Taj
Mahal
When a
person gazes at the
Taj Mahal, it evokes awe and admiration,
one feels overpowered by the architectural marvel and its breath taking
beauty,
but the feeling Taj Mahal conveys is that of Romance. it is truly be
called
"a poem of love in marble".
Taj
Mahal is the symbol of
the
17th Century Mughal emperor Shah Jehan's love for his Queen Mumtaz
Mahal. The
word "Taj Mahal" means the crown of the Queen. Shah Jehan was the
fifth of India's Mughal rulers. He was tolerant, devout and a
great patron
of arts. His love for his wife is legendary. They had a happy married
life and
had many children.
In the
fourth year of Shah
Jehan's reign as king. Mumtaz Mahal died giving bith to a child. A
hearbroken
King and husband immediately ordered the building of the Taj Mahal a
mausoleum
(A building housing a grave) on the banks of the River jamuna in Agra,
the Mughal Capital of Northern India.
The
architect of Taj Mahal
is not known but the names of the master
craftsmen were recorded. They came from many parts of Asia, especially
from
Persia to form a team of 37 Calligraphers, Sculptors, Masons and
Engineers. It
took 20,000 men, over 22 years to complete Taj Mahal. The Master
Calligrapher
named 'Amanat Khan Shirazi' is the only signature to appear on the
monument.
The Taj
Mahal stands in a
large
rectangular garden by a tall wall of red sand-stone. At the end of the
garden
is a fine gateway built of red sandstone and inland with Quranic
Calligraphy
and ornamented with floral patterns in white marble. The garden is a
formal
Persian garden and is part of the mausoleum complex. Two marble cauls
meet in
the centre of the square dividing the garden into four parts. At the
centre,
bewteen the gate and the tomb is a marble fish tank. This perfectly
reflects
the tomb.
The Taj
Mahal, a square
stands
on a square red sand stone platform, with an elegant Minaret at each
corner.
The platform rests on a solid stone terrace. The magnificent dome rises
from
the centre of the building. It is 70 feet (21.3 meters) in diameter and
the
building is 120 feet (36.6 meters) high. At its corners there are four
smaller
domes. On each side a pointed arch forms the entrance of the tomb.
Calligraphic
designs are inlaid in various colors of marble and include every
chapter of
Quran.
The
octagonal main chamber is richly decorated
and has marble sarcophagu (coffins) which are empty. The actual tombs
are in a
vault surround the main chamber. The beauty of the Taj Mahal lies in
its
symmetry, architectural excellence and the rich ornamentation of the
marble
with both floral patterns and calligraphy. Goethe's famous saying that
architecture is frozen music is especially true in the case of Taj
Mahal.