Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
- The Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan at Agra as the mausoleum for his consort Mumtaz Mahal, is considered to be the perfect moment in the evolution of Mughal architecture in India.
- The inspiration behind the Taj Mahal apparently comes from two sources, Humayun’s Tomb at Delhi, built about 50 years before the Taj Mahal, and the lesser known tomb of Khan Khanan, built a few years before the Taj Mahal.
- The tomb building itself occupies only a small portion of the architectural scheme as a whole. The plan of the whole complex is in the form of a large rectangular enclosure aligned to the north-south direction measuring 1900’ X 1000’. The central area is occupied by a square garden measuring 1000’ side, leaving two oblong rectangles at the north and south ends. The southern end consists of a system of roads and service dwellings while the northern end, abutting the Jumna River, consists of a raised terrace on which there are the tomb structure and some subsidiary structures.
- The garden portion and terrace portion are surrounded by a high boundary wall with octagonal pavilions at each corner and a monumental entrance gateway in the middle of the southern side.
- Beyond the gateway on the south lie courtyards, stables, outhouses and other facilities with the addition of a bazaar for supplies. The entire scheme evidences the amount of preliminary thought that went into the design before any construction began.
- The structure was designed to be approached from both the road and the river, the first view of the building from the road being framed like a picture from the fine archways of the entrance hall, while the first view from the river augmented by its reflection in the river.
- The formal garden was laid out to harmonize with the main structure. There were water courses with fountains and an elevated lotus pool to reflect the structure from various viewpoints.
- The structures on the northern terrace form the main architectural focus of the scheme, with the tomb building at the centre and two detached subsidiary edifices on the eastern and western ends.
- The western structure is a mosque, while the eastern one is a replica added for symmetry and no real religious purpose and is known as the jawab or answer. It has been used as a kind of reception hall or guest house.
- The central tomb structure, the focal point of the composition is elevated in a plinth 22’ high. It is a square in plan with 186’ side, its sides chamfered. The shape is carried up to a height of 108’ with a marble cupola on each corner. Above this rises a bulbous dome, taking the total height of the structure to 187’.
- From each corner of the plinth, a minaret in three stages and crowned by a kiosk rising to a height of 137’ enhances the architectural effect.
- The scheme and proportions of the structure are simple, for example, the façade width is equal to the height, and the height of the façade in the centre is the same as the height of the dome, thus the top of the parapet above the central alcove in the façade is the central point of the composition.
- The dome forms the crowning feature of the composition. The shape of the feature is in the form of a globe, its lower part truncated by the drum on which it rests, while the curves on its upper part rising tangentially to from the foliated base of the finial. The dome has two shells, making it of the double dome variety.
- The larger dome and the smaller cupolas at its base belong to two different architectural traditions, the larger dome belonging to the Persian while the smaller cupolas without constricted bases being of an indigenous variety.
- In the minarets, the face joints of the masonry are countersunk, forming a kind of rustication not observed in the rest of the building.
- The interior of the tomb chamber is a copy of Humayun’s Tomb, with the octagonal central hall connected to subsidiary chambers in the angles by radiating passages. The main hall is in two storeys of arcades reflecting the treatment of the exterior. Above this is the inner shell of the dome. Each of the subsidiary rooms at the angles has a similar upper storey room right above it.
- The ornamentation consists mainly of a restrained use of murals of inlaid patterns over flat surfaces reserved for this purpose. In addition, there are some carvings on the dados and the perforated screens surrounding the cenotaphs are exquisitely carved.
- The main feature apart from the lucid and coherent composition is the quality and texture of the material itself, which is marble from Makrana. It takes on subtle variations of tint and tone, reflecting the changes in light that happen during the course of the day.
- The cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal occupies the central position under the finial of the dome in the central chamber, while that of the emperor Shah Jahan is situated to one side. This may be due to the interment of the emperor there being an afterthought, the construction of his own mausoleum not materializing due to the war of succession with his son Aurangzeb.