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Taj MahalTaj Mahal © David Pearson/Alamy

Taj Mahal

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Masons, marble workers, mosaicists, and decorators working under the supervision of Ustad Ahmad Lahori, architect of the emperor. 1632–1653 C.E. Stone masonry and marble with inlay of precious and semiprecious stones; gardens.

Curator Note

"A teardrop on the cheek of time. Shah Jahan built this mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is often called a "monument to love," but it is arguably a "Throne of God" — a replica of Paradise (Jannah) on earth, with the white marble tomb sitting at the end of the gardens like the throne of judgment."

Form

  • Plan: Hasht Behisht ("Eight Paradises") floor plan.
  • Symmetry: Perfect bilateral symmetry (except for the cenotaphs).
  • Material: White marble (tomb) and Red sandstone (auxiliary buildings).
  • Dome: Bulbous "onion" dome on a high drum.
  • Decoration: Pietra Dura (inlay) of flowers and calligraphy.

Function

  • Mausoleum: Tomb for Mumtaz Mahal (and later Shah Jahan).
  • Paradise: Designed to represent the gardens of heaven described in the Quran.
  • Power: Demonstrated the limitless wealth of the Mughal Empire.
  • Love: A testament to the Emperor's grief.
  • Mosque: The site includes a working mosque and a guest house (jawab).

Content

  • Charbagh: Four-part garden divided by water channels (Rivers of Paradise).
  • Calligraphy: Quranic verses about Judgment Day and Paradise.
  • Minarets: Strictly ornamental (framing the tomb), leaning slightly outward.
  • Cenotaphs: False tombs above; real bodies are in the crypt below.
  • Flowers: Inlaid poppies/lilies represent the eternal gardens.

Context

  • Shah Jahan: The "Builder King" (also the Red Fort).
  • Mumtaz Mahal: Died giving birth to their 14th child.
  • Sunnism: The Mughals were Sunni Muslims.
  • Imprisonment: Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb and could only view the Taj from a distance.
  • Influence: Blends Persian, Indian, and Islamic elements.