Indian Islamic Architecture: The Taj Mahal - Coursework Example

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Taj Mahal Introduction The Taj Mahal is situated on the Right side of River Yamuna in an enormous garden referred to as the Mughal garden which occupies about seventeen hectares. The Mughal garden is located in Agra District which is in the great region of Uttar Pradesh. The Taj Mahal was built by the great Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal who was his wife [Rig09]. The construction of the Taj Mahal started in 1632 AD to 1648 AD when it was finally completed [Man08]. The other part such as the guest house, the main gateway situated at the south, the mosque and the cloister were later added and finished in 1653 AD [Man08]. The Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the greatest architectural achievement compared to other Indo-Islamic architectural designs. Its renowned architectural beauty is a combination of convex, concave and light shadows like the domes and arches which enhance the aesthetic aspect of the Taj Mahal. The colour combination reddish pathway, green scape and blue sky reflection reflect the monument in the ever changing moods and tints[Man08]. The exclusivity of the Taj Mahal lies in the truly outstanding innovations done by the gardening architects and planners of the Shah Jahan. An example of the genius planning is the situation of the tomb at one end of the garden, which is quadripartite rather than placing it in the exact centre [Man08]. This bright idea added perspective and rich depth of the distant view of the monument. Its tomb is also one of the best examples of a raised tomb range. Material Used for the Construction of the Taj Mahal It is important to identify and understand the materials that make Taj Mahal so Unique and Magnificent. In the construction of the Taj Mahal, there were 3 main types of rocks that were used. First it was the semi-precious rocks that were used for the inlaying work [Rig09]. These stones consisted of; “Sulaimani, Lajwad, Aqiq, Firoza, Yemeni, moomga, Lahsunia, Pitunia and Yasheb.” The second types of stones were the scarce and rare stones that were mainly used for the mosaic work on the floors, bold inlaying and exterior turrets and dados. These stones included Zahar-mohra, Tilai, Ajuba, Khathu, Maknatis, Abri and Nakhod [Rig09]. The third set of stones were the common stones, these stones were mainly used in the foundation s of the Taj Mahal, masonry and giving the building the final touches to the external surfaces. These stones included sang-i-Gwaliari, sang-i-Surkh, Sang-i-Rukhan, sand-i-marmar and sang-i-moosa. The red stone also known as sang-i-Surkh was imported from the neighbouring town such as Karauli-Hindaun, Fatehpur Sikri Paharpur and Tantpur whereas the white marble (sang-i-marmar) was brought from the Markrana mines. The semi-precious stones were periodically brought form the distant towns such as Kumaon, Upper Tibet, Ceylon and Cambay. The other materials that were used for the construction the great Taj Mahal were the various types of bricks such as Gul-i-Surkh also known as red clay, Sirish-i-Kahli or refered to as reed glue, Gaj-i-Shirin (the sweet limestone), Khaprel (tiles), spouts that lead off the water and Simgil, the silver clay. The core and the skeleton of the Taj Mahal is made up of very strong brick masonry. White marbles have also been used on the strechers and headers structure to give the main building a white marble stance [Moo98]. The country’s local ingredients such as the pieces of fossilized soil, molasses, belgri-water, batashe also known as sugar bubbles were used. Other materials such as urd-pulse were mixed with lime mortar to make the structure a solid cementing material. The Mughals believed that the semiprecious and precious stones had various effects on the riches of different places and persons and this maybe inauspicious and auspicious. This belief was strictly observed in the construction of the Taj Mahal, this is because of three main reasons. The first reasons is that there is predominance of one or the other stone in its architecture. There is also a number of symbols and marks that are engraved on pathways, red-stone slabs, stairs, pavements, stairs and plinths of the Taj Mahal [Man08]. Design of the structure The Taj Mahal structure observes the Islamic style of architecture, specifically it observes the Mughal style of architecture which mainly thrived in India during the medieval period. This Islamic style of architecture is also refered to as the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The Taj Mahal which overlooks the Yamuna River and is clearly visible form the western fort, the Taj Mahal is situated at the end of the enormous gardens bounded by the walls and the layout follows a discrete Islamic theme that represents paradise [Man08]. The Taj Mahal is situated on a raised ground that 20 feet high and covers an area of 313 square feet whereas the corner minarets are 137 feet high. The main structure is 186 feet on every side. As a contrast to the lustrous white mausoleum marble, there is a pair of red sandstone building that flank the tomb to the west and to the east. The building situated to the west, is the mosque. The other structure, always refered to as the guest house or the museum, was constructed as a complete symmetry of the original scene. The gateway and the tomb are joined beautifully by the fountains and the water causeway in a perfect symmetry. In a broader perspective, the Taj Complex can be subdivided into 6 separate parts so as to get to understand its design and architecture. These parts are the Tomb, Mosque, Garden, Mausoleum and Pietra Dura [Rig09]. The Design of the Garden Just like the main building, the garden is also an Islamic style of architecture, however, the garden a well-defined importance and represents spirituality. According to the Holy book of Quran, a garden is a representative of paradise. Islam having traced its roots from the region of Arabia, always gives value to the lush green vision, well set up and watered garden, hence in the long run it came to symbolize Islam [Man08]. In Islam it is believed that there are 4 rivers in paradise, one is the river of milk, the other is the river of water, the third one is the river of honey and finally it is the river wine. This concept formed the basis of the Char Bagh technique of planning the garden. On exiting the entrance gateway, one can view the expansive garden in front of him or her and this extends up to the plinth of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Garden, covers a significant area of the greater Taj Mahal. Out of the Taj Mahal total area, the Taj Garden occupies 300 metres by 300 metres [UNE14]. In the garden, the Char Bagh which is separated by a watercourse that originates from the middle elevated pool. This is further divided into sixteen flower beds hence making it a total of sixty-four flower beds [UNE14]. There were about four-hundred plants in each flower bed, some of which signified death (cypress) and the others signified life (fruit trees), planted so as to create symmetry [UNE14]. The channels of the garden are stocked with beautiful birds and colourful fish. In the modern day, the Taj Mahal garden is mostly a peaceful region in the whole complex and commonly best for taking photos of the foliaged tomb. Function of the Taj Mahal To understand the function of the Taj Mahal, one must understand the history behind its origin and naming. The origin of the Taj Mahal began when, Emperor Shah Jahan who was about to be crowned, met the daughter of a Persian noble known as Arjumand Banu. The two fell in love and got married 5 years later. However Shan Jahan already had two wives but Arjumand Banu was his favourite wife. Upon being crowned as emperor, Emperor Shan Jahan gave her a title “Mumtaz, Mahal.” This title meant “Jewel of the Temple”. A few years later, his wife “Mumtaz Mahal” died while giving birth to the emperor’s child and the emperor felt so devastated [Moo98]. To honour her love and the fact that he also loved his wife so much, the emperor ordered for the construction of Taj Mahal and this would later be one of the greatest tombs ever created. The Taj Mahal was constructed a year after her death. The name Taj is a Hindu word that means crown whereas Mahal was the title He had given his wife and thus the term Taj Mahal meant the Crown of Mahal [Moo98]. Works Cited Rig09: , (Riggs), Man08: , (Mann and Witschonke), Man08: , (Mann and Witschonke), Moo98: , (Moorcroft), UNE14: , (UNESCO World Heritage Centre), Read More