final tajmahal

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Built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for himself and his principal wife, the Taj Mahal sits on the south bank of the Yamuna river, approx 2km downstream from the Red Fort at Agra . Directly across the river from the Taj, Shah Jahan built a Mahtab Bagh ( "Moonlight Garden", now largely overgrown), giving it exactly the same dimensions as the Taj itself. The Taj is flanked by a pair of large sandstone buildings. The one on the west was a mosque; its twin (jawab, "duplicate") on the east side was added for reasons of symmetry. The jawab's practical function is unknown. TajMahal Buried in the Taj Mahal are Shah Jahan and his principal wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who predeceased him by 35 years. (The name "Taj Mahal" is a corruption of "Mumtaz Mahal".) The actual burials are underneath the main floor. They are marked on the main floor by cenotaphs, as is usual in Islamic funerary monuments. Thus, the Taj Mahal is, technically, a mausoleum which contains the two tombs and their cenotaphs.

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Page 1: Final tajmahal

Built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for himself and his principal wife, the Taj Mahal sits on the south bank of the Yamuna river, approx 2km downstream from the Red Fort at Agra .

Directly across the river from the Taj, Shah Jahan built a Mahtab Bagh ( "Moonlight Garden", now largely overgrown), giving it exactly the same dimensions as the Taj itself.

The Taj is flanked by a pair of large sandstone buildings. The one on the west was a mosque; its twin (jawab, "duplicate") on the east side was added for reasons of symmetry. The jawab's practical function is unknown.

TajMahal

Buried in the Taj Mahal are Shah Jahan and his principal wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who predeceased him by 35 years.

(The name "Taj Mahal" is a corruption of "Mumtaz Mahal".) The actual burials are underneath the main floor. They are marked on the main floor by cenotaphs, as is usual in Islamic funerary monuments. Thus, the Taj Mahal is, technically, a mausoleum which contains the two tombs and their cenotaphs.

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Two legends have persisted about this monument which it is well to correct. First is the romantic story that Shah Jahan built the Taj as a memorial to his beloved wife. It is true that he was fond of his wife, but Shah Jahan planned and built the Taj for himself. Naturally, since his wife died before him, she was buried there first. (In fact, she died in 1629 and was not interred there until the building was completed in 1643.)

The second legend refers to a so-called "Black Taj" which was allegedly to have been built on the site of the Moonlight Garden as Shah Jahan's own tomb, reserving the Taj Mahal for his wife.

The building is part of a complex which included many buildings beside the central tomb and garden; to the south is a complex known as the 'chauk-i jilau khana', or ceremonial forecourt, which was flanked by four courtyards (two on each side) containing apartments for the tomb attendants; directly south of these is a further area divided into four caravanserais by two intersecting streets, and south of this are two more caravanserais and a bazar built around a square. A residential area grew up around this complex which was known as Mumtazabad. The revenue of this village together with that of thirty other villages in the vicinity was devoted to the upkeep of the building.

Taj Mahal was incorporated into a formal garden of the Persian char bagh form where a square garden wall encloses a garden divided equally into four. In the case of the Taj Mahal, however, a square pool forms the centre of the garden whilst the tomb building was located at the far end of it, overlooking the river.

The walls of the garden tomb complex are strengthened by six octagonal towers capped with domed chatris.

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The gate to the complex consists of a large rectangular structure with engaged corner turrets placed in the middle of a tall wall which effectively screens the Taj Mahal from view until the visitor has passed through the gate. The effect of this is enhanced by the fact that the outer buildings of the complex and the gateway are built and faced in red sandstone whereas the tomb and minarets are faced in white marble.

The central part of the complex is raised on a rectangular podium decorated with arcades of blind niches.

At each corner of the podium is an octagonal base for a minaret whilst the tomb stands in the centre.

The gate is directly in line with the centre of the dome on the tomb, a symmetry which is emphasized by the minarets, two either side of the tomb. Each minaret is a tall (42 m), slightly tapering, cylindrical structure with two intermediate balconies and an open domed pavilion (chatri) on the top.

Long pools divide the garden into four parts, one running east-west and the other running north-south from the gate to the Taj Mahal. At either end of the east-west axis are large triple-domed buildings with a central iwan. The building on the west side is a mosque whilst that to the east is known as the 'jawab', or echo, as it has no other function than to balance the view with the mosque on the other side. The north-south pools further emphasize the central axis of the gateway and dome11

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The central dome of the Taj Mahal is very tall (the finial is 73 m above ground level) and is raised up above the pishtaqs or the surrounding iwans by a tall circular drum about 15 m high.

The dome is composed of two parts, an inner dome and an outer shell. The inner dome is approximately the same height as the iwans whilst the outer dome towers above. The use of an inner dome keeps the height of the inner space in proportion whilst the outer dome makes the height of the building correspond to its mass and with the minarets makes building stand out visually.

Directly below the centre of the dome is the cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal and next to it that of her husband Shah Jahan.

The actual tombs, however, are in a vault or cave directly beneath the cenotaphs. The cenotaphs in the main chamber are surrounded by an octagonal pierced screen with two gates with pietra dura inlay on the posts.

The walls of the interior are divided into blind arches alternating with arched doorways which give access to the four circular side chambers. Around each of the arches is a frame of Quranic inscriptions whilst the marble dadoes are also lavishly decorated with naturalistic depictions of flowers in low relief.

The whole arrangement of the tomb, in particular the octagonal screen and the cave beneath, recalls the arrangement of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

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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. Overall, the complex is organized in 3 linearly arranged modular squares, each measuring 374 gaz per side, or 374 gaz wide by 1,122 gaz long.

The caravanserai (Taj Ganj) and entry forecourt (jilaukhana) areas are organized on a module of 17 gaz, whereas in the area from the entry gate (darwaza-i rauza) to the riverfront terrace, the complex follows a 23-gaz module. This 17-gaz jilaukhana module multiplied by 22= 74 gaz (the width of the complex). The caravanserai measures 416.5 gaz in length, or 17 x 24.5 gaz, and the jilaukhana measures 153 gaz, or 17 x 9 gaz.

The garden is further divided into 23 x 16 gaz, and the riverfront terrace measures 138 by 23 x 6 gaz. 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.

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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

The Taj Ganj area leads to the southern gate (Sidhi or Sirhi Darwaza) into the forecourt (jilaukhana) of the Taj Mahal complex, although the eastern (Fatehabadi Darwaza) and western (Fatehpuri Darwaza) gates of the jilaukhana are more frequently used by tourists.

Exterior views from the southwest of the entrance gate (darwaza-i rauza) leading to the garden complex from the forecourt (jilaukhana)

The latter two gates are identical, with central pointed-arch pishtaqs flanked by octagonal pilasters crowned with guldastas (ornamental flower pinnacles).

The red sandstone parapet of the gateways contains multi-cusped crenellations carved in relief that contrast with the buff sandstone of the spandrels.

The southern gate is similar to the east and west ones in its verticality. Due to the natural gradient of the site, which slopes toward the riverbank, this gate lies 2.4 m above the ground elevation of the jilaukhana itself.

Two bazaar streets begin at the east and west gates and lead to the jilaukhana. Formerly an integrated part of the complex, these bazaars contributed financially to the maintenance of the mausoleum. The bazaars consist of individual rooms (hujra) along an arcaded verandah of multi-cusped arches that are supported on slender columns. The stone overhangs (chajjas) projecting from this arcade are supported by voluted brackets.

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Jilaukhana, Khawasspuras, and Saheli Burj

General view looking east at the saheli burj and the darwaza-i rauza in the distance

view from the jilaukhana looking northwest at the arcaded galleries

View looking southwest at the arcaded khawaspurras terminating in a three-story tower

General view of the khawaspurras and the darwaza-i rauza overlooking the garden (bagh-i firdaus a'im) on the left side of the frame

Exterior view of the double arcaded khawaspurras

View looking southeast at the three-story tower with the khawaspurras to the right side of the frame

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The jilaukhana ("in front of the house"), or forecourt, served Mughal ceremonial purposes and acted as a transition space between the street and the palace or royal building.

The jilaukhana consists of a large courtyard with 128 hujra rooms opening directly onto the courtyard. The openings to the rooms are framed by multi-cusped arches and capped by a chajja overhang.

The jilaukhana rooms served as accommodation for a long period of time, and later fell into disrepair until the British colonial period. During their occupation, the British were responsible for the restoration of the bazaar streets and arcades in the jilaukhana of the Taj Mahal.

Jilaukhana

To the northeast and northwest of the jilaukhana are the khawasspuras, two residential enclosures.

The north side of the khawasspuras abuts the southern galleries that flank the great gate to the east and the west.

The khawasspuras served as living quarters for the caretakers of the tomb and the persons who performed the funerary services. These enclosures are arranged around rectangular courtyards surrounded by arcaded verandahs, two of which form the rear side of the jilaukhana's rooms.

The khawasspuras were entered through the wall adjoining the main garden to the north of the southern galleries.

The outer southern corners of the enclosures in the khawasspuras have rooms giving access to latrines, and from conjectural reconstruction it has been determined that these latrines consisted of a long platform with openings and a channel below.

Khawasspuras

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The two saheli burj (inner subsidiary tombs) enclosures to the east and west of the jilaukhana are the tomb complexes of two other wives of Shah Jahan.

The saheli burj enclosures have gardens arranged in the chahar bagh style, with a pool of water in the center surrounded by paved walkways.

The tomb buildings are octagonal, single-story structures, built on a plinth. The walls are formed of multi-cusped arcades, and each side has a door filled with hexagonal jali work. Above the arches, brackets support a chajja, and two guldasta columns (per side of the octagon) stand on the roof behind the parapet.

The building and its plinth are clad in red sandstone; the structure is topped by a bulbous white marble dome. Moving inside, the south door of both of the saheli burj tombs leads to the cenotaph within.

The colors of the exterior cladding are reversed in the interior: the walls are clad in white marble, while the jalis and ceiling are sandstone. Eight squinches provide the transition into the circular base of the double dome.

The two tombs only differ in the decoration of the cenotaphs; the eastern one is finished in pietra dura and is more elaborate than its western counterpart, which is finished with relief mouldings.

To the northeast and northwest of the two saheli burj was a single-story building that corresponded to each tomb; only one of the pair, that related to the eastern tomb, now survives.

This building has a verandah and two hujra rooms; its external walls are decorated with shallow chini khana motifs.

Saheli burj

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Darwaza-i Rauza

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.

The base of the gate measures nearly 38 meters and its peripheral walls, including the cupolas, are 30 meters in height. The central pishtaq, also including the cupolas, is 33 meters in height and 19 meters wide.

The gate is composed of red sandstone with decorative panels and accents in white marble. The surface treatment of the pishtaqs is elaborate: it is framed in white marble and inlaid with precious stones. Its central arch is delineated by a triple rope moulding and surrounded by a frame containing the Daybreak Sura (Sura al-Fajr) in thuluth script.

The entry iwan contains muqarnas in red sandstone, which contrast with the white plaster paint outlining each segment. (The northern elevation of the gate is identical to the southern one; the lower left corner of its framed inscription also contains the signature of the calligrapher, Amanat Khan).

Topping the central pishtaq is a series of eleven arches in red sandstone, capped by a chajja; eleven white marble chhatris crown the chajja.

A single column rises from the pishtaq to complete each end of the arcade; this column terminates in a finial above the chhatris. This same column runs in engaged form along the height of the pishtaq itself.

The towers are capped with sandstone chhatris with white marble domes. The pointed arch on the south elevation of the darwaza-i rauza partially frames the visitors' first glimpse of the main structure, the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal.

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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.

The primary cross-axial walkways all terminate at an outer peripheral walkway that frames the garden as a whole.

A shallow water canal (nahr) runs along the centre of the primary walkways; a line of equidistant water fountains runs down the center of the nahr.

Geometric patterns in red sandstone depicting regular and elongated stars decorate the edges of the central pathways running on each side of the nahr.

At the intersection of the primary walkways is a raised platform with a square water tank (hauz) at its center.

Five fountains are located within the tank, one at each of its four corners and one in its center.

The four corners of the tank have floral edged designs. Four marble benches, all placed at right angles to one another on each side of the square tank.

The east-west walkways terminate in two-story pavilions (naubat khanas) that merge into the outer garden walls

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The two naubat khanas (drum houses) project into the garden where the main east-west garden pathway meets the garden walls (approximately halfway between the darwaza and the mausoleum).

The naubat khanas are constructed on raised platforms and have two floors. On each level, the naubat khanas have a triple archway in the center of the east and west

elevations, respectively. On the ground level, the arches are closed with a jali screen; on the upper level, they

remain open. The floor slab of the upper story projects beyond the wall above and below to form a

balcony as long as the building; carved red sandstone handrails run along its length, and carved sandstone brackets help support it from below.

The roof of the pavilion is accessed from an internal staircase that emerges externally on the upper level, overlooking the garden, and continues to the 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

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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. These niches on the cardinal axes have jali screens, fitted on the external faces of the walls, which allow light into the room.

The niches on the diagonal axes hold rectangular doors. The niches are separated into lower and upper stories by an inscription band that runs around the interior. The upper and lower niches are identical but for the frames on the lower niches.

On the upper level, these frames are replaced by muqarnas that begin to transform the octagonal plan into a circular ring for the dome. The shallow dome, which is the lower portion of the double dome used for construction, thus appears as decorated with an extended pattern of the muqarnas that support its base.

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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.

Each side of this marble octagonal screen is divided into three panels; only one opens to access the cenotaph.

The screen replicates the outer structure of the tomb and echoes its architectural forms, including its engaged shafts and inlay work. Pietra dura work in precious stones fills the opaque surfaces of the screen.

The lower tomb chamber, which is now closed to the public, can be reached by a pointed barrel vault staircase that lies to the south of the cenotaph. This chamber is completely clad in marble with an undecorated ceiling and contains Mumtaz's cenotaph, on a lightly decorated platform, placed beside Shah Jahan's cenotaph, which is also more simply decorated than its counterpart on the upper story.

On the roof of the mausoleum is a high drum, topped with a bulbous dome measuring 25.6 meters high by 17.6 meters wide. Four diagonally placed chhatris flank the drum. The terrace provides a view of the garden below; it is accessed by staircases from the ground floor that lie on either side of the entrance to the mausoleum.

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The four elevations reflect the symmetry of the mausoleum's plan. Each major (N,E,S,W) elevation is similar; each is divided into three frames, with a central pishtaq measuring 32.6 meters in height.

The two frames flanking the central pishtaq contain blind arched niches on the upper and lower levels. Each corner of the building presents a chamfered elevation (to the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest).

Minarets

Four marble-clad minarets flank the mausoleum, one at each corner of the mausoleum plinth. The minarets were still not detached from the main structures.

Each minaret at the Taj Mahal mausoleum contains an internal winding staircase made of rough sandstone that accesses its roof.

Each of the minarets also has three projecting balconies accessible by a door on each level, and is topped with a chhatri supported by slender columns and multi-cusped arches.

Each chhatri is capped with a kalasa finial.

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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. In an extended illustration of this theory, the mosque has an ablution tank, while the mihmankhana also has a corresponding tank - one with no actual function.

Both buildings were constructed on the plinth that extends into the riverfront terrace, and both also follow the central design scheme within the complex.

A central pishtaq, flanked with blind arched openings on either side, is decorated with red sandstone and white marble.

These arched openings are also framed with marble spandrels and rope moldings. Green and dark yellow semiprecious stones form the inlay on the marble cladding. Both

buildings are capped with three domes, the central one being largest, which are placed on drums decorated with an interlocking motif pattern of alternating white marble and red sandstone. Amalaka and kalasa finials top the domes.

General view looking northwest at the mosque from the garden (bagh-i firdaus a'im)

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Materials and Construction

The materials most frequently used in the Taj Mahal complex are bricks, sandstone and white marble. Brick

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

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.

A polished plaster coating, locally known as chuna, was applied to brick walls; this chuna was used as an economical substitute for marble. The chuna was composed of burnt lime, ground shells, calciferous stones, and plant fibers.

The greatest technical problem in the construction of the Taj Mahal was securing the foundations of the heavy superstructures near the riverfront. This was accomplished using wells cased in wood and filled with rubble and iron, spaced at 3.75 meters on center. These worked as pile foundations.

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The buildings in the Taj Mahal complex are built of brick and faced with sandstone or marble, using a technique called the "Mughal bond.

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.

The surface of the platform, below the white marble plinth which supports the building, is decorated with ornamental tiling. In the pattern used here, the repeating stars have paired arms of unequal width, the adjacent rows and columns being offset by half a unit. (Tiling is a mathematical term that means any space-filling, geometric, pattern. The material used on the platform is cut stone, not ceramic tile.) Platform Tiling

Taj Mahal, Agra

Recessed ArchTaj Mahal, Agra

This is one of the lesser (but still quite large) recessed arches that are stacked along the faces of the building, some surrounding the great arches and others recessed into a corner face. Lovely pietra dura inlay occupies the triangular space between the outline of the curved arch and its enclosing rectangle.

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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

Floral relief carvings are found on the marble and sandstone walls; these carvings are stylistically related to the pietra dura work, yet are worked according to the material of the building they adorn.

Overall, the decoration elements with the Taj Mahal complex work to bind the numerous buildings together, in keeping with the formal hierarchy of the complex: each structure, according to its position, uses the established decorative vocabulary realized in the material assigned to its position.

MuqarnasTaj Mahal, Agra

Muqarnas ("stalactites") is the ribbing on the underside of an Islamic dome. It is seen here at the top of the photo, above the repeated "cookie cutter" outlines of missing inlay. It is used in Islamic architecture to smooth the transition between arch and dome, and has the additional effect of softening the visual texture of the stone surface.

Marble workTaj Mahal, Agra

The cusped arches and panel of flowers are missing their inlay, but the vegetal band around the flowers survives (or, perhaps, has been restored; it is not always easy to tell the difference). Also present is a vertical Koranic inscription. Calligraphy is made larger as the writing climbs up the building, so that all the letters appear the same size when seen from the ground.