Location
Taj Mahal stands on the bank of the river Yamuna. Situated in Agra Taj
Mahal was built in 1631 by Shahjahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor, in the
memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess.
Located at the city of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is
one of the most beautiful masterpieces of architecture in the world. Agra,
situated about 200 km south of New Delhi, was the Capital of the Mughals,
the Muslim Emperors who ruled Northern India for more than three centuries
(between 16th & 19 century).
It is one of the most wonderful masterpiece of architecture in the world.
It is best described by the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, as "Not a
piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an
emperor's love wrought in living stones."
Architecture
Twenty thousand people were engaged in the construction work of the Taj.
The material for the construction were brought in from all over India and
central Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport the
materials to the construction site. The Taj was designed by an Indian
architect of Persian descent, Ustad Ahmad Lahori.
The construction began in 1631. Most able masons, craftsmen, sculptors, and
calligraphers were summoned from Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe to
work on the masterpiece. The mausoleum comprises of five main elements: the
Darwaza or main gateway, the Bageecha or garden, the Masjid or mosque, the
Naqqar Khana or rest house, and the Rauza or the Taj Mahal mausoleum. The
actual Tomb of Mumtaz is situated inside the Taj. The construction started
in 1631 and was completed in 1653.
The unique Mughal style is a combination of Persian, Central Asian, and
Islamic architecture. The chessboard like black and white marble floor, the
four tall minarets (40 m high) at the corners of the structure, and the
majestic dome in the middle are the most impressive of the structure. Many
illusionary effects have been described in the geometry of the tomb and the
tall minarets. The impressive artwork on the mausoleum includes geometric
elements, plants and flowers, mostly common in Islamic architecture. The
level of intricacy in artwork becomes visible when one realizes that a 3 cm
decorative element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.
Taj Mahal is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments are
linked to the feelings and emotions that inspired it.
