THE TADJ MAHALL
Taj Mahal, also spelled Tadj Mahall, mausoleum complex in Agra,
western Uttar Pradesh state, northern India,
on the southern bank of the Yamuna (Jumna) River. In its harmonious
proportions and its fluid incorporation of decorative elements, the Taj Mahal
is distinguished as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a blend of Indian,
Persian, and Islamic styles. One of the most beautiful structural compositions
in the world, the Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO
World Heritage site in 1983.
It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahān (reigned 1628–58) to immortalize his wife Mumtāz Maḥal (“Chosen One of the Palace”). The name
Taj Mahal is a derivation of her name. She died in childbirth in 1631, after
having been the emperor’s inseparable companion since their marriage in 1612.
The plans for the complex have been attributed to various architects of the
period, though the chief architect was probably Ustad Aḥmad Lahawrī, an Indian
of Persian descent. The five principal elements of the complex—main gateway, garden,
mosque,
jawab (literally “answer”; a building mirroring the mosque), and
mausoleum (including its four minarets)—were conceived and designed as a
unified entity according to the tenets of Mughal building practice, which
allowed no subsequent addition or alteration. Building commenced about 1632.
More than 20,000 workers were employed from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe to complete the mausoleum
itself by about 1638–39; the adjunct buildings were finished by 1643, and
decoration work continued until at least 1647. In total, construction of the
42-acre (17-hectare) complex spanned 22 years.
Flanking the mausoleum near the northwestern and northeastern edges of the garden, respectively, are two symmetrically identical buildings—the mosque, which faces east, and its jawab, which faces west and provides aesthetic balance. Built of red Sikri sandstone with marble-necked domes and architraves, they contrast in both colour and texture with the mausoleum’s white marble.
The garden is set out along classical Mughal lines—a square quartered by long watercourses (pools)—with walking paths, fountains, and ornamental trees. Enclosed by the walls and structures of the complex, it provides a striking approach to the mausoleum, which can be seen reflected in the garden’s central pools
Two notable decorative features are repeated throughout the complex: pietra dura and Arabic calligraphy. As embodied in the Mughal craft, pietra dura (Italian: “hard stone”) incorporates the inlay of semiprecious stones of various colours, including lapis lazuli, jade, crystal, turquoise, and amethyst, in highly formalized and intertwining geometric and floral designs. The colours serve to moderate the dazzling expanse of the white Makrana marble. Under the direction of Amānat Khan al-Shīrāzī, Qurʾānic verses were inscribed across numerous sections of the Taj Mahal in calligraphy, central to Islamic artistic tradition. One of the inscriptions in the sandstone gateway is known as Daybreak (89:28–30) and invites the faithful to enter paradise. Calligraphy also encircles the soaring arched entrances to the mausoleum proper. To ensure a uniform appearance from the vantage point of the terrace, the lettering increases in size according to its relative height and distance from the viewer.
A tradition relates that Shah Jahān originally intended to build another mausoleum across the river to house his own remains, and the two structures were to be connected by a bridge. He was deposed by his son Aurangzeb, however, and imprisoned for the rest of his life in Agra Fort, on the right bank of the Yamuna River 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the Taj Mahal.
Over the centuries the Taj Mahal has been subject to neglect and decay. A major restoration was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century under the direction of Lord Curzon, then the British viceroy of India. More recently, air pollution caused by emissions from foundries and other nearby factories and exhaust from motor vehicles has damaged the mausoleum, notably its marble facade. A number of steps have been taken to reduce the threat to the monument, among them the closing of some foundries and the installation of pollution-control equipment at others, the creation of a parkland buffer zone around the complex, and the banning of nearby vehicular traffic. Night viewing of the Taj Mahal was banned from 1984 to 2004, because it was feared that the monument would be a target of Sikh militants. A restoration and research program for the Taj Mahal was initiated in 1998. Progress in improving environmental conditions around the monument, however, has been slow.
The Taj Mahal has increasingly come to be seen as an Indian cultural symbol. Some Hindu nationalist groups have attempted to diminish the importance of the Muslim influence in accounting for the origins and design of the Taj Mahal.
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