¶ … Artistic Overview of the Taj Mahal
Though monumental tombs had a long history in the Islamic architecture in India, they were not a part of either the Buddhist or Hindu traditions. Numerous tombs were erected in India by the Delhi sultans but the Taj Mahal at Agra was incomparable in magnificence. Jahangir's son, Shah Jahan, as a memorial to Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved wife, constructed the huge tomb, though it ultimately ended up as the ruler's tomb too. The central block's dome-on-cube shape contains antecedents of earlier Islamic tombs and other Islamic structures like the Alai Darvaza located at Delhi, but the refinements and changes in Agra tomb's design have turned the earlier immense structures into a magnificent structure of sparkling white marble. The Taj Mahal appears to be magically floating above the tree-lined reflecting pools that punctuate the garden that leads to it (Art History 280 lecture notes).
Taj Mahal: An Overview
The Taj Mahal is considered as the Mughal's great contribution to the architectural world, and as revealed by the contemporary sources, it was actually envisioned as such from the start. In the words of Muhammad Amin Qazwini, Shah Jahan's early historian, "And a dome of high foundation and a building of great magnificence was founded ... it will be the masterpiece of the days to come, and that which adds to the astonishment of humanity at large." In the Islamic structural design, this happens to be the biggest body of fortresses constructed by a solo patron. (Koch, 2006, p. 128)
It was referred to as a "teardrop on the cheek of time" by Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel Prize-winning poet. Eleanor Roosevelt, a world-traveler, felt that the tomb's white marble "symbolizes the purity of real love" (Begley, 2011, 7). In the famous spectacle, the several years of sweat and the mind-blowing cost of constructing the Taj also lies the proof of the great and enduring love of Shah Jahan together with his noble commitment (Begley, 9).
This garden complex was constructed as a mausoleum for Shah Jahan's most beloved wife who lost her in life in 1631 in the process of delivering her fourteenth baby; hence the romantic love idea which is commonly associated with the Taj Mahal. We must, however, remember that Shah Jahan was also buried in the same tomb after being held a captive during his life's last years. The official name of the tomb, the Illuminated Tomb, an epithet that was shared with Prophet Muhammad's tomb located at Medina, implied that Shah Jahan had always intended the Taj to be his tomb too. Just like Prophet Muhammad, Shah Jahan perceived himself to measure up to the Islamic theological impression of a perfect man. The interior of the tomb is designed in this same way, so that the centrally positioned royal cenotaphs are capable of being circumambulated just like it is done at the shrines of saints in India, therefore signifying a connection between sanctity and royalty. Additionally, the Quran chapters, the holiest Islam text, were chanted continuously in the structure, emphasizing its religious nature. The vast garden on which the Taj Mahal rests is intended to signify paradise here on earth (Asher, 2009, p. 16).
Today, the Taj Mahal enjoys recognition way beyond its religious significance. It is true that the Mughal family, nobility members as well as European travelers all through the Mughal era and beyond, admired it; however, essentially it marks the conclusion of the custom of the construction of large-scale mausoleums. However, presently, it is par excellence, for its size as well as beauty, more than any other structure anywhere. In the past twenty years, commercials featuring the Taj have been related with aged spirits, fine china, luxury cruises among others. The garden tomb is even featured by the Indian Government in sleek page adverts inviting tourists from all over the world to experience the ultimate beauty. Others even wish to emulate the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal's inlay was the inspiration behind a bathroom belonging to Doris Duke (a multi-millionaire) on her estate, Shangri La located in Hawaii. A rich Bangladesh filmmaker is today making a so-called imitation of the Taj Mahal at the cost of 58 million dollars outside Dhaka (Asher, 2009, p. 16-17)
Historical Overview
The first European to write a history regarding the Indian architecture, James Fergusson, made a comparison of the Mughal tomb to the Greek Parthenon in 1876, mentioning that the Taj was an outstanding specimen of balances, embellishment, and architecture (Asher, 2009, p. 19). Whatever its larger meaning is, the extensive utilization of white marble ought to have been intended to stir up a sense of divine company; during the...
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