Described by the poet Rabindranath Tagore as a "tear on the face of eternity", the Taj Mahal (daily dawn to dusk, except Fri; Rs960 [Rs10]), is undoubtedly the zenith of Moghul architecture and quite simply one of the world's most marvellous buildings. Volumes have been written on its perfection, and its image adorns countless glossy brochures and guidebooks; nonetheless, the reality never fails to overwhelm all who see it, and few words can do it justice.
The glory of the monument is strangely undiminished by the crowds of tourists who visit, as small and insignificant as ants in the face of this immense and captivating monument. That said, the Taj is at its most alluring in the relative quiet of early morning, shrouded in mists and bathed with a soft red glow. As its vast marble surfaces fall into shadow or reflect the sun, its colour changes, from soft grey and yellow to pearly cream and dazzling white; it's well worth visiting at different times. This play of light is an important decorative device, symbolically implying the presence of Allah, who is never represented in anthropomorphic form.
Overlooking the River Yamuna, and visible from the fort in the west, the Taj Mahal stands at the northern end of vast gardens enclosed by walls. Though its layout follows a distinctly Islamic theme, representing Paradise, it is above all a monument to romantic love. Shah Jahan built the Taj to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, Arjumand Bann Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Elect of the Palace"), who died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child, in 1631. The Shah was devastated by her death, and set out to create an unsurpassed, eternal monument to her memory. Of all the Moghuls, only Shah Jahan, who had been designing palaces and forts since the age of sixteen, could have come up with such a magnificent design. The name of the chief architect is unknown, but Amanat Khan, who had previously worked on Akbar's tomb, was responsible for the calligraphic inscriptions that adorn the gateways, mosque and tomb. Construction by a workforce of some 20,000 men from all over Asia commenced in 1632, and the mausoleum was completed in 1653. Marble was brought from Makrana, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and precious stones for decoration - onyx, amethyst, lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, crystal, coral and mother-of-pearl - were carried to Agra from Persia, Russia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China and the Indian Ocean.
The story is given an exquisite poignancy by the fate of Shah Jahan himself, who became a tragic and inconsolable figure. Eventually, his devout and austere son Aurangzeb seized power, and Shah Jahan was interned in Agra Fort, where as legend would have it he lived out his final years "gazing wistfully at the Taj Mahal" in the distance (although the truth is somewhat less poetic). He died there in January 1666, with his daughter, Jahanara Begum, at his side; his body was carried across the river to lie alongside his beloved wife in his peerless tomb
The complex
The walled complex is approached from the south through a red sandstone forecourt, Chowk-i Jilo Khana, whose wide paths, flanked by arched kiosks, run to high gates in the east and west. The original entrance, a massive arched gateway topped with delicate domes and adorned with Koranic verses, stands at the northern edge of Chowk-i Jilo Khana, directly aligned with the Taj, but shielding it from the view of those who wait outside.
Once beyond the southern wall, you'll see the mighty marble tomb at the end of superb gardens designed in the charbagh style so fashionable among Moghul, Arabic and Persian architects. Dissected into four quadrants by waterways, they evoke the Islamic image of the Gardens of Paradise, where rivers flow with water, milk, wine and honey. The "rivers" converge at a marble tank in the centre that corresponds to al-Kawthar , the celestial pool of abundance mentioned in the Koran. Today only the watercourse running from north to south is filled, and then only for special occasions, and its precise, glassy reflection of the Taj is a favourite photographic image. Views from the paths lining the east-west canal, lined with lofty trees, ferns and deep red and pink flowers, are equally sublime. To the west of the tomb is a domed red-sandstone mosque, and to the east a replica ( jawab ), probably built to house visitors, and necessary to achieve perfect symmetry.
Essentially square in shape, with peaked arches cut into its sides, the Taj Mahal surmounts a square marble platform marked at each corner by a high minaret. Topped with a huge central dome, it rises for over 55m, its height accentuated by a crowning brass spire, itself almost 17m high. Steps lead to the platform, and visitors must remove their shoes before climbing to the tomb. The marble floor can be icy cool in the morning, but at midday it gets extremely hot - you may want to wear socks, or rent a cloth foot-cover from the shoe attendants. On approach, the tomb looms ever larger and grander, but not until you are close do you appreciate both its awesome magnitude and the extraordinarily fine detail of relief carving, highlighted by floral patterns of precious stones.
Carved vases of flowers including roses, tulips and narcissi, rise subtly out of the marble base, a pattern repeated more colourfully and inlaid with precious stones around the four great arched recesses ( pishtaqs ) on each side. Arabic verses praising the glory of Paradise fringe the archways, proportioned exactly so that each letter appears to be the same size when viewed from the ground.
The south face of the tomb is the main entrance to the interior : a high, echoing octagonal chamber flushed with pallid light reflected by yellowing marble surfaces. A marble screen, cut so finely that it seems almost translucent, and decorated with precious stones, scatters dappled light over the cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal in the centre of the tomb, and that of Shah Jahan next to it. Inlaid stones on the marble tombs are the finest in Agra; attendants gladly illuminate the decorations with torches. No pains were spared in perfecting the inlay work - each petal or leaf may comprise up to sixty separate stone fragments. Ninety-nine names of Allah adorn the top of Mumtaz's tomb, and set into Shah Jahan's is a pen box, the hallmark of a male ruler. These cenotaphs, in accordance with Moghul tradition, are only representations of the real coffins, which lie in the same positions in an unadorned and humid crypt below that's heavy with the scent of heady incense and rose petals. Have a few coins ready as a respectful donation to an attendant priest who will lay the offering on the graves.
If you're spending a full day at the Taj and want a break from the sun, make a small detour to the museum (daily 10am-5pm) in the western wall of the enclosure. The interior contains exquisite miniatures, two marble pillars believed to have come from the fort, and portraits of Moghul rulers including Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Further into the building a gallery shelters architectural drawings of the Taj Mahal, a display of elaborate porcelains, seventeenth-century coins and examples of stone inlay work, though you'll more than likely have seen enough of that in the Taj.
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