Taj Mahal : The Structure of Love

Taj Mahal, a monument built out of immense love and memory, has always evoked varying emotions from wonder to ecstasy. It is a place where you will fall in love with the history of Taj Mahal and Mughal Era and pleasure yourself with the architecture and royalty. The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum in the Indian city Agra of Uttar Pradesh and one of the seven wonders of the world. It is recognized as one of the most beautiful structural compositions in the world and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.

Location of Taj Mahal:

The Taj Mahal is located about one and a half miles away from Agra at the southern edge of the city at the banks of river Yamuna. Four waterways divide the gardens that stand in front of the Taj Mahal into four parts and then, meet in a pool at the center. This location also had a strategic importance for the emperor, as it could be seen from his palace in the Agra Fort. It is believed that half of the beauty of the Taj Mahal comes from its strategic location.

History of Taj Mahal:

Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Baig Muhammad Khan Khurram, also known as Shah Jahan  built the Taj Mahal in the loving memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal (born name: Arjumand Banu Begum). Shah Jahan was the fifth Muslim emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from 1628 to 1658. After marriage, he gave the title ‘Mumtaz Mahal’ to his beloved wife.

Mumtaz Mahal died from postpartum hemorrhage in Burhanpur on 17^th June 1631 while giving birth to her 14^th child. After her death, in 1632, Shah Jahan decided to build a memorial in Mumtaz’s memory.

It is said that the main building took eight years and the whole monument took around 22 years to finish. The sad part is, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb soon after the building was finished and was imprisoned inside the Agra Fort for the rest of his life. He died in 1666 and was buried alongside his wife Mumtaz Mahal inside the tomb of Taj Mahal.

 Architectural History of  Taj Mahal:

Taj Mahal is a unique blend of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles. Its recognized architectonic beauty has a rhythmic combination of solids and voids, concave and convex and light shadow; such as arches and domes further increases the aesthetic aspect. The entire Taj complex consists of five major constituents, namely Darwaza (main gateway), Bageecha (gardens), Masjid (mosque), Naqqar Khana (rest house) and Rauza (main mausoleum).

The Taj Mahal covers an area of 42 acres in total with the terrain gradually slopping from south to north, towards the river Yamuna in the form of descending terraces. The main gateway situated at the end of the long watercourse. However, the original door of this massive sandstone gateway was made out of solid silver. The main tomb of Taj Mahal stands on a square platform that was raised 50 meter above the riverbank and was leveled with dirt to reduce seepage from the river.

The four minarets on each corner of this square are detached, facing the chamfered angles of the main and are deliberately kept at 137 feet to emphasize the beautiful and spherical dome that itself is 58 feet in diameter and 81 feet high. The mosque and the Naqqar Khana is on the western and eastern side of the main tomb respectively and both are made of red sandstone. Besides providing an architectural symmetry, the two structures are also made for an aesthetic color contrast. One can only marvel at the mosque and the rest house as despite being on the opposite ends, the two are mirror image of each other.

The Garden infront of Taj mahal: 

The gardens cover a major part of the complex. The immaculate symmetry with which this garden had been laid out can be experienced everywhere. The raised pathways divide each of the four quarters into 16 flowerbeds. Each flowerbed consists around 400 plants. Moreover, it is the most soothing region of the entire complex and is considered as a best place for taking snaps of the main tomb.

However, the main chamber has the false tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife. It is situated above the actual burial chamber.  Semi-precious stones are exquisitely inlaid in both the tombs. The Taj Mahal has some wonderful specimens of polychrome inlay art both in the interior and exterior on the dados, on cenotaphs(empty tombs) and on the marble jhajjhari around them.

Calligraphy and inscriptions:

The Taj Mahal always welcomes each of its visitors with an inscription, written on the great gate. That is– “O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you.” Besides, there are Arabic Inscriptions in black marble 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. Along with mesmerizing architecture and a picturesque background, the calligraphy done is one of the planned ornamental decorations done on the surface of Taj Mahal.

The calligraphy of the Taj Mahal mainly consists of the verses and passages from the holy book of Quran. The text is in the ‘thuluth’ script, a style associated particularly with the Persian calligrapher, Abdul-Haq. His signature appears in colophons within the marble inscriptions helped in mapping out the Taj Mahal datelines as well. 

The chosen texts mainly refer to the themes of judgment and fruitful paradisiacal rewards for the faithful. The inscriptions over the gateway invite the reader to enter the paradise. And as one enters towards the main mausoleum, the tone of the inscriptions changes from paradisiacal to that of an impending doom that awaits the unbelievers on the Day of Judgment. However, after entering the mausoleum, the tone changes again from judgment to paradisiacal.

You can also read our inscription related articles.

Some of the important verses of Quran on the surface of Taj Mahal:

• • • The Surah 91 ( The Sun)

• • • Surah 112 ( The Purity of Faith)

• • • The Surah 89 ( The daybreak)

• • • Surah 93 (The Morning Light)

• • • The Surah 95 ( The Fig)

• • • Surah 94 ( The Solace)

• • • The Suraj 36 ( Ya Sin)

• • • Surah 89 (the folding up)

• • • The Surah 82 (the Cleaving Asunder)

• • • Surah 84 ( the Rending Asunder)

• • • The Surah 98 ( the Evidence)

• • • Surah 67 ( Dominion)

• • • The Surah 48 ( Victory)

• • • Surah 77 (Those Sent Forth)

• • • The Surah 39 ( the Crowds)

The actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, in the burial chamber, holds 99 names of Allah. Also, the tomb of Shah Jahan bears an inscription. The upper cenotaph of the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal also consists of some recites of Quran.

Architects and Craftsmen of Taj Mahal:

In the Islamic world at that time, the credit for a building design was usually given to the patron rather than architects. So, its difficult to know who designed the Taj Mahal. But from the evidence, 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 two thousand workers was recruited to this work. Most of them  are from the Northern India. Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, Inlayers from Southern India and stone cutters from Baluchistan.

Some names that are still known –

• • Ustad Ahmad Lahori : Chief architect.

• • Ismail Afandi, Ottoman Empire: Designer of the Main Dome.

• • Ustad Isa and Isa Muhammad Effendi, from Persia: Architectural Designer.

• • ‘Puru’ from Benarus, Persia: Supervisor Architect.

• • Qazim Khan, Lahore: Gilding.

• • Chiranjilal, Delhi: Chief Sculptor and Mosaicist.

• • Amanat Khan of Shiraz, Iran: Chief Calligrapher.

• • Muhammad Hanif: Mason Supervisor.

• • Mir Abdul Karim Khan and Mukkarimat of Shiraz: Financial Manager, Daily Production.

Tourism:

The Taj Mahal attracts a large number of tourists. UNESCO documented more than 2 million visitors in 2001, which had increased to about 7 – 8 million visitors in 2014. In 2019, the site has to instituted fines for visitors who stayed longer than three hours, in order to minimize the tourism. Taj Mahotsav is being celebrated since 1992 in Agra from 18^th February to 27^th February. Department of Tourism of Govt. of India organizes this festival to promote rich arts, crafts, culture,cuisine,dance and music of the state and country. Till now, Taj Mahal plays a major role to attract local and foreign tourists and enhance the tourism of India.

Historical importance of Taj Mahal:

Taj Mahal, the Jewel of Muslim Art, is one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage. The serenity of it’s white splendor melts even the hardest heart on planet.  The famous Noble laureate ‘Rabindranath Tagore’ portrayed it as ‘a teardrop on the cheek of the eternity’. Even after three centuries, the Taj Mahal’s beauty has not dwindled. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) carries out the management of the Taj Mahal. It is regarded by many as the best example of mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich glory.