle of the architecture of rulers aiming at absolute power, as an expression of the ruling force which brings about balance and harmony, 'a striking symbol of the stratification of aristocratic society under centralized authority'. A symmetric grading down to the minutest ornamental detail, particularly striking is die-hierarchical use of colour. THE COMPOSITION Thus the entire Taj complex consisted of two components, each following the riverfront garden design; the chahar bagh and terrace; a true riverfront garden and a landlocked variant in the configuration of the two subsidiary units, where the rectangle Jilaukhana corresponded to the riverfront terrace, and the cross-axial bazaar and caravanserai element to the chahar bagh. THE DESIGN The historians and poets of Shah Jahan state that the Taj Mahal was to represent an earthly replica of the house of Mumtaz Mahal in the gardens of Paradise. This must not be dismissed as Shah Jahani court rhetoric: it truly expresses the programme of the mausoleum. In order to realize the idea of the hatological garden house as closely as possible, the canonical out of previous imperial mausoleums, where the building stood at the centre of a crossaxially planned garden or chahar bagh, is abandoned, and the riverfront design that had become the prevailing residential garden type of Agra was chosen instead, and raised to a monumental scale. Ground Layout of The Taj Mahal Complex The main north-south axis runs through the garden canal and the bazaar street. On it are set the dominant features: the mausoleum, the pool, the great gate, the Jilaukhana, the southern gate of the Jilaukhana, and the chauk (square) of the bazaar and caravanserai complex. Exterior Decoration The mosque establishes the form that the Mihman Khana follows. It is based on a standard type which the Mughals took over from the Sultanate architecture of Delhi, namely that of an oblong massive prayer hall formed of vaulted bays or rooms arranged in a row with a dominant central pishtaq and domes. The elevation of mosque and Mihman Khana takes its cue from the great gate, the third monumental subsidiary building of the funerary garden. THE PLINTH The mausoleum sits on a plinth, decorated with delicate relief carvings (munabbat kari) of plant elements. This type of ornament, conforming to the principles of sensuous attention to detail and selective naturalism, is reserved for the lowest zone of the building, where it could be immediately appreciated by the viewer. Naturalistic ornament also appears above the plinth, in the spectacular flowering plants of the dados of the pishtaq halls. THE MARBLE PLATFORM OF THE MAUSOLEUM (Takhtgah) Monumental platforms housing the tomb chamber, above the actual burial, had been a prominent feature of Mughal mausoleums. The platform is square and its corners are accentuated by the four minarets. It is set off from the paved surface of the terrace by paving with an interlocking pattern of white marble octagons. In the centre of the other three sides tripartite bait in the form of an open oblong room flanked by two square cells, all covered with coved ceilings, is set into the platform. The central room has three arched openings corresponding to the trefoil-headed blind arches, filled with jalis in the hexagonal pattern found everywhere in the complex; a small rectangular window is cut into the central jali. THE PISHTAQS or MONUMENTAL PORCHES The pishtaqs embrace two storeys, and in their back walls are superimposed arched doors, larger below and smaller above. Both doors are filled with a rectangular framework containing jalis formed of tiny hexagonal elements in a honeycomb pattern. The door of the upper floor is integrated into the transition zone of the half-vault, formed of arches. THE DOME The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is the most spectacular feature is accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical "drum" which is roughly 23 feet high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called an onion dome. The top is decorated with a lotus design, which also serves to accentuate its height. The shape of the dome is emphasised by four smaller domed chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners, which replicate the onion shape of the main dome. Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to the interior. 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 Hindu decorative elements. THE MINARETS (Minar) Four minarets each more than 130 feet tall, display the designer's penchant for symmetry is set at the corners of the platform of the mausoleum and complete the architectural composition. Each minaret is effectively divided into three equal parts by two working balconies that ring the tower. At the top of the tower is a final balcony surmounted by a chattri that mirrors the design of those on the tomb. The minarets create a special aura around the mausoleum, and the Mughals interpreted them as mediators to the upper sphere. For Lahauri they were 'like ladders to the foot of the sky' and to Kanbo they appeared as 'accepted prayers from the heart of a pure person which have risen to heaven'. The minarets were constructed slightly outside of the plinth so that, in the event of collapse, the material from the towers would tend to fall away from the tomb. THE RIVERFRONT TERRACE (Chabutra) The terrace of the Taj Mahal is the most ambitious ever built in a Mughal riverfront garden scheme, unprecedented in size and decoration and one of the most impressive platforms in the history of architecture. Its full splendour is displayed towards the river, where it forms an uninterrupted red sandstone band 28 feet 6 inches high from the lowest visible plinth and 984 feet long, with elaborate decoration in relief and inlay work. The riverfront terrace was the first part of the Taj Mahal complex to be built THE ROOF TERRACE Staircases covered by pointed barrel vaults lead from the ground floor to roof level. On the upper floor they set out from the corridors between the central hall and the two southern corner rooms, and emerge at the sides of the east and west pishtaqs. The terrace is dominated by the outer dome, which rises with its high drum like an independent tower in the centre. The transition zone between drum and dome is ornamented with a moulding with a twisted rope design in inlay. At its top is a crowning element formed of lotus leaves, which had become a standard motif of Indian Islamic architecture. THE MAIN FINIAL The main finial was originally made of gold but was replaced by a copy made of gilded bronze in the early 19th century. This feature provides 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 such placements on the main spire, it creates a trident shape, reminiscent of traditional Hindu symbols of Shiva. 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." OUTLYING In 1632, the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, commenced the construction of one of the greatest monuments of all time, the Taj Mahal built atop a 22 feet high and 313 feet square platform with corner minarets 137 feet tall and 81 feet high & 58 feet in diameter central inner dome surmounted by an outer shell nearly 200 feet in height. Now a "UNESCO World Heritage Site", the mausoleum built to fulfill a promise he made to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal as she laid on her deathbed, “To erect a monument to match her beauty�. THE MOSQUE The mausoleum is flanked by almost identical two buildings on either side of the platform. The mosque on the west (left, when seen from the garden) and the Mihman Khana or assembly hall on the east are the complementary elements of the riverfront ensemble. The mausoleum is the dominant and unique feature in the centre of the tripartite composition of the qarina scheme, and the lateral buildings, exact alike, are the mirror-symmetrical components. It is distinguished by a few elements related to the prayer ritual and the sermon. The mosque floor was laid out with the outlines of 569 prayer rugs in black marble. Mughal mosques of the time divide the sanctuary hall into three areas. At the Taj Mahal, each one opens onto vaulting dome. The Mihman Khana was created as its replica solely to balance the group, to provide a jawab, an answer, for the mosque balances the bilateral symmetry of the composition. Its original function was to accommodate visitors for observing the death anniversaries of Mumtaz, which were held in the first few years in tents, took place in this building once it was completed. These are often found in buildings of Shah Jahan. THE JILAUKHANA (FORECOURT) ZONE The Taj complex is now entered through one of three gates leading into the Jilaukhana, or forecourt. The east and west gates are those commonly used by tourists. The arcaded ranges along the south side of the Jilaukhana, and the bazaar streets leading to it were restored between 1905 AD and 1922 AD. The approach road to the west gate is flanked by two somewhat inter buildings, the 'Fatehpuri Masjid' and an anonymous tomb, which is probably that of Satti-un- Nisa Khanum, the Chief Lady-in-waiting of Mumtaz Mahal.
The two bazaar streets lead into the great ceremonial forecourt, referred to as “jilaukhana�. An inevident element of the Shah Jahani architecture for court etiquette and proper ceremonial behaviour had become increasingly important and required an adequate architectural framing. Here visitors to the tomb would get down from their elephants and horses and assemble in style before entering through the great gate. The Jilaukhana is flanked by two pairs of courtyard enclosures. On the north, adjoining the garden wall, are the two Khawasspuras, the quarters of the tomb attendants. On the south are two tomb complexes, traditionally known as 'Saheli Burj' or the tower of the female friend. THE BAZAAR STREETS Two identical bazaar streets lead from the east and west gates to the Jilaukhana. The streets are lined with rows of small unconnected rectangular cells without windows, fronted by an arcaded verandah with multi-cusped arches supported by columns of distinctive Shah Jahani type, which appear here in their most basic form. THE EAST GATE (Fatehabadi Darwaza) and WEST GATE (Fatehpuri Darwaza) The east and west gates are identical. Their outer facades have a broad centre with a pishtaq, here taking the form of a pointed Archway in a rectangular frame, set between engaged polygonal shafts topped by ornamental pinnacles extending above roof level, which mark the centre off from flanking angled sections of wall. At the top is a parapet carved in relief with a characteristic Mughal pattern of multi-cusped crenellations. THE SOUTH GATE (Sidhi Darwaza) The design of the south gate is a vertically elongated version of that of the outer facades of the east and west gates. Both its faces have a simple pishtaq, flanked by engaged shafts terminating in guldastas. Because of the overall slope of the site, it stands 7 feet 10 inches above the level of the Jilaukhana and is reached up a short flight of stairs. Outside, a further short flight leads up to the bazaar and caravanserai complex, the Taj Ganj, which lies at a level 3 feet 3 inches higher. THE GREAT GATE (Darwaza-i-Rauza) The Jilaukhana complex is dominated by the great entrance gate set in the centre of the southern wall of the funerary garden. Lahauri calls it darwaza-i rauza, 'gate of the mausoleum', it is indeed a worthy counterpart to the mausoleum. The triadic design had been announced within the Jilaukhana area in a more modest form on the inner faces of the east and west gates. The design has its roots in the Sultanate architecture of Delhi, beginning with the Ala'i Darwaza of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. It brings to mind Roman triumphal arches, but no obvious connection can be establishedB.9.Interior Decoration MAUSOLEUM Also known as Rauza-i-Munauwara or Rauza-i-Muqqadas or Rauza-i-Mutahhara. The mausoleum dominates the entire Taj complex: the architectural effect is that of a strictly ordered progression of elements towards the overwhelming climax of the white marble building. The mausoleum is set at the northern end of the main axis of vast oblong walled complex which descends in hardly noticeable terraced steps towards the river Yamuna. The overall composition is formed of two major components: the mausoleum and its garden, and two subsidiary courtyard complexes to the south. THE TOMB The central focus of the complex is the tomb. 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. The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, forming an unequal octagon that is approximately 180 feet on each of the four long sides. On each of these sides, a massive pishtaq, or vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two similarly shaped, arched balconies stacked on either side. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual graves are at a lower level. THE TOMB CHAMBER It is the final station in the progress towards the tomb of Mumtaz, and that of Shah Jahan. The large hall, together with the lower tomb chamber over the actual burials below and the outer dome above forms the core of the building. Here all the elements, architecture, furniture, and decoration combine to create an eschatological house for Mumtaz Mahal. Even sound was put to the task of eternity, through one of the longest echoes of any building in the world. The hall has the form of a perfect octagon, 24 feet to a side, with two tiers of eight radiating niches. These niches, termed nashiman ('seat'), are equal in size but differentiated in their elevations. The floor is paved in a geometrical pattern consisting of octagonal stars alternating with pointed cruciform shapes, formed by black marble inlaid in white. Around the whole is a border of lobed cartouches of alternating size. The same border-surrounds the cenotaph of Mumtaz (but not the one of Shah Jahan, which was introduced later), it is a variant of a pattern used repeatedly in the Taj complex, most closely paralleled in the border of the terrace surrounding the platform of the mausoleum. The flowers follow botanical species more closely, and one can identify the Mughal favourites, irises, tulips, daffodils and narcissus.
THE LOWER TOMB CHAMBER From the southern entrance room a stairway covered with a pointed barrel vault leads down to the lower tomb chamber (not accessible to visitors). The rectangular room is entirely faced with marble and has an undecorated coved ceiling. In the centre stand the two cenotaphs that cover the actual graves; they are similar to those above but have different motifs in their decoration. The lower cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal has an almost undecorated platform. Its top is again covered with passages from the Qur'an, expressing related themes, promising God's mercy and forgiveness. On the sides are tiny cartouches containing the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of Allah, which express divine attributes such as O King, O Holy, O Peace. The lower cenotaph of Shah Jahan is also a more simply decorated version of his cenotaph above. The same flowers, namely poppies and plants with yellow lily-like blossoms, appear on the side walls of its sarcophagus element; they are however smaller, and set individually in tiny red cusped cartouches, reflecting the arrangement on the cenotaph of Mumtaz. The south end displays the epitaph, which is more comprehensive than the version on Shah Jahan's upper cenotaph: This is the illumined grave and sacred resting place of the emperor, dignified as Rizwan, residing in Eternity, His Majesty, having his abode in [the celestial realm of] Illiyun, Dweller in Paradise (Firdaus Ashiyani) [posthumous title of Shah Jahan], the Second Sahib-i Qiran, Shah Jahan, Padshah Ghazi [Warrior for the Faith]; may it be sanctified and may Paradise become his abode. THE SCREEN AND THE CENOTAPHS The naturalistic decoration of the interior culminates in the central ensemble of the cenotaphs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan and the screen that surrounds them. The perforated marble screen (mahjar-i mushabbak) was set up in 1643 to replace the original one of enamelled gold made by the goldsmith and poet Bibadal Khan on the occasion of the second anniversary of Mumtaz Mahal's death in 1633, which was obviously deemed too precious. It took ten years to make and cost 50,000 rupees, less than onetenth of the cost of the gold screen. Since 1994-1995 AD it has been protected from the hands of visitors by an ungainly aluminum grille in a wooden frame. The screen is octagonal, reflecting on a smaller scale the octagon of the surrounding hall and intensifying the paradisiacal symbolism of the number eight. Each side of the octagon is divided into three by marble frames. The corners are fortified by posts ending in kalasha finials (globes surmounted by a pointed element), an adaptation of a feature of older Indian architecture. The frames are filled with jalis, in which elegantly and intricately wrought plant elements are composed around a central axis - the only instance in the Taj Mahal where jalis are formed of organic plant arabesques rather than geometric forms. The Indian jali tradition is here brought to one of its highest points. The screen is topped with ornamental crenellations, kanguras, consisting of vase-shaped elements alternating with openwork formed of volutes of acanthus leaves, crowned at their juncture by small vase elements. The entrance arch in the centre of the south side and a corresponding closed arch opposite it in the centre of the north side rise above the screen; they have semicircular heads lined by a moulding terminating in hanging acanthus buds. Within the screen are the upper cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan - what Lahauri and Kanbo call surat-i qabr, 'the likenesses of tombs'. As usual in imperial Mughal mausoleums, the actual burials are below, in the lower tomb chamber, under cenotaphs of similar design. The cenotaph of Mumtaz is exactly in the centre of the hall. The larger cenotaph of Shah Jahan was added on its western side, and thus from a formal point of view appears as an afterthought. This placing gave substance to the rumour of the emperor's burial having been planned not within the Taj Mahal but on the opposite side of the Yamuna in a black marble tomb. The cenotaphs are aligned north-south, with the head to the north. The bodies were laid in their graves below on their side, with their face turned towards Mecca - which in India is to the west so that they would rise in the correct position at the sound of the trumpets at the Last Judgment. Each cenotaph consists of a single block of stone, shaped like a sarcophagus, set on a stepped plinth which is placed in turn on a wider platform. The cenotaph of Shah Jahan is characterized as a male tomb by the symbol of a pen case on its top. While the cenotaphs conform to an established Mughal type, no other Mughal, nor any other personage in the Islamic world, was commemorated with such exquisite decoration. The lower cenotaph of Jahangir at Lahore is the only one that comes close; it was created at the same time as that of Mumtaz, probably by the same artists.
THE DECORATION OF THE UPPER CENOTAPH OF _ MUMTAZ MAHAL: The main decoration consists of inlaid Qur'anic inscriptions. Naturalistic plums are confined to the platform, where two types alternate, between borders of hanging blossoms: one has asymmetrically arranged erect funnel-shaped calyxes and buds, the other a perfectly symmetrical arrangement of seven smaller blossoms and buds. Inscribed on the top and the sides of the block are Qur’anic verses in formal Sulus script; their common theme is to comfort the soul (of Mumtaz) with the prospect of paradise. The epitaph reads: ‘The illumined grave of Arjumand Bano Begum, entided Mumtaz Mahal, who died in the year 1631’. SHAH JAHAN: The cenotaph of the emperor, installed more than thirty years later, in 1666, is similar to that of Mumtaz in shape and decorative organization, but larger, and entirely covered with flowers and scroll work without any formal inscriptions, The only inscription is the epitaph, positioned like that of Mumtaz. The epitaph reads: ‘This is the sacred grave of His Most Exalted Majesty, Dweller in Paradise (Firdaus Ashiyani), Second Lord of the Auspicious. Conjunction (Sahib-i Qiran-i Sani), Shah Jahan, Padshah; may it ever be fragrant! The year 1076 [AD 1666]’. THE AMBULATORY ROOMS ('SHISH MAHAL') The central tomb chamber is surrounded by ambulatory rooms on two storeys, which on all but the southern, entrance, side are separated from it by jalis filled with panes of glass - whence the later name,' Shish Mahal' ('Mirror Palace'). These rooms are not accessible to visitors. ORGANIZATION Strict planning determines the organization of the garden component of the riverfront scheme, the cross-axial chahar bagh. The large square is divided by two main walkways (khiyaban) into four quadrants; each quadrant is in turn subdivided by narrower cross-axial walkways, so that sixteen sub-quadrants are formed; and the garden as a whole is surrounded by a walkway which connects with all the sub-walkways. At the crossing of the walkways in the centre of the garden is a raised platform (chabutra) of white marble with an ornamental pool (hauz) containing five fountains. Kanbo claimed eulogistically that it held the water of the celestial Kausar, the Propher's river in Paradise, which fills the pool at which believers bench their thirst on arrival. He also lauds the 'novel design' of the pool with its lobed and voluted corners. The four marble benches around the tank were put in 1907-08 on the order of Curzon. The four main walkways are identical, but they are differentiated through their context. The enclosing wall is lined by a peripheral walkway and articulated by large pointed arches which support a narrow elevated walk running in front of ornamental crenellations. These elements of fortification architecture give the garden wall substance and a character of display. At the place where the subsidiary walkway of the south-western quadrant meets the garden wall, a drinking fountain of a design 'in accord with its surrounding' was put up in 1909-10 by the British government 'for the use of soldiers and other visitors to the mausoleum'. 'It is not in use today. Paradise Gardens (Charbagh) The concept of the paradise garden was one the Mughals brought from Persian Timurid gardens. It was the first architectural expression they made in the Indian sub-continent, fulfilling diverse functions with strong symbolic meanings. Known as the charbagh, in its ideal form it was laid out as a square subdivided into four equal parts. The symbolism of the garden and its divisions are noted in mystic Islamic texts which describe paradise as a garden filled with abundant trees flowers and plants. Water also plays a key role in these descriptions: In Paradise four rivers source at a central spring or mountain, and separate the garden by flowing towards the cardinal points. They represent the promised rivers of water, milk, wine and honey. Ms. Ebba Koch, Professor at the Institute of Art History in Vienna, Austria and a senior researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences is an architectural and art historian is the only scholar who has been permitted to take measurements of the complex. She has been working on the palaces and gardens of Shah Jahan for thirty years opines that for the tomb of Shah Jahan's late wife though, where the mausoleum is sited at the edge of the garden, a variant of the charbagh is suggested; that of the waterfront garden. Developed by the Mughals for the specific conditions of the Indian plains where slow flowing rivers provide the water source, the water is raised from the river by animal driven devices known as purs and stored in cisterns.
Other scholars suggest another explanation for the eccentric siting of the mausoleum at the Taj Mahal complex. If the Midnight Garden to the north of the river Yamuna is considered an integral part of the complex, then the mausoleum can be interpreted as being in the centre of a garden divided by a real river and thus is more in the tradition of the pure charbagh. THE WATERWORKS The waterworks, which brought water to the Taj garden from the Yamuna by means of an aqueduct supported on arches, are situated outside its western wall and still preserve their original design. The inlet from the river is no longer visible (a temple complex dedicated to Shiva, now called Khan Alam Basai Ghat Mandir, has been built over it). From it a channel conducted the water into an oblong reservoir sunk into the ground along the east wall of a rectangular building containing storage tanks (now ruined). From-the reservoir the water was lifted by means of animal hides attached to pulleys, or Persian wheels turned by bullocks, to tanks at the top of the building. This fed an open channel along the top of the aqueduct wall. The large aqueduct runs south, with two bends, up to the level of the western garden-wall pavilion. Here it turns east and forms a wider arm with three tanks on its top and meets the garden wall. The water was then conducted in a pipe through the wall and down to the level of the channels in the walkways of the garden. The wall is here 9.47 m (31 ft) tall, and the drop gave the water the necessary pressure to keep the fountains playing and the garden plots irrigated. The 0.25 metre diameter earthenware pipes laid 1.8 metre below the surface in line with the main walkway which fills the main pools of the complex. Some of the earthenware pipes were replaced in 1903 with cast iron. The fountain pipes were not connected directly to the fountain heads, instead a copper pot was provided under each fountain head: water filled the pots ensuring an equal pressure to each fountain. Part of the present water supply still uses the tanks of the old aqueduct, which are filled from wells by electric pumps. Calligraphy 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." Arabic inscriptions in black marble are used to decorate both the south gateway and main mausoleum. The black marble lettering is inlaid into white marble scroll-like borders that frame the architectural features. Sweeping letters and a strong emphasis on horizontal and vertical strokes create an almost grid-like effect in places. The exquisite and highly skilled Parchinkari work was developed by Mughal lapidarists from techniques taught to them by Italian craftsmen employed at court. The look of European herbals, books illustrating botanical species, was adapted and refined in Mughal Parchinkari work. Throughout the complex, passages from the Quran are used as decorative elements. Recent scholarship suggests that the passages were chosen by a Persian calligrapher Abd ul- Haq, who came to India from Shiraz, Iran, in 1609. As a reward for his "dazzling virtuosity", Shah Jahan gave him the title of "Amanat Khan". This is supported by an inscription near the lines from the Quran at the base of the interior dome that reads "Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi." The texts refer to themes of judgment and include: The text is written in the 'thuluth' script, in a style associated particularly with the Persian calligrapher, Amanat Khan, who was resident at the Mughal court. His signature appears in colophons within the marble inscriptions helped in charting The Taj datelines as well. 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. Herringbone inlays define the space between many of the adjoining elements. White inlays are used in sandstone buildings, and dark or black inlays on the white marbles. Mortared areas of the marble buildings have been stained or painted in a contrasting colour, creating geometric patterns of consider able complexity. Floors and walkways use contrasting tiles or blocks in tessellation patterns. On the lower walls of the tomb there are white marble dados that have been sculpted with realistic bas relief depictions of flowers and vines. The marble has been polished to emphasise 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. As historians suggest that Amanat Khan was responsible not only for the design of the script but also for the choice of text. The texts chosen refer broadly to themes of judgment and paradisiacal rewards for the faithful. The inscription
over the gateway invites the reader to enter Paradise, the abode of the faithful and reward for the righteous. The majority of the text is taken from the Qur'an. There are twenty two passages in all, including fourteen whole chapters, some of which are read out as part of the Islamic funeral ceremony itself. The words of the Qur'anic prayer, recited by angels, implore Allah to allow the faithful to enter Paradise, a touching request for God's mercy towards his devout servant, Mumtaz Mahal. TAJMAHALSTORY Who could ever think that an eternal love leading to the saga of infinite bondage can evolve out of a desert like land and would blossom to be the reason to gift our world a poem-in-marble, The Taj! No image of The Taj, neither on canvass nor on celluloid, can adequately express its conceptual imaginary nor convey the legend, the poetry and the romance that shrouds what Rabindranath Tagore calls "a teardrop on the cheek of time". It is a romance celebrated in marble and glorified with precious and semi-precious stones and that’s the way to appreciate it! Uttar Pradesh, the Land of The Taj is rich in its cultural heritage and has always been a prominent arena of politics since the ancient times. Agra, the City of The Taj and once the capital of the Mughal Empire during the 16th through the early 18th centuries, enjoys a close proximity to the National Capital City of New Delhi. Tourists from all over the world visit Agra to make a pilgrimage to Taj Mahal, India’s most famous architectural wonder, in a land where magnificent temples and edifices abound to remind visitors about the rich civilization of a country that is slowly but surely lifting itself into an industrialized society as well. Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. The English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold has described The Taj as "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones." Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his third but the most favourite wife, in fact a soul-mate Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 13th child. The death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months. When Mumtaz Mahal was still alive, she extracted four promises from the emperor: first, that he build the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. However, due to ill health and being under house arrest by his own son and successor to the throne, Aurangzeb, barred him from continue to keep the last promise. The rectangular base of Taj is in itself symbolic of the different sides from which to view a beautiful woman. The main gate is like a veil to a woman’s face which should be lifted delicately, gently and without haste on the wedding night. In Indian tradition the veil is lifted gently to reveal the beauty of the bride. As one stands inside the main gate of Taj, his eyes are directed to an arch which frames the Taj. The dome is made of white marble, but the tomb is set against the plain across the river and it is this background that works its magic of colours that, through their reflection, change the view of the Taj. The colours change at different hours of the day and during different seasons. The Taj Mahal stands tall with grace is not just a parable epitome of emotional & eternal love between a man and a woman but for other reasons too. Emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the construction of ‘The Taj’, desired to create it also as a symbol of solemnity, harmony, purity and spirituality as well. The Taj is not merely a monument of grace and dignity alone. It is, in fact, a message to all mankind that “Pure love is the soul of life”. The Taj is a reminder for all mankind about the universally accepted but not so well practiced concept of ‘Love & Peace’, the essence of the paradise, free from conflicts of races and geographical boundaries is important to be observed solemnly.
Facts To the last category belong the oldest tales of the Taj. Here the most widely known is the story of the second Taj, the 'Black Taj', which Shah Jahan intended to build in black marble opposite the present mausoleum, on the site of the Mahtab Bagh. It goes back to Jean-Baptiste Tavernier who, when at Agra in 1665 AD, reported that Shah Jahan began to build his own tomb on the other side of the river, but the war with his sons interrupted his plan, and Aurangzeb, who reigns at present, is not disposed to complete it. Shah Jahan was put under house arrest by his own son and successor by force, Aurangzeb. The latter did not agree with his father on most issues and was particularly opposed to him building a black Taj as his own mausoleum. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb made the body of the Emperor, who got the body of his beloved Mumtaz in a golden casket from Burhanpur to Agra, carried in a boat by only two men and buried him in the Taj, next to his wife in probably the simplest manner. Shah Jahan, the Emperor, who fulfilled the wishes of his beloved, could not find fulfillment of his own wish to build a Black Taj to express his mourning for the beloved Queen Mumtaz Mahal even after his death. That was the serenity in the purity of love. Legend has it that during his eight years long ailment and imprisonment, Shah Jahan used to intensely view The Taj lying on the bed through a diamond fixed in the wall in front at a particular angle. View Of Taj That said, the Taj is at its most alluring in the relative quiet of early morning, shrouded in mists and bathed with a soft red glow. As its vast marble surfaces fall into shadow or reflect the sun, its colour changes, from soft grey and yellow to pearly cream and dazzling white; it's well worth visiting at different times. This play of light is an important decorative device, symbolically implying the presence of Allah, who is never represented in anthropomorphic form. The moods of the Taj vary from dawn to dusk. The Taj sparkles like a jewel in moonlight when the semi-precious stones inlaid into the white marble on the main mausoleum catch and reflect back its glow with a better gleam. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These changes, they say, depict the different moods of a beauty of any kind. A visitor to the monument may very well stand agape at this spectacle, the romanticism and sheer majesty of the structure unbelievably true. Its sensuous appeal was never more heightened as on a full moon night. The dome is what is highlighted, while the other aspects of the structure, though separated, each facet with its individuality intact, is nevertheless united in look, the balance is so perfect. The rows of cypress trees offset by the green carpet of grass complete the picture of idyllic proportions, resplendent in royal dignity. The Taj Mahal, for which even the course of the river Yamuna is said to have been diverted, can best be described in the words of the Noble Laurette Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, “A teardrop in the face of eternity. "No wonder if millions of people chose it to be amongst the World’s top wonders." Brief Description An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage The Taj Mahal attracts from 2 to 4 million visitors annually, with more than 200,000 from overseas. Most tourists visit in the cooler months of October, November and February. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the complex and tourists must either walk from parking lots or catch an electric bus. Cloak room: Taj Mahal Western Gate: - Lockers are available at Taj Shopping Complex, near Western gate. (Fee is charged) Taj Mahal Eastern Gate:- Lockers are available at shilpgram. (About 750 meters from Eastern gate of Taj Mahal) (No fee is charged) Taj Mahal Southern Gate: - Locker are available at Southern gate. (Timing-8:00 A.M To 5:00 P.M.) (No fee is charged) Drinking Water: Clean Filtered drinking water facility is available at eastern and western gates of taj. Wash Rooms: Washrooms are located on both sides of the Royal Gate / Main Entrance. Foreigners can use the facility free of charge.
Video Locker: A video locker is available inside the Royal Gate, where visitors can keep their video camcorders safely after shooting. Photography & Videography: Still Photography is allowed free of cost (except restricted area) at all monuments. Videography with a camcorder is allowed up to a certain area on payment of Rs. 25/- per video camera while professional videography/shooting requires prior permission from the office of Archaeological Survey of India, 22, Mall Road, Agra. Ph. No: 0652 - 2334098.