The History of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India - Research Paper Example

Taj Mahal depicts the internal love of Shah Jahan for his second wife Mumtaj Mahal. There are many people, archeologist and historians who feel that Taj Mahal was one of the most famous architectural masterpieces which was the undisputed beauty and a magnificent art of human hands (Tillotson, 2008, p. 1). It is one of the most symmetrically perfect monuments ever built in India and it is the mixture of great beauty, perfection and extreme engineering. It was built during the timeframe of 1631 to 1648, it took almost twenty two years to complete.

It was built by the side of Yamuna River and its total area covers the forty two acres or 17 hectares of space (DuTemple, 2003, p. 6). And it took a staggering forty million rupees to complete the Taj Mahal, which was a huge amount of money at that time making the Empire almost bankrupt (Garg, 2009, p. 44). The basic structure was replicated from the Humayuns’s tomb. However, it can never be stated that Taj Mahal is a replica of any other tomb; it has its own beauty which can never be replicated.

The whole complex and design consist of the Taj Mahal itself, the symmetrical lake, Mahtab Garden, a mosque and a guest house on the east side. It is basically made by bricks but the outer part is of expensive white marble. The main tomb it based on a huge marble platform which is called plinth, the expensive gemstones were used in flowery shapes to give an outstanding beauty to the white body of the marvelous tomb, and the entire complex of Taj Mahal is guarded by the red sand stone (DuTemple, 2003, p. 25). The Taj Mahal is consisting of four major octagons and those were centered by the main central dome.

The facade of the central tomb consists of tall architectural constructions; the Quranic calligraphy was exhibited on the walls of the four pillars (Petersen, 1999, p. 275). The most important and the most beautiful part of the Taj Mahal is the enormous white coloured central dome. The main dome was positioned exactly at the center of the architectural phenomenon and it has the height of forty four meter (DuTemple, 2003, p. 43). It should be remembered that the Taj Mahal was not built by one person it was a complex design and it was initiated by many artists.

The chief architect was Ustad Ahmed Lahori; his two colleagues were Mir abd al-Karim and the great Makramat Khan (DuTemple, 2003, p. 23). The facade of Taj Mahal got a great central Iwan which has the great Quranic calligraphy (Petersen, 1999, p. 275). The Great Garden of Taj Mahal known as the Mahtab Garden also has a great significance. It was a part of the Moonlight garden which occupied twenty five acres (Deitz, 2011, p. 151). This was the garden mostly visited by the royals in the night.

This was meant to be like the garden of heaven and the lake within reflects the beauty of the Taj Mahal, which is another wonder. By 1642, the garden had been finished (DuTemple, 2003, p.64). The garden has a great implication on the beauty of Taj Mahal. The Mahtab Garden was the added beauty to the Taj Mahal with the magnificent aroma of jasmine and other fragrant plants. This architectural beauty also has many stories which reflect both positive and negative impression about the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and also about the Mughal dynasty itself.

The beauties are not created to be replicated in many forms. Some people and guides say that Shah Jahan chopped off