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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.
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India
will sideswipe you with its size, clamour and diversity but if you
enjoy delving in to convoluted cosmologies and thrive on sensual
overload, then it is one of the most intricate and rewarding dramas
unfolding on earth, and you'll quickly develop an abiding passion
for it.
"If
there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of
living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man
began the dream of existence,