The Architecture of the Taj Mahal - Coursework Example

The Crown of Palaces Introduction Love is enchanting, however what is more alluring is a monument which reciprocates love and dedication to the humanhistory from the middle of 17th century. Taj Mahal is a monument which has stunned the world with its exquisite elegance, beauty, magnificence and cultural architectural design .Taj Mahal is an extra-ordinary blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture and this has led me to examine the monument more closely. The architectural pattern of Taj Mahal is of great interest to me and the main purpose of this paper is to investigate in to the intricacies of skill and creativity of Asian artistic world. As per (Koch)“Shah Jahan fully intended the marble mausoleum of his favorite queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra to become a world-famous symbol of undying love when he built it in 1631-43; and he has got his way with posterity”. The significance of Taj Mahal lies in the fact that, the building is a piece of art which has surpassed all boundaries of calligraphy and symbolic beauty. . The monument depicts the art and culture of multiple Asian ethnicity and architectural elements of it is worth exploring technically and artistically. The paper will specifically examine the structure of tomb and the architectural sophistication and elements involved in it. I will be exploring the historical value of the monument along with its constructional method, structural design planning .and the intelligence behind it. Taj Mahal is the most beautiful and extravagant construction of Mughal empire. Taj Mahal as all know is the eighth wonder of the world and the western world still look at it as a mysteriously exquisite human creation. It is said that, during day and night, Taj reflects different colors according to the brilliance of sun and moon. Taj Mahal is believed to look most stunning during the dawn and sunset time. Each corner of this mausoleum has a symbolic meaning and it represented the palaces of Queens of Mughal dynasty. Taj Mahal is a part of UNESCO heritage site and invites around 2,00,000 foreigners to the country annually. This monument is not only the resting place of Mumtaz but also is the burial place of emperor Shahjahan. Taj Mahal and its architectural journey The Gateway The architecture of Taj Mahal is the finest and most charming one that the world history has seen since centuries. This building of Mughal empire has evoked, passion, mystery and inspiration among artists, architects and poets. Looking from the perspective of architectural world, Taj Mahal is a unique piece of work that gives ample space to explore and investigate regarding. The Taj Mahal is built in 42 acres of land positioning from south to north toward prestigious Indian river Yamuna. The entire Taj building consists of five constituents namely main entrance, mosque, garden, rest house, main mausoleum . Main attraction of this monument is the gateway standing at the end of water course which has Quranic calligraphy embedded on it. Apart from this, the doomed chamber of Taj Mahal which is the point of attraction was constructed in early 20th century. The gateway of sandstone has a gate constructed with pure solid silver which adds to the prowess of Mughal Empire. This door prevented the public from getting any view of the tomb until the public arrives at door itself. The main gateway of this monument is built with black stone where calligraphy of Quranic verses is sculptured. This exquisite calligraphy is the effort and skillsmanship of various artists of Shahjahan rulership.The geometrical pattern of the gate way is vertical in symmetry and depicts the elegance and extravagance of Mughal empire. The Calligraphy of Taj Mahal The calligraphy of Taj mahal is of symbolic beauty and reflects the dignity and craftsmanship of Islamic era. The Arabic inscriptions on Taj Mahal is connected to Persian calligrapher Amanat Khan who was resident of the Mughal court These Arabic inscription are on black marble and writings are in vertical and horizontal strokes give out grid like appearance. As per experts, the Arabic inscriptions were constructed under the guidance of Amanat khan who was responsible for both inscription design and calligraphy. This Arabic text is of “thuluth” script and directly showcases Persian calligraphy. It is amazing to find that, Amanat Khan’s signature is evident in the colophons of these inscriptions. Most of the inscription is based on Quranic verses and there are over all 22 passages of it on the monument walls. The inscriptions on the entrance gateway , interiors, tomb exemplifies about the judgments of Quran and the valuable teachings of it. The calligraphy verses of TajMahal point out the everlasting love and compassion of God and his divine love to all. Especially, the verses on Mumtaz’s tomb represents the love and devotion Shahjahan held for his beloved wife. On the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal , the praise of God is sculptured magnificently and the God is exalted in 99 names. The cenotaph of Mumtaz’s tomb has Quranic verses unlike Shahjahan which showcases his divine love to his beloved wife. The secret behind the illusion of Taj Mahal is the optical beauty of its intricately inscripted Arabic verses. The Layout of Taj Mahal The architectural lay out of Taj Mahal depicts certain principles as geometry and rational, extra- ordinary symmetrical planning which revolves around Shahjahani era theme ,materials, colours and forms in hierarchical order, uniformity in shapes, traditional architectural ornamentation, naturalism, symbolism and sensuous artistic work. These principles are the epitome of Taj Mahal’s design lay out and it is portrayed in a grand and consistent style. Marble is used in the building of this monument as a sign of purity and its potentiality to reflect harmony of relationships and the hidden unworldly pleasure of nature. The design of this monument is based on a nine fold plan by Mughals for pavilion, garden and mausoleum. Bi-lateral symmetry is the central theme of this structure and its parallel projects the authoritative power of the ruling clan. The imperial power of Mughal Empire is showcased on red sand stone and marble structuring. The layout of this monument can be further classified into two constituents: a) Design: The design of Taj Mahal was intentionally laid down to represent an earthly replica of Tomb of Mumtaz in a paradise of lush greenery. Shahjahan had an enchanting garden house in his dream and he made it realistic with immense passion, planning, wealth and power. The architectural design of Taj Mahal is a zenith of Mughal Dynasty however the architect behind this structural wonder still remains in a mystery. b) Composition: The Taj Mahal building is constructed with two components in mind set with a river front garden theme. According to ( Koch 143-47)“ In the grand synthesis of Shahjahan’s fortress palaces , the fusion of palace and gardens became as we know – from Aamir Khursaw’s all too often quoted verses a metaphor of paradise here on earth, the ideal dwelling of the Mughal ruler”. The two components are the chaharbagh and the river front terrace. The decorative element in the monument The Taj Mahal in itself is the “Jewel of India” and is unquestionably embedded with precious stones, varieties of high quality marbles and vegetable motifs. The decorative materials for this world famous tomb was imported from all parts of Asia like China, Ceylon, Tibet Afghanistan, Arabia, and from within the country. For the ornamentation of the Mahal three varieties of precious stones are used namely; Semi -precious , rare and common stones. The semi-precious are the turquoise, agate, Lapiz –lasuli, coral , jade and bloodstone. Among rare stones include goldstone and magnet stone. The common stones are red sand stone, black slate, white marble, grey and yellow sandstone. ` The precious stone is embedded on walls and tomb of Taj Mahal to display the prestige and royalty o Mughals. The rare stones give a bold appearance to the floor, turrets and dados. The architects utilized different types of bricks made of sweet lime stone, red clay, silver clay along with lime stone infused with natural ingredients like molasses, sugar bubbles and ,pulses, curd and jute .Symbolic, geometrical , vegetative and floral motifs is also an integral part of ornamentation of this monument. Conch shell, swastika, hexagon, pentagon constitutes symbolic motifs. Apart from this, geometrical motifs like rectangle, triangle and animal ones like bird and fish also enlighten this building. Floral and leaf patterns also project the vegetative and floral decorative element in it. The manpower in the construction of Taj mahal `This wonder of the world has been built in 22 years of time span with the aid of 22,000 workers which involved all skilled workers from architect to laborers. This costliest tomb has in its list, the architect as the most privileged manpower. Some of the imperial architectural legends involved are Ismail afandi, Ustad Isa and Muhammed Effendi and Puru . The casting of gold was done by Qazim Khanand and Chiranjilal was the chief sculptor and personality behind mosaic work. The head of calligraphy was Amanat from Iran, the masonry supervisor was Muhammed Hanif and production and fiancé were controlled by Mukarrimat Khan and Mir Abdul Karim. This mausoleum was built in 17th century and the Emperor spent 32 million rupees on it construction .Expert craftsman from India , Iraq and Iran were engaged in the construction of this building. Taj Mahal stands on an unequal octagon platform which is in reality a square structure in 186x186 feet measurement. It was recorded tha,t thousands of elephants were used to handle stones during the construction of the structure. The central dome of Taj mahal is 213 feet in height and is of the diameter of fifty – eight feet.The garden of taj mahal also containes four pools and fountains which enhances the heavenly outlook of the monument. Conclusion Taj Mahal is an architectural work which gets beyond the imaginative power of human civilization. For this very same reason, this monument was selected as a building for exploration and investigation. The name and fame of this building has led to the scientific investigation of its construction, layout , identities behind its design and so on. The romantic tale behind this monument is one aspect which influenced to write a research piece about it. Taj Mahal is unique and sole historical building which is built as a symbol of love by a king in dedication to his Queen. There are many elements in this monument which aggravates the mystery and investigative potentiality of it. Taj Mahal is still a provocation for all the architects of the world to look deep into the intelligence and artistic instinct of human beings. There is lot of questions surrounding around the history of Taj Mahal and the architect mind behind it. It is even rumored that the Emperor Shahjahan got inspired to cut of the hands of the workers of the builders in order to avoid a construction synonymous to it . Moreover, there is a controversy which points out that Taj Mahal is not built by Shahjahan but it was a hindu temple converted in to a tomb palace by the Mughal Emperor in secrecy According to a Professor named P.A.Oak, this temple was gotten by Shahjahan from a Maharaja of Agra and renovated into burial place of Queen Mumtaz. This fact is even said to be admitted by the emperor Shahjahan. Many might find it a an exaggeration, but the professor prove that some experts of American university revealed that the carbon dating of the monument dates back to 300 years from the era of Shahjahan. It is said that love story of Shahjahan and Mumtaz is a fact less creation of historians, archeologist and sloppy historians. It is argued that, the love story of Shajahan and Mumtaz does not corroborate with the chronicle of royal life of the ruler. As per (Tillotson 9)“ What are we to make of theories, soberly advanced, such as that it is , merely one of a pair, whose twin were never built, that it is a gigantic symbol of the day of judgment : that it is not a Muslim tomb at all but a Hindu temple” Work Cited Tillotson, Giles. Taj Mahal. London: Profiles Books Ltd., 2008. 9. Print. Koch, Ebba. "The Complete Taj Mahal and the Riverfront Gardens of Agra." www.homepage.univie.ac.. Thames and Hudson, 2006. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. . Koch, Ebba. "Mughal Palace Gardens from Babur to Shahjahan." JSTOR 14 (1997): 143-47. Print. Images Taj Mahal The Garden View of Taj Mahal The door of the monument Floral motifs of walls Read More