Architecture as Power - Fort and Sacred Places " Taj Mahal "

Taj Mahal is also called as the crown of palaces in English Language. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. He built this in the memory of his third beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is a white marble mausoleum. It is located in Uttar Pradesh, situated in Agra, India. Taj Mahal is globally recognized as the Jewel of Muslim art in India. It is one of the universal admired master piece of the World Heritage. Taj Mahal is one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture. It is a style of Islamic architecture that combines elements from architectural styles from Indian, Turkish, Persian and Ottoman empires. Taj Mahal became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983.  The construction of Taj Mahal began in 1632 and it was completed in 1653. The construction and building of Taj Mahal was completed in 21 years. Taj Mahal is a sign of pride for India since the time of its inception.

                                               

Construction and Architecture of the Tomb

The tomb is the central focus of the Taj Mahal. The basic elements of the tomb are Persian in origin like most of the other Mughal tombs. Taj Mahal has four minarets along with a central dome. There are false sarcgraphies of Mamtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan in the main hall. The actual graves are in the lower level. The dome is called onion dome or guava dome because of its shape. The top of the tomb is decorated with a lotus design. The top of the tomb was decorated with gold but it was replaced by glided bronze in the twentieth century.

                                     

Layout Of Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is a combinantion of Hindustani and Persian art. The material for the construction Taj Mahal was bought from all over India and more than 1000 elephants were used for the transport of the materials. The marble was bought from Rajasthan, India. The construction of the mosque was completed in 12 years , however the construction of the mosque and the outlying buildings was completed in another 10 years. Twenty thousand workers were used for the construction of Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan was buried by Aurangzeb in the mausoleum next to his wife.

                                                

Exterior of Taj Mahal

The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the finest in the Mughal architecture. Throughout the complex, the Holy Quran ayats, verses and passages are used as the decorative elements. The text refers to the themes of the day of Judgement. These passages are from Surah Yasin, Mulk, Ikhlas, Kahaf, Bani Israel and other surah of the Holy Quran. The calligraphy was created by a calligrapher named Abdul Haq. Shah Jahan gave him the title of Amanat Khan as a reward for his dazzling virtuosity.

                                                     

Interior of Taj Mahal

The interior of the Taj Mahal is made up of precious and semi-precious gemstones. The interior walls are 25 meters. Muslim traditions forbid the elaborate decoration of graves. The bodies of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal were placed in the inner chamber. The faces of their bodies are faced towards Mecca. The interior of the Taj Mahal is decorated with white marbles decorated with black calligraphy of the Quranic passages and verses.

                                                                              

Garden at Taj Mahal

There is a garden at a corner of Taj Mahal. It is a Mughal garden named as Charbagh. A water tank is at the center of the charbagh. The central water tank is called “Hawd-ul-Kausar”. It was built in reference to the Tank of Abundance that was promised to Holy Prophet by Almighty Allah. There are a number of trees and avenues of fountains are laid down in the garden. The design of Charbagh garden was made from the inspiration of Persian gardens. It was first introduced by Mughal Emperor, Babur. The layout of the garden is similar to that of Shalimar Bagh as both of the gardens were made by the same architect, Ali Mardan. Charbagh is explaining and portraying the image of the four gardens in Paradise. It is the symbolic representation of the gardens; one of water, one of honey, one of  milk and one of wine. Hence Taj Mahal garden is named as Charbagh.

             

                                                                 

Naqqar Khana

A naqqar Khana is on the eastern side of Taj Mahal. It is the guest house of Taj Mahal. It is also reffered as Mehman Khana and guest house. Naqqar Khana is opposite to the mosque and hence it gives a symmetrical shape to Taj Mahal.

                                                           

Outlying buildings near Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is bounded by red sandstone walls. There are several mausoleums and other buildings outside the building. The buildings include tombs of the other wives of Emperor Shah Jahan. It also houses a larger tomb of the servant which was the favorite of Mumtaz Mahal. These outlying buildings and tombs are made up of small red sand stones.The outlying buildings were completed in 1643.

                                

Features Of Taj Mahal

• The Taj Mahal is a famous mausoleum in India.
• A mausoleum is a building that contains burial chambers (tombs) for the deceased, they can be large or small and are often created in honor of influential people.
• The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, a city in the Uttar Pradesh region of northern India.
• It was built as the final resting place for Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• The name Taj Mahal means “crown of palaces”.
• Construction of the Taj Mahal took around 21 years, beginning around 1632 and finishing around 1653.
• The Taj Mahal is made of white marble.
• One of the Taj Mahal’s most recognizable features is a large white dome that is often called an ‘onion dome’ due to its shape. It has a height of around 35 metres (115 feet) and is surrounded by 4 smaller domes.
• The full height of the Taj Mahal is 171 metres (561 feet).
• The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of India’s most admired works of art, as well as a famous landmark and a tourist attraction that draws millions of visitors every year.
• The Taj Mahal complex includes a large garden, a reflecting pool, a mosque and other mausoleums

  Condition Then And Now
                           

Taj Mahal is not as white as it was 100 years ago.

So how can we make Taj  Mahal as it was 100 years ago???????????????

As threat to the Taj Mahal due to harmful gases emanating from nearby industries continue, green activists are now emphasising the need for implementation of a 'clean air action plan' to save the Mughal-era structure. 

Though environmentalists have been raising a hue and cry time and again, this time  they have rung the alarm bell by flagging concerns over emission from vehicles due to uninterrupted flow of traffic.

Though we need to make the following efforts to make Taj Mahal like

This:

                                                                 

THANK YOU..