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| Source: Archnet |
Edited
extracts from Archnet http://archnet.org/sites/1559 follow:
The Taj
Mahal is a mausoleum complex built by Shah Jahan (reg. 1628 - 1658) in memory
of his favorite wife, Arjumand Banu Begam (d.1631), better known by her title
"Mumtaz Mahal," or "the exalted one of the palace." The
construction of the complex began shortly after Mumtaz's death and the tomb's
fame increased over time.
The Taj
Mahal complex is organized in a rectangle, measuring approximately 310 x 550
meters. It comprises a number of buildings and structures, all functioning
together as the funerary monument for Mumtaz Mahal. From the south, the first
part of the complex consists of a (former) bazaar, the forecourt and entry
gates; the second part consists of a large garden and garden pavilions, axially
arranged along a riverfront terrace with the three main structures: the mosque,
the mausoleum and the mihmankhana (literally, "guest house," probably
used as an assembly hall).
The
complex was planned on the basis of a unit called a gaz, approximately 32
inches (81.28 cm). Multiples of this "gaz" unit were used throughout
the Taj Mahal complex. …These gaz modules lend themselves to an axial
arrangement, with a cascading hierarchy: each building in the complex is
further organized on a smaller grid based on the gaz module. For example, the
mosque, mausoleum and mihmankhana are based on a 7-gaz grid, while the great
gate (darwaza-i rauza) is based on a 3-gaz grid. This grid functions not only
in plan, but also in elevation.
Taj Ganj
and Entrance Gates
The Taj
Ganj market aligned on axis with the southern entrance gate of the Taj complex
once served as a vital part of the entire complex. From present images it is
difficult to see that this market, irregular in appearance, was once a busy
marketplace and caravanserai. A small-scale bazaar, it was incorrectly referred
to as 'Tage Gunge' or 'Tadgundy' by foreign travelers. This bazaar was a
shopping district in the 1640s, but due to a decline in trade, it lost its
prominence by the 1650s.
The great
gate (darwaza-i rauza) that leads from the north of the jilaukhana to the
garden, and ultimately to the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal, is a large structure
with triadic openings.
terminate
on the east and west ends in rooms which are entered from within the gallery.
Garden
(Bagh-i Firdaus-a'in) and Naubat Khanas
The garden
(bagh-i firdaus-a'in) of the Taj complex is laid out as a cross-axial chahar
bagh: a large square divided into four equal quadrants by two large primary
intersecting walkways (khiyaban). Each of these quadrants is further divided
into four sections by smaller secondary intersecting walkways.
e roof. In
the center of the rooftop is a large chhatri capped with a marble dome.
Riverfront
Terrace
In
historic accounts of the Taj Mahal complex, the riverfront terrace supporting
the mausoleum has been referred to as the kursi, or throne. This terrace, and
the marble plinth upon it, supports the mosque, mausoleum and the mihmankhana.
Mausoleum
At the
north end of the garden is the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal (rauza-i munauwara,
rauza-i muqqadas, rauza-i mutahhara), the central element of the Taj Mahal
complex. The plan of the mausoleum is based on the nine-fold hasht-bihisht
(eight paradises) plan often employed by the Mughals for tomb and pavilion
design in the 16th and early 17th centuries. In this system, a square plan is
divided into nine spaces: a central chamber with four additional spaces in the
center of each elevation and four rooms at each corner.
In the
mausoleum of the Taj Mahal complex, the central chamber is double-height and
octagonal in plan. At its center rest the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah
Jahan. The chamber is capped by a shallow dome and decorated with niches on
each two-story wall.
Ambulatory
rooms (shish mahal) are placed on the cardinal axes of the octagonal tomb
chamber on both stories. Cruciform in plan, the walls and ceilings of the shish
mahal rooms are composed of of glass-filled decorative patterns. These rooms
are not accessible to visitors.
The floor
of the tomb chamber is tiled with octagonal marble stars in alternating
cruciform modules, each outlined with inlaid black stone. The delicate marble
screen that currently surrounds the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz was set
up in 1643 in place of the original gold-enameled one that was made in 1633 on
the second anniversary (urs) of Mumtaz's death.
The
cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal is a rectangular block placed on a platform decorated
with Quranic verses on the upper block and naturalistic motifs on the lower
base. A symbolic pen case sits atop Shah Jahan's cenotaph, which, although
similar, is slightly larger in size and has more vegetal motifs than Mumtaz's
cenotaph. Shah Jahan's cenotaph is placed parallel and slightly offset
(sheared) in relation to Mumtaz's cenotaph.
The
interiors of the four central pishtaqs are adorned with floral mouldings
conjecturally inspired by European paintings of the 16th and 17th century (Shah
Jahan's artisans were notably familiar with the works of their European
contemporaries). The frame of the mausoleum's central pishtaqs, as with other
similar forms within the complex, is decorated with an inlaid thuluth
inscription of a Quranic verse. At the pishtaq's highest point is a linear
pattern of floral motifs running between two extended engaged columns capped
with guldastas. The spandrels of the pishtaq are also filled with an inlaid
mirror-symmetrical arabesque pattern in red, green and dark yellow stones, and
the pointed arch of the frame is outlined with rope-form moldings.
Minarets
Four
marble-clad minarets flank the mausoleum, one at each corner of the mausoleum
plinth. Minaret additions were not prevalent in Mughal building until the 17th
century, and can also be seen in the gateway of Akbar's tomb in Sikandra, as an
addition, and at the tomb of Itmad-ud Daula in Agra. In both cases, the
minarets were still not detached from the main structures.
Mosque and
Mihmankhana
The mosque
and mihmankhana are located to the west and east (respectively) of the
mausoleum building. Symmetrical and identical in design, it is conjectured from
records that the mosque was built first, followed by the mihmankhana. The
mihmankhana's function was, speculatively, to accommodate visitors during
Mumtaz's urs, and to balance the architectural composition.
The mosque
has a mihrab in its qibla wall, highlighted by a marble frame with an
inscription of the Sun (al-Shams) sura.
Riverfront
Towers
Four
identical tower pavilions are found at each corner of the riverfront terrace,
forming anchor points towards the riverfront. The towers are clad in red
sandstone and have floral motifs carved in relief with marble inlays on panels.
Materials
and Construction
The
materials most frequently used in the Taj Mahal complex are bricks, sandstone
and white marble. Brick sizes varied between 18-19 x 11-12.5 x 2.3 cm,
(roughly) a standard size since Akbar's rule. These bricks were baked in kilns
on the outskirts of Agra. The sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, about
40 km west of Agra and Rupbas, 45 km southwest of Agra. The sandstone used in
the complex has a color varying from soft red to red with a yellow tint. White
marble came from the quarries of Makrana in Rajasthan, approx. 400 kms
southeast of Agra (Shah Jahan had initially acquired the site for the Taj Mahal
complex from Raja Jai Singh of Makrana). The marble used in the complex was a
white one with black and grey streaks. Although difficult to work, it was hard
enough for detailed carving, with a translucent appearance. This translucence
is most visible during changes in daylight, when the monument appears to glow.
The
buildings in the Taj Mahal complex are built of brick and faced with sandstone
or marble, using a technique called the "Mughal bond." These walls,
filled with brick and/or rubble and mortar, have a course of sandstone (such
that the edge of the sandstone slab becomes part of the façade and its width
spans the wall) as well as sandstone tie-backs, where the sandstone is set
perpendicular to its bedding plane and one of its edges is visible on the
façade (while its length also runs through the thickness of the wall). A final
piece of sandstone acts as simple cladding, placed on the façade perpendicular
to its bedding plane, held in place by mortar backing and iron dowels or
clamps. Vaults, such as the inner dome of the mausoleum, were constructed with
concentric rings of brick plastered with thick layers of mortar.
Precious
and semi-precious stones are used more extensively in the decoration of the
mausoleum than elsewhere in the complex. These stones include lapis lazuli,
sapphire, cornelian, jasper, chrysolite and heliotrope. A strict discipline in
colors and patterns is visible in the detailed ornamentation of the Taj.
Further
visual exploration:
"Taj
Mahal." World Monuments Fund Panographies. http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/in/agraTajMahal/map.html.
[Accessed July 7, 2007]
