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- TajMahal.jpg
Title
Taj Mahal Complex
Creators/Contributors
Description
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 accounts of this process were popularized by foreign travelers who visited Mughal courts. The tomb's fame increased tremendously following the British occupation of India in the late 18th century.
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 comprises the following main structures:
Taj Ganj and Entrance Gates Jilaukhana, Khawasspuras, and Saheli Burj Darwaza-i Rauza Garden (Bagh-i Firdaus-a'in) and Naubat Khanas Riverfront Terrace Mausoleum Mosque and Mihmankhana Riverfront Towers
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. 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 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. 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.
Date Created
1631-1653
Type
CreativeWorkSeries