taj mahal-final

The Majestic Taj Mahal

Prasad S. BurangeMay 8, 2008

DISCLAIMER

• People from India = INDIAN

• I do NOT have any intention to hurt any kind of (religious) sentiments, feelings, or beliefs. It would be a mere coincidence if this current information is accidentally related to some one.

• Most part of the information for this presentation has been taken from the internet.

Where is India?

Nepal

Bangladesh

China

USA

Pakistan

MiddleEast

North-east

EastMyanmar

West

A sovereign country in South Asia (1947)

Sri Lanka

South

The Northern Indian state

Uttar Pradesh (U.P.)

City – AgraTaj Mahal

completed ~ 1648

On the banks of the Yamuna river

The River Yamuna

• Linked to the sacred river Ganges

• Meanders through Agra

• The Taj Mahal is located on the west bank of the river

• The calm water provided a mirror and the shimmering reflections give the feeling of a 'floating tomb'

Taj Mahal

1. India &Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal: Exterior

~ 900 ft. The Gatehouse

Paradise Gardens

Celestial Pool

Mosque

Guest house

YAMUNA River

Minaret

Taj Mahal: Interior

Taj Mahal: Arial View

Mosque(West)

Guesthouse(East)

RiverYamuna

Who designed the Taj Mahal?

• 37 designers and architects• Ustad Ahmad Lahauri- the chief architect• Ismail Afandi from Turkey - designer and builder

of domes• Qazim Khan, a goldsmith from Lahore - cast the

gold finial• Chiranji Lal, a lapidary from Delhi - the chief

mosaicist• Amanat Khan from Shiraz, the master calligrapher

whose signature is inscribed on the Taj gateway• Mohammed Hanif, Multan and Quandhar - master

masons from Delhi• Mukrimat Khan and Mir Abdul Karim from Shiraz -

chief supervisors and administrators

Architecture, Arches & Symmetry at the Taj Mahal

Raised, Square platform (186 x 186 feet)

Central dome diameter - 58 feet

Total Height - 213 feetFour graceful, slender minarets162.5 feet each

Architectural design - Interlocking Arabesque concept

Four corners truncated,forming an unequal octagon

Double Layered

Mughal architects employed basic geometric principles in the design of their buildings

The design is dominated by a series of grids where the primary shape is a pointed arch within a rectangle

• Pointed arches within a rectangular frame form– Iwans (large alcove or

large recessed portals)

• Windows of all the buildings imitate this design

• Massive octagonal well

• Palatial apartments along its seven stories

• A royal staircase descends right down to the water level

The Inspiration for Taj Mahal

• Promises to Mumtaz Mahal (as she lay on her deathbed)

– Never to father another child

– To erect a monument to match her beauty

Queen

Mumtaz Mahal(April, 1593 - June 17, 1631)

The Emperor

Shah Jahan(January 5, 1592 – January 31, 1666)

BURHANPUR

AGRA

Was Mumtaz really buried at Taj Mahal?

• The Queen's body was buried in Burhanpur itself• Recovered for transportation to Agra • Reburied in a grave in the Taj Mahal complex for at

least 12 years• Again shifted to her final resting place in the

basement of the monument

• After his death (age 74), Shah Jahan's body was also taken to the Taj Mahal down the river before being laid to rest next to his beloved wife

Costumes

2. Dagger

The dagger is considered one of Shah Jahan's most intricately inscribed possessions

3. Security & Entry

Taj Mahal Complex

Gate # 1

Towards the Forecourt

Gate # 2

4. The Gateway to the Taj Mahal

Height - 100 feetWidth - 150 feet

- three stories- adorned with calligraphy

Forecourt

22 small ornamental Chhatris (umbrella) in two lines

4 corners – larger kiosks

Mogul Decorative Schemes

A combination of the three types of motif

– Calligraphic– Floral– Geometric– an earthly

representation of a heavenly paradise

Stones and Marbles of the Taj Mahal

Marble Makrana quarry in Rajasthan

Red sandstone Fatehpur Sikri

Jasper Punjab

Jade & Crystal China

Turquoise Tibet

Lapis Lazuli & Sapphire

Sri Lanka

Coal & Comelian

Arabia

Diamonds Panna28 kinds of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal

• The eight faces of the marble screen are decorated with intricate gemstone inlays

• Inlaid marbles and gemstones decorate the mausoleum itself

Marble Carved Geometric Art

Geometric patterns and well proportioned designs are an indication of divine harmony and peace

Pietra Dura

Marble Carved

Floral Art

Marble Carved

Floral Art

Marble Carved

Floral Art

Dados of the Taj Mahal

The first Mughal Emperor and connoisseur of gardens, Babar, once described the Mango tree, symbol of life and fertility, as the best fruit to grow in Hindustan (India) and it is likely that they once grew here

• The panels are embellished with depictions of flowering plants and blooms in vases carved in high relief

• The inlaid blooms of the dado borders are highly stylized, colorful impressions of flowers hanging from black trellis frameworks

• The shapes of the flowers– simple– display a

fluidity of line– aesthetic feeling

Marble Carved Star & Diamond Art

TOP VIEW: Marble Carved Hexagonal Pattern Art

Calligraphy and Inscriptions

Calligraphy on large pishtaq

Calligraphy on large pishtaq

• As one approaches the mausoleum itself, the mood changes

• Inside the mausoleum

• Lengthy descriptions of Paradise adorning some of the walls

• Passages on the upper cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal• The words of the Qur'anic prayer, recited by angels,

implore Allah to allow the faithful to enter Paradise, a touching request for God's mercy towards his devout servant, Mumtaz Mahal

Chahar Bagh(Gardens of Paradise)

Persian “Chahar Bagh” (Four Gardens) Layout

The rectangular gardens

surrounded by a high red sandstone wall

• The four main sections

• Separated by two water channels which bisect at right angles

• Each of these sections, are in turn, divided into quarters by sandstone paths

• Each of the four quarters of the garden have again been sub-divided into sixteen flower beds by sandstone paved raised pathways

• The word “Paradise” is derived from an ancient Persian word meaning 'walled garden‘

Water Devices & Layout

• The number four, sacred in Islam, and the number of wives allowed to be taken in the Islam faith, dominates the layout of the gardens

5. The Central Water Pool (Celestial Pool Of Abundance)

• At the centre of the garden

• Halfway between the tomb and the  gateway

• A raised marble lotus tank with a cusped and trefoiled border

The corners of the marble pool are finely decorated with a cusped motif

The Entrance to the Mausoleum

Brass Door

6. On the Main Floor of Taj

The Minaret and the Muezzin

• Four detached minarets

• Spring from the plinth of the Taj Mahal

• The minarets have - octagonal base- cylindrical body- eight-sided open

pavilion

• The body of the minarets is sectioned by– Three balconies– An Umbrella– Create shadows and interest

• Enhance the symmetry of the building

• Form a visual framework

• Built out of plumb

• Slanting (outward) so that if they were to topple, they would fall not towards the Taj, but away from the building

Balcony

Lower side of Balcony

Umbrella

The Finial of the Main Dome

• The summit of the gold gilded finial perched on the top of the dome of the Taj Mahal

• Modeled on a design taken from a Hindu temple

Summit of the dome• A Lotus• Water pot• Dazzling necklace of

bejeweled inlay

7. Hasht Bihisht and

the Central Chamber

• The cenotaphs of the Emperor and his wife lie in the centre of the room

• Surrounded by a marble screen

• Mumtaz Mahal's body was buried in the Taj Mahal after her death in 1631

• Shah Jahan laid to rest at his wife's side in 1666

• The central chamber of the mausoleum is an octagonal room

• It is flanked on each wall by outer chambers

• ‘Hasht bihisht', layout - a nine-fold plan

8. The Interior of the Main Dome

• The inner dome is an umbrella to the central octagonal room

• Four rectangular rooms are situated to the sides and four octagonal rooms flank the four corners

• The inner layer of the dome, like the exterior, is made of creamy white marble

• 3-D geometric decoration and a central inlaid motif highlight the interior of the dome

• With its solar design, this central motif is from where Lord Curzon's lamp now hangs

• The imitation of the Sun to symbolize Allah's divine presence within the tomb of his devout servant

8. The Rauza (Tombs) in the Mausoleum

9. Rooftop Chhatri (Kiosk)

• Four domed kiosks or chhatris– Flanking the exterior– Add symmetry and

verticality

The western part of mausoleum's south elevation

• Paneled plinth• Arched niches• Marble cladding• Pietra dura work

The central pishtaq, a second-story niche, rooftop chhatri, and drum of the dome

Jalis (perforated marble panels) around the Cenotaphs

Each of the Jalis carved from single slabs of marble

Lord Curzon's Brass Lamp

"The central dome of the Taj is rising like some vast exhalation in the air....If I had never done anything else in India, I have written my name here and the letters are a living joy"- a speech from the terrace of the Taj Mahal

Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India

This is the original lamp and it is hung from the dome shining upon the two tombs since the early nineteen hundreds

The Mosque or Masjid

Yamuna river

Guest House in the EAST Mosque in the WEST

On the Chameli Farsh (Terrace) of Mehmenkhana (Guesthouse)

• Red sandstone with marble facing

• A twin to the mosque

• Exterior has one large alcove (iwan), with two smaller siblings to either side

The Varied Moods of the Taj Mahal

The Classic View of the Symbol of Love...The Taj in the Morning Fogs

Love in Perfect

Symmetry, So Clear

in the Water

Love Shining....In the SunShine....

Love Shining....

in White Drapes!!!!.. ..

Taj in The Evening Hues...

… And to think these days men get away with giving flowers and chocolates to their wives

Thank You!