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HomeUncategorizedUp Close And Personal: The Designs On The Taj Mahal

Up Close And Personal: The Designs On The Taj Mahal



OT Staff

There may not be enough adjectives and synonyms to describe the Taj Mahal in Agra: Ethereal, majestic, grand, imposing, statuesque, beautiful, stunning, and the list will remain endless. The lament of the grieving emperor, Shah Jahan, cast in perfect symmetry in white makrana marble from Rajasthan to forever announce his intense attachment to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The fifth Mughal emperor, son of king Jahangir, and father of the monarch Aurangzeb left no stone unturned in his pursuit to have the Taj Mahal built. It has been conceived as the earthly replica of Mumtaz Mahal’s abode in heaven.   

Begun in 1632 and completed by 1648, the Taj Mahal, under the direction of its chief architect Ustad Isha Khan, was inspired by Hindu colour codes for homes and buildings and Persian architecture. From Mughal ancestor Timur’s tomb in Samarkand to Humayun’s tomb, and Shah Jahan’s Jama Masjid, in New Delhi, architects brought references from across the Mughal empire. It took Shah Jahan six months to choose the site of the Taj. The labour force was twenty thousand strong, supplemented by a thousand elephants, with raw materials from Sikri, in Uttar Pradesh, Dholpur, Rajasthan, and Central Asia. Ornamented with 28 precious and semi-precious stones from India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Tibet, and Arabia, artisans chose every piece with the utmost deliberation. 

 A heady fusion of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architecture, the luminous white of the Taj Mahal, as is reported, was referred to by Mughal court poets as the true dawn, which makes the beholder forget about reaching for the highest paradise. The Taj is highly symbolic, and this is evident from the white marble and red sandstone. According to ancient Hindu texts on architecture, the priestly caste’s buildings should be white, and the warrior caste’s red. Shah Jahan employed both colours to form a connection to the two politically influential strata of society at the time. Also, the colour red had a Persian relationship, as all royal tents were always dyed scarlet.

The designs and patterns on the walls are exquisite, to say the least. That each panel has modern-day, laser-work-like perfection speaks for the quality of work the artisans dedicated to the mausoleum. The marble walls of the tomb have been covered with bas relief work on dado, and extensive calligraphic and floral inlay work, with black and yellow marble, and semi-precious stone, on the upper walls.   

Heartbroken Shah Jahan’s court historian, Muhammad Amin Qazwini’s documented words were truly predicting the future when he wrote about the funereal complex of the Taj Mahal, “It will be a masterpiece for ages to come, increasing the amazement of all humanity.”

An excellent example of a sepulchral edifice, the Taj Mahal is inspired by Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architecture.  

Pietra dura/Parchin Kari/inlay work was taught to Mughal artisans by Italian craftsmen at the court. Black and yellow marble and semi-precious stones have been used as inlays.

 Black inlays have been used on white stone, while red sandstone received white inlays.

Floral bas relief covers most of the lower walls of the Taj Mahal.

White marble dado with bas relief of flowers and vines have been polished to emphasize the detailing.

Herringbone pattern inlays in black marble mark the borders between various depictions.

The thuluth script, associated with Persian calligrapher Amanat Khan, formerly Abdul Haq of Shiraz, Iran, has been used to create horizontal and vertical sweeping strokes to form a grid.



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