The Taj "cr0wn 0f palaces is
a white marble maus0leum l0cated in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emper0r Shah Jahan in mem0ry 0f his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal is widely rec0gnized as "the jewel 0f Muslim art in India
and 0ne 0f the universally admired masterpieces 0f the w0rld's heritage"
Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example 0f Mughal architecture, a style that c0mbines
elements fr0m Islamic, Persian, 0tt0man Turkish and Indian architectural styles
In 1631, Shah Jahan, emper0r
during the Mughal empire's peri0d 0f greatest
pr0sperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died
during the birth 0f their 14th child, Gauhara
Begum. C0nstructi0n
0f the Taj
Mahal began in 1632 The c0urt chr0nicles 0f Shah Jahan's grief
illustrate the l0ve st0ry traditi0nally held as an inspirati0n f0r Taj Mahal The principal maus0leum was c0mpleted
in 1648 and the surr0unding buildings and garden were finished five years
later. Emper0r Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these w0rds
The t0mb is the central f0cus 0f
the entire c0mplex 0f the Taj Mahal. This large, white marble structure stands 0n
a square plinth and c0nsists 0f a symmetrical building with an iwan (an
arch-shaped d00rway) t0pped by a large d0me and finial. Like m0st Mughal t0mbs,
the basic elements are Persian in 0rigin.
The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube
with chamfered c0rners, f0rming an unequal 0ctag0n
that is appr0ximately 55 metres (180 ft) 0n each 0f the f0ur l0ng sides. 0n
each 0f these sides, a hugepishtaq, 0r vaulted archway, frames the iwan
with tw0 similarly shaped, arched balc0nies stacked 0n either side. This m0tif 0f
stacked pishtaqs is replicated 0n the chamfered c0rner areas, making the design
c0mpletely symmetrical 0n all sides 0f the building. F0ur minarets frame the t0mb, 0ne at each c0rner 0f
the plinth facing the chamfered c0rners. The main chamber h0uses the false sarc0phagi 0f Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; the
actual graves are at a l0wer level.
The marble d0me that surm0unts the t0mb is the m0st spectacular
feature. Its height 0f ar0und 35 metres (115 ft) is ab0ut the same as the
length 0f the base, and is accentuated as it sits 0n a cylindrical
"drum" which is r0ughly 7 metres (23 ft) high. Because 0f its
shape, the d0me is 0ften called an 0ni0n
d0me 0r amrud (guava d0me). The t0p is dec0rated
with a l0tus design, which als0 serves t0
accentuate its height. The shape 0f the d0me is emphasised by f0ur smaller d0med chattris (ki0sks) placed at its c0rners, which
replicate the 0ni0n shape 0f the main d0me. Their c0lumned bases 0pen thr0ugh
the r00f 0f the t0mb and pr0vide light t0 the interi0r. Tall dec0rative spires
(guldastas) extend fr0m edges 0f base walls, and pr0vide visual emphasis
t0 the height 0f the d0me. The lotus m0tif
is repeated 0n b0th the chattris and guldastas. The d0me and chattris are t0pped
by a gilded finial, which mixes
traditi0nal Persian and Hindustani dec0rative elements.
