the taj mahal [by rahul]

7/30/2019 The Taj Mahal [by Rahul]........

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The Taj Mahal:

A Teardrop of Heritage


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The World Wonder

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra,

India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in

memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj Mahal (also "the Taj") is considered the

finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that

combines elements from Persian, Ottoman, Indian,

and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the TajMahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and

was cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and

one of the universally admired masterpieces of the

world's heritage."


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Origin and Inspiration

Shah Jahan Mumtaz Jahan


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In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the

Mughal empire's period of greatest

prosperity, was grief-stricken when histhird wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the

birth of their 14th child,Gauara Begum.

Construction of the Taj Mahal began in1632.The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's

grief illustrate the love story traditionally

held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. Theprincipal mausoleum was completed in

1648 and the surrounding buildings and

garden were finished five years later.


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Origin and Inspiration

Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in

these words:

Should guilty seek asylum here,

Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,

All his past sins are to be washed away.

The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;

And the sun and the moon shed tears from their

eyes.

In this world this edifice has been made;

To display thereby the creator's glory.


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Taj Mahal Architecture

Involvement of 22, 000 workers including masons,

stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters,

calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans

called on from all over the central Asia and Iran,and some 22 years later when a monument with a

unique blend of Persian, Islamic, and Indian

architectural styles came into its own, it was a sight

to behold! The grandeur of the structure thencreated was such that even decades after its

creation, it is still regarded as one of the most

arresting and attention-grabbing manmade

monuments of the world


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The Taj Mahal covers an area of 42

acres in total with the terrain

gradually sloping from south tonorth, towards the river Yamuna in

the form of descending terraces. The

main gateway situated at the end ofthe long watercourse, decorated in

calligraphy with verses from Holy

Quran and a domed central chamber,

was constructed from the period 1932

to 1938.39


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Decorations


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Decorations


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Interior decoration

The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far

beyond traditional decorative elements. Here, the

inlay work is not pietra dura, but alapidary of

precious and semiprecious gemstones. The inner

chamber is an octagon with the design allowing for

entry from each face, although only the door

facing the garden to the south is used.The interior walls are about 25 metres (82 ft) high

and are topped by a "false" interior dome

decorated with a sun motif


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Interior

decoration


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Exterior

Decorations


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Taj Mahal Main Gateway

Height: 93 ft high

Period of Construction: 1632-1638

Referred to as Darwaza-i-Rauza or

"gate of the mausoleum" by the

architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri himself,the main gateway to Taj Mahal is indeed

a worthy counterpart to the mausoleum

in every sense of the phrase.


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Main Gateway


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The main gateway of the Taj Mahal is

one of the five main elements of this

magnificent monument. Adorned with

Hindu motifs, the Taj gateway is a tall

niche doorway in the shape of an ogival

arch that rises till the mid-height of the

structure. With a vertical symmetry,

the main gateway of Taj Mahal stands

bordered with Arabic calligraphy of

verses from the Quran, made up of

black stone.


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Taj Mahal Calligraphy

The Taj Mahal always welcomes each of its

visitors with an inscription, written in

beautiful handwriting, on the great gate

that reads "O Soul, thou art at rest. Return

to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at

peace with you." It was Abdul Haq, who

created this in 1609, and was bestowed

with the title of 'Amanat Khan' by none

other than Emperor Shah Jahan himself.


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Taj Mahal Calligraphy


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The exterior of Taj Mahal are loaded

with verses from the Quran like:

Surah 91 (The Sun)

Surah 112 (The Purity of Faith)Surah 89 (Daybreak)

Surah 93 (Morning Light)

Surah 95 (The Fig)Surah 94 (The Solace)

Surah 36 (Ya Sin)


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Surah 81 (The Folding Up)

Surah 82 (The Cleaving Asunder)

Surah 84 (The Rending

Asunder)

Surah 98 (The Evidence)Surah 67 (Dominion)

Surah 48 (Victory)

Surah 77 (Those Sent Forth)

Surah 39 (The Crowds)


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Famous Sayings Of Taj Mahal

"The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs

and makes sun and moon shed tears from theireyes. In this world this edifice has been made to

display, thereby, the Creator's glory."

Shah Jahan (Badshah Nama).

"It appears like a perfect pearl on an azure

ground. The effect is such I have never experienced

from any work of art."

British painter, Hodges

Taj Mahal Impressions


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"I cannot tell what I think. I do not know how to

criticize such a building but I can tell what I feel. I

would die tomorrow to have such another over me."

British officer, Colonel Sleeman's wife

"Did you ever build a castle in the Air? Here is one,

brought down to earth and fixed for the wonder ofages".

American novelist, Bayard Taylor

"If I had never done anything else in India, I havewritten my name here, and the letters are a living

joy."

Lord Curzon, the British Governor-General


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Fast Facts

Year of Construction: 1631

Completed In: 1653

Time Taken: 22 years

Built By: Shah Jahan

Dedicated to: Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand

Bano Begum), the wife of Shah Jahan

Location: Agra (Uttar Pradesh), India

Building Type: Islamic tomb

Taj Mahal Facts


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Architecture: Mughal (Combination of Persian,

Islamic and Indian architecture style)

Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahauri

Cost of Construction: 32 crore rupees

Number of workers: 20,000

Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the

World; A UNESCO World Heritage SiteTimings: Sunrise to Sunset (Friday closed)

Fee: Rs 750 (Foreign Tourists)

Rs 510 (Citizens of SAARC & BIMSTEC

Countries)

Rs 20 (Domestic Indian Tourists)

No Entry Fee for children below 15 years of age

(Domestic or Foreigner)


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A soul that is filled with love, loss, remorse, and

love again. Because if it was not for love, the world

would have been robbed of a fine example upon

which people base their relationships. An example ofhow deeply a man loved his wife, that even after she

remained but a memory, he made sure that this

memory would never fade away. This man was the

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was head-over-heels in love with Mumtaz Mahal, his dear wife. She

was a Muslim Persian princess and he was the son of

the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of

Akbar the Great.

History of Taj Mahal


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It was at the age of 14 that he met Mumtaz and

fell in love with her. Five years later in the

year 1612, they got married.

It was soon after the completion of Taj Mahalthat Shah Jahan was deposed by his own son

Aurangzeb and was put under house arrest at

nearby Agra Fort. Shah Jahan, himself also,lies entombed in this mausoleum along with

his wife.

Taj Mahal Impressions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_top_of_finial.jpg


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Gallery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taj_Mahal_top_of_finial.jpg


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THANK

YOUTANU JINDALVIIIth A

the taj mahal [by rahul]

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