Taj Mahal (Agra)
Accommodation
- Clarks Shiraz Hotel.
- Taj View Hotel
- Mughal Sheraton
- Agra Ashok Hotel
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How to get there
Rail: Agra is on the main Delhi to Bombay broad-gauge railway line, so there
are a number of trains coming through.It is only one and a half hours by express
train from New Delhi.
Road: Idgah bus
terminal is the leaving point for most of the buses.
Location
On the bank of River Yamuna Stands this white virgin figure of Taj mahal.
The meaning of
Taj Mahal is "Crown Palace" it signifies the love between Shahjahan and Mumtaz
Mahal in fact it is the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the
world. It comes in one of the seven wonders of the world.It was built by the Shah Jahan
the fifth Moghal Emperor, in 1631 in memory of his second wife, a Persian princess,
Mumtaz Mahal, She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to
crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child. The impact of her death on the
Emperor was so drastic that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a
few months.
Mumtaz Mahal had asked for four promises from Shahjahan when she
was still alive, first one was, that he build the Taj; second, that he should marry
again; third, that he be a good father to her children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb
on her death anniversary. Construction started in 1631 and was completed in 22
years. Twenty thousand people were employed to work on it. It was designed by the Iranian
architect Istad Usa and it is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments
are linked to the passion that inspired it. It is a "symbol of eternal love".
The Taj Mahal is constructed more than 900 ft. (275 m.) away from
the entrance at the opposite side of the garden. The path is divided by a long watercourse
in which the beautiful reflection of Taj can be seen.
The dome is made of white marble,
The marble mausoleum is square in plan with chamfered corners. Each facade of the tomb is
composed of a grand iwan framed by bands of calligraphy. The doorways inside these iwans
are also adorned with calligraphy. The iwan is flanked on both sides by small double
arches one over the other. They are rectangular while the arched alcoves of equal size at
the angles of the tomb are semi-octagonal. Each section in the facade is well demarked on
both sides by attached pilasters which rising from the plinth level of the tomb rise above
the frieze and are crowned by beautiful pinnacles with lotus buds and finials. The
pinnacles ornament the superstructure and help along with the other features to break the
skyline gracefully.
In the spring the flowerbeds of the paths are a profusion of
colour. To the west is a small museum housing original architectural drawings of the Taj,
arms, miniatures and some examples of celadon plates said to split into pieces or change
color if the food served on them contained poison. |
