2.1. History and Significance One of the new Seven Wonders of the World,1 the Taj Mahal is a beautiful mausoleum comissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, between 1632-43.2 The grand mausoleum and its landscape, situated at the banks of River Yamuna (see fig. 2) serves also as a memorial to imperial Mughal power and architecture under Shah Jahan’s reign from 1628-58,3 its garden design style taking inspiration from Persian ‘char bagh’ or four (part) gardens, Timurid building traditions and key elements of Shahjahani architecture: 4 1. Geometry 2. Symmetry 3. Symbolism Fig. 1 Red poppies - associated with death in Turkish and Persian literature, Taj Mahal
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Taj Mahal Gardens, Agra, India A memorial garden
Contents 1. History and significance of the Taj Mahal and its Garden 2. Understanding the Taj Mahal Garden as a place of memorial: (a) The Char Bagh layout (b) The waterways (c) The planting elements 3. Conclusion 4. References
While these architectural elements also worked to provide a lasting memorial to Shah Jahan’s fame as the emperor of Mughal India, this chapter will particularly analyse the form and features of the Taj Mahal gardens as a funerary memorial, a final resting place, for the Empress Mumtaz Mahal by indentifying key landscape elements that contribute to a commemorative purpose.
a River
Yamun
Riverfront terrace Mausoleum 4 major divisions of the garden by the water channel Subdivisions into 16 flowerbeds using stone-paved raised paths - each flowerbed said to have contained 400 flowers
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Central ornamental pond
Char Bagh - geometric & symmetrical layout created by water channel axes - symbolic reference to Paradise
Entrance Gate/darwaaza
2.2. (a) The symbolism behind Char Bagh layout
Forecourt
The Taj Mahal’s Char Bagh (see fig. 2) alone covers an area of 90,000 sq. m out of the total 220,000 sq. m mausoleum complex.5 Its layout is derived from the Persian concept of the Garden of Heaven, “describing paradise as a garden filled with abundant trees, flowers and plants”. 6 The layout follows the the concept of four, which is the holiest number in the Islamic religion and has been incorporated in their description of a Paradise: 7 “And for him, who fears to stand before his Lord, are two gardens. And beside them are two other gardens.” - Qur’an (Chapter 55, Verse 46 and 62)
Bazaar/market space
Accordingly, the garden has been divided into four blocks with a central marble pond that serves as the focal point of the garden.8 Here, the style deviates from the design pattern of predecessor tombs such as those of Humayun and Akbar, by placing the main pavilion not at the center, but at the end of the garden, overlooking the Yamuna river, taking advantage of the waterfront and its picturesque views. 9 Together, these elements provide a cultural and visual reference to a beautiful Paradise for Mumtaz Mahal.
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Nimi Kurian, “Epitome of love,” The Hindu, updated October 18, 2016, https://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/Epitome-of-love/article14424002.ece Laura E. Parodi, "'The Distilled Essence of the Timurid Spirit': Some Observations on the Taj Mahal." East and West 50, no. 1/4 (Dec 2000): 535. https://www.jstor.org/stable/29757466?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents 3 Ebba Koch, “Mughal Palace Gardens from Babur to Shah Jahan (1526-1648).” Muqarnas 14 (1997): 148. https://www.academia.edu/7437823/Mughal_Palace_Gardens_from_Babur_to_Shah_Jahan_1526_1648_
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Fig. 2 Plan view of the Taj Mahal Gardens, Agra - Mughal waterfront garden
Ebba Koch, “The Taj Mahal: Architecture, Symbolism and Urban Significance.” Muqarnas 22 (2005): 138. https://www.academia.edu/7437748/The_Taj_Mahal_Architecture_Symbolism_and_Urban_Significance “Taj Mahal Garden,” Private Taj Mahal Tours, accessed October 2020, http://privatetajmahaltours.com/about/taj-mahal-nearby-attractions/taj-mahal-garden.html Mahal Garden.” 7 Arunkrishnan, “Learn this not so well known fact about the Taj Mahal before your visit,” The Mughals of India, accessed October 2020, http://themughalsofindia.com/learn-this-not-so-well-known-fact-about-the-taj-mahal-before-your-visitlearn-this-not-so-well-known-fact-about-the-taj-mahal-before-your-visit/ 6 “Taj
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Lisa Golombek, “From Timur to Tivoli: Reflections on Il Giardino All’Italiana,” Muqarnas 25 (2008): 248. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27811123.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Ad1d02a7e1c1fa199226d04a8afa9b2 6d 9 “Gardens of the Taj Mahal,” Wonders of the world, accessed October 2020, https://www.wonders-of-the-world.net/Taj-Mahal/Gardens-of-the-Taj-Mahal.php
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