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The Taj Mahal has been crowned with highly revered sobriquets such as “crown of palaces”, “the Taj” and “an elegy in marble” stands as a white marble mausoleum, which is nestled in the city known for frame of architecture.
This magnificent structure was built Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan in the memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. The edifice of Taj Mahal is far and wide accredited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the worlds heritage”. Taj Mahal is acknowledged as the finest example of Mughal architecture, with a p[erfect blend of elements from Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.
Titled as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal in Agra has many reasons that add to its glory other than just looking magnificent. Te history of this monument adds soul to its majesty. After the demise of Shah Jahan in 1631, he set a paradigm of how deeply he loved his wife. It is a tribute to his beautiful wife and their love. The construction of this magnificent monument commence in the very year when Mumtaz Mahal died i.e. in 1631 and took approximately 22 years in its completion and it indulged the services of around 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants
Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It was in the memory of his beloved wife that Shah Jahan built a magnificent monument as a tribute to her, which we today know as the “Taj Mahal”. The construction of this structure called for several artisans such as masons, stonecutters, inlayers, calligraphers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and various others from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran and built this monument with a unique blend of Persian, Islamic, and Indian architectural styles.
The making of this monument involved an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees (approx US $68000), after getting it completed in the year 1653.
The Taj Mahal renders a sight to behold! The grandeur of the structure then created is such that even after numerous decades of its creation, it is still considered as one of the most eye-catching and mesmerizing manmade monuments of the world.
Not just the palace of Taj, even structures along with it put in extra splendor to the architectural beauty of the place. The entire Taj complex holds five major components that are worth witnessing, that is to say Darwaza (main gateway), Bageecha (gardens), Masjid (mosque), Naqqar Khana (rest house) and Rauza (main mausoleum).
The Taj Mahal is sprawled over an area of 42 acres altogether with the land that is progressively sloping from south to north, towards the river Yamuna in the form of descending terraces. The main gateway is positioned at the concluding point of the long running watercourse and is festooned with the imprints of calligraphy and verses from Holy Quran and a domed central chamber and was built during the period of 1932 to 1938. The massive door of this gigantic sandstone doorway was originally created out of solid silver.
The most important tomb of Taj Mahal is erected on a square platform which has an elevation of 50 m above the riverbank. In the western direction of the main tomb there stands a mosque and on the eastern side there is Naqqar Khana (rest/guest house), both of these structures are created out of red sandstone. The two structures render a sight of an architectural symmetry along with an aesthetic color contrast and stands opposite to each other as these two are mirror image of each other.
Its four corners are truncated, which forms an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque model, in which each component stands on its own and perfectly amalgamates with the chief structure. It uses the ideology of self-replicating geometry and symmetry of architectural constituent. Of the total area of 580 m, the garden covers 300 m by 300 m. The immaculate beauty is fetched in with its symmetric architecture and pattern.
The Islamic style architecture in the garden very well defines the meaning that symbolizes spirituality and in compliance with the holy Quran, the lush green and well watered garden symbolizes a Paradise in Islam. The raised pathways divide the four quarters into 16 flowerbeds with around 400 plants in each bed.
A shaded funeral tomb inside the Taj Mahal possesses the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, who was buried here only. Above these tombs there is the main chamber having false tombs and pierced marble screens which were employed for transmitting the light into the burial chamber, making it to be as the typical of mausoleums of the Mughals. On top of both the tombs there have been engraved some semi-precious stones along with calligraphic inscriptions telling ninety nine names of Allah and this is also found on the sides of actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj holds some of breathtaking specimens of polychrome art that has been engraved both in the interior and exterior on the dados, memorials and on the marble jhajjhari (jali-screen) around both the tombs.
In the year 1983, the Taj Mahal was enlisted in UNESCO as the World Heritage Site. It is needless to say that the site is worth visiting as it outshines and survives even after destruction and revolution in the country.