The Taj Mahal: Table Of Index — The Taj Mahal
Let’s first take a look at the Taj. Then let’s look at its magnificent architectural elements from outside. Then let’s look at the inside of this beautiful elements.
In the previous section we have discussed the main elements of the Taj Complex. Now, let’s look at the Taj itself and go through its architectural elements after a quick introduction to this majectic and historic monument.
You see below the majestic view of the Taj. The picture has been taken from Google and clearly see that the tomb, the most famous building in the world, is down the middle and the mosque on the left and the Guest House on the right. You also see the waterway of Char Bagh Garden right down the middle.
And you draw a few steps closer, you can see the marvel unfold ..and you also get a much better view of the two buildings flanking it. You can see the THE MAUSOLEUM and you should see that the entire structure is placed on a high marbel plinth (platform). The plinth is 21.98 ft high and covers an area of 1,022.57 square feet. Below the plinth is the foundation that is ultimately carrying the entire weight.
Note that special care was taken to maintain the garden, its waterworks as members of the royal family frequented it and stayed in the guesthouse (mehmankhana) that you see on the right.
As you see from close now, a double staircase facing the entrance to the tomb is the only way to take you to the top. Visitor are standing in line to see The Taj.
And finally, you can see the stairs..
And here is your first view of the Taj!!
By 1637, the central dome of the Taj Mahal rose skyward like a glorious fairy castle. The white marble glowed like fire in the noonday sun and shimmered with pale shades of pink and lavender at dawn and twilight. Its beauty was reflected and doubled in the ever-changing waters of the Yamuna River smoothly flowing past. This plinth or pedestal is an ideal place from where you can have a panoramic view of the surroundings, which includes the lush green Charbagh in the front and the riverfront at the back of the Taj. From here, you can also admire the white towering structure of the Taj.
ARCHITECTURAL COMPONENTS on the outside
Shown here are the major elements of the Taj seen from the outside.
- Finial: auction adorned with the domes, also used in the Asian pagodas.
2. Decoration of lotus: scheme of the flower of lotus esculpida in the domes.
3. Dome - Drum: cylindrical base of the dome, which uses as support and formal transition on the basement of
the building.
5. Guldasta: decorative spire fixed at the edge of the walls.
6. Chattri: kiosk of columns and dome, also used in isolated form or it exempts as commemorative monument.
7. Spandrel: panels on arches.
8. Calligraphy: writing stylized of verses of the Koran on the principal arcades
9. Arcades or portal - There are four elegant minarets, as you saw in the previous picture, one on each corner of the plinth. Each of the minarets is 41.6 m (136.48 ft) high and is capped by a small cupola. Each minaret is effectively divided into three equal parts by two balconies that ring the tower. At the top of the tower is a final balcony surmounted by a chhatri that echoes the design of those on the tomb. The minaret chhatris share the same finishing touches: a lotus design topped by a gilded finial. This way, the minarets, not only balance the main structure of the mausoleum, but are also placed in such a way that in case of a mishap, they do not fall over the main edifice.
Main components of the facade
Brief Description
| Iwan | It is the whole front area at the center with the huge arch. It contains everything in the huge rectangle, the arch, the pishtaq area, the spandrels, the two guldastas. So, the exterior has one large iwan, with two smaller siblings to either side, each with two smaller arches. |
| Arch | The opening |
| Spandrel |  The area on the two sides of the arch – roughly two triangles. It is used for decoration. The right spandrel is shown here. |
| Guldasta | The tall and narrow ornamental spire |
| Pishtaq | It is the rectangular area around the arch. It is formed as an inverted “U”. Here the pishtaq is filled with ornamental caligraphy. |
| Dado | Dado areas are at the bottom. They are frames with rectangle and often contains decorative floral motifs in them. |
Now, let’s take a look at the architectural elements of the inside of the Taj. which is shown below:
As you see above, the main structure of the Taj Mahal is square and is beveled at its corners making it an irregular rectangle. You see a large octagonal central hall surrounded by four smaller octagonal halls as well as four rectangular rooms. They are all shown above in pink.
It comprises 4 floors; the lower basement story containing the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, the entrance story containing identical cenotaphs of the tombs below in a much more elaborate chamber, an ambulatory story and a roof terrace. The entrance to the tomb leads you to the central hall, which houses the false tombs. Altogether 16 rooms — 8 on each level — surround the central chamber, These rooms also contain arches which help support the weight of the building.
The buildings of the Taj Mahal are constructed with walls of brick. In order to get the massive thickness, two brick walls are constructed in parallel and then concrete was poured in between to build the wall. The walls are faced with either marble locked together with iron dowels and clamps. Some of the walls of the mausoleum are several metres thick.
Each side of the Taj Mahal is 56.6 m (185.69 ft) long.
Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials during the construction. The bricks were fired locally and the sandstone was quarried 28 miles (45 km) away near Fatehpur Sikri. The white marble was brought 250 miles (400 km) from quarries belonging to Raja Jai Singh in Makrana, Rajasthan. The Jasper was sourced from the Punjab and the Jade and crystal from China. In all, 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.
Shown below are the major architectural elements of the facade – the Iwan, the Spandrel area, the pishtaq. These will be discussed in detail later.
The outer walls of the Taj Mahal are decorated in a number of places with shallow marble carving apart from the elegant pietra dura work, which can be seen near arched recesses and borders.
————————
Dome
a |
a |
a |
a |
(http://www.slideshare.net/mumal1992/tajmahal-27131343) The Taj Mahal in fact boasts a double-dome, a false ceiling inside a large outer-skin. This device gives the imposing volume to the outside of the dome, whilst retaining comfortable proportions in the inside – which would otherwise be cavernous. The huge bulbous dome of the Taj Mahal reaches a grand height of 144 feet [forty four meters] and is one of the major focal points of the building. Ornamenting the summit of the dome is an open lotus, this acts as a visual anchor to the bulk of the dome underneath. The lotus nests under a gilded finial. Surrounding the drum of the dome is a dazzling necklace of bejeweled inlay. This is a startling example of how the decoration and architecture are used to compliment each other. Situated on the flat roof of the building it dominates the yawning arches, or iwans of the four façades. The dome is placed on a truncated drum to retain volume, and is a regular feature of Mughal architecture and locates the exact centre of the building. The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is its most spectacular feature. Its height is about the same size as the base building, about 35 m. Its height is accentuated because it sits on a cylindrical “drum” about 7 metres high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called an onion dome .The dome is topped by a gilded finial, whose tip rises to a height of 240 Feet above the ground. The finial mixes traditional Islamic and Hindu decorative elements. The inner dome is an umbrella to the central octagonal room. Four rectangular rooms are situated to the sides and four octagonal rooms flank the four corners. The inner layer of the dome, like the exterior, is made of creamy white marble.
The dome shape is emphasized by four smaller chhatris placed at its corners. The chhatri domes replicate the onion shape of main dome. Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb, and provide light to the interior.
Structural details of Taj Mahal
- It stands on a platform 22′ high and square platform of (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon.
Each tower is 133 feet tall
Building is 186 feet high (to the top of the main dome) and 70 feet wide.
The central inner dome is 24.5 m (81 ft) high and 17.7 m (58 ft) in diameter, but is surmounted by an outer shell nearly 61 m (200).
The distribution of a dome’s weight, though, is similar to that of an arch. The
weight starts at the top of the dome, then moves downward and outward over the surface. The weight of the dome spreads over the dome itself into the building on which it rests, and from there, the iwans and arches in the structure transmit the weight down into the plinths and foundation.
The Taj – The Main Structure
Geometry plays an important role in the overall designs of Mughal architecture, and that is visible in the Taj. The ground plans of the main chamber at the center in octagonal. To maintain symmetry, the base of the four minarets use an octagonal template also.
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is usually designed to be taken apart quickly. It’s not supposed to be permanent. But when the Taj Mahal tomb building was finished, the construction supervisors told SJ that its brick scaffolding was so sturdy that it would take 5 years to take apart.
This was unacceptable to SJ. He thought about it and then announced that anyone who helped take down the scaffolding could keep the bricks, then an expensive building material. It is said that the scaffolding around TM disappeared overnight.
The area directly outside of the forecourt — highlighted in a yellow rectangle — is known today as Taj Ganj. It was once a large teeming bazaar with stalls containing gems and other luxuries.
It is rumored that it was here that the young Shah Jahan first met Mumtaz Mahal whilst admiring jewels on her stall, which is why this space is also referred to as Mumtazabad.
Architects
| The exquisite and highly skilled Inlay work was developed by Mughal lapidarists from techniques taught to them by Italian craftsmen employed at court. The look of European herbals, books illustrating botanical species was adapted and refined in Mughal Inlay work.
it is clear that a team of architects were responsible for the design and supervision of the works, but they are mentioned infrequently. A labour force of about twenty thousand workers was recruited from across the Northern India. Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, inlayers from southern India, stone cutters from Baluchistan, a specialist in building turrets, another who carved only marble flowers were part of the thirty-seven men who formed the creative unit. Some of the builders involved in construction of Taj Mahal under the master supervision of the Emperor Shah Jahan himself are: |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Besides the above, Muhammad Hanif, a supervisor of masons and Mir Abdul Karim with Mukkarimat Khan of Shiraz handled finances and management of daily production. |
Aurangjeb’s Letter
In the year 1652 AD, Aurangzeb assumed charge as the Governor of Deccan. On his way, he visited Agra and inspected the Taj Mahal. In his letter written from Dholpur6, he wrote about the badly needed repairs to the Taj Mahal. Excerpts from the translation of the letter provided by M. S. Vats are quoted below:
“The dome of the holy tomb leaked in two places towards the north during the rainy season and so also the fair semi-domed arches, many of the galleries on the second storey, the four smaller domes, the four northern compartments and seven arched underground chambers which have developed cracks. During the rains last year the terrace over the main dome also leaked in two or three places. It has been repaired, but it remains to be seen during the ensuing rainy season how far the operations prove successful. The domes of the Mosque and the Jama’at Khana leaked during the rains…
“The master builders are of the opinion that if the roof of the second storey is reopened and dismantled and treated afresh with concrete, over which half a yard of mortar grout is laid the semi-domed arches, the galleries and the smaller domes will probably become watertight, but they are unable to suggest any measures of repairs to the main dome…”
The firmans conclusively prove that Shah Jahan did acquire marble from the Makrana quarries.
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/question_of_the_taj_mahal.htm
————————————————————–
Picture 1
The Jawab at the Taj Mahal
To the of East the Taj Mahal mausoleum, on the left here, is the Guest House or Mehmankhana. This is also called the Response, or jawab.
Built as a reply opposite the Mosque, it creates architectural balance. This is the building to the east of the tomb, primarily built to architecturally balance out the mosque to the west.
—
—-
The guest house is constructed from red sandstone with the addition of marble facing which provides an alluring contrast of colors. As a twin to the mosque, the exterior has one large alcove (iwan), with two smaller siblings to either side. Classic stone inlay illuminates the arches, the main one in the middle and four smaller ones on its sides. Dados decorated with flowers in carved relief adorn the recesses. These are mirrored on a smaller scale by four chhatris on the roof of the guesthouse, which flank the three
central domes. Flower-topped pinnacles subtly enhance the illusion of height to balance the otherwise bulbous
domes. The tops of the domes boast the traditional lotus design and are surmounted by gilded finials.
—————————————
Taj from Agra Fort as seen by Shah Jahan
As it is seen today, the right side is blocked by bushes …
————–
Taj From Agra Fort
The wall surrounding The Taj
Yamna as seen from the Taj 
References
1. http://www.taj-mahal.net/augEng/textMM/inlayengN.htm Most important writeup on the details of marble work.
1. http://www.taj-mahal.net/index_next.htm Nice site with Panorama and architectural details
1. http://www.slideshare.net/mumal1992/tajmahal-27131343
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_and_architecture_of_the_Taj_Mahal#Moonlight_garden_.28Mahtab_Bagh.29
2. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/396119/Mughal-architecture
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_architecture
4. http://www.tracyanddale.50megs.com/India/Rajasthan/HTML/tajmahal.html
5. http://www.panoramas.dk/fullscreen/fullscreen23.html Nice View
6. http://www.tajmahal.travel/facts-about-taj-mahal.html
7. https://naturallyfundays.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/shah-jahan-a-love-story/
8. http://www.aboutcivil.org/structural-reinforcement-details-taj-mahal.html
9. http://www.taj-mahal.net/augEng/textMM/forecourtengN.htm
10. The Complete Taj Mahal: And the Riverfront Gardens of Agra, ISBN 978-0-500-34209-1
subratachak 
This is very detailed and extremely helpful. 👍🏻😀
LikeLike