Construction of Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal- An Intro.

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife,
Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of
Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian,
Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal
became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the
jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired
masterpieces of the world's heritage."
 While the white domed marble mausoleum is its most familiar
component, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of
structures. Building began around 1632 and was completed
around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and
craftsmen wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
 The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of
architects under imperial supervision including Abd ul-Karim
Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and the Persian Ustad Ahmad
Lahauri, although Lahauri is generally considered to be the
principal designer.

 "the Taj"; means "crown of buildings“ (in Urdu) is

a mausoleum located in Agra, India.
 Origin

 In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire's period of

greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz
Mahal, died during the birth of their fourteenth child, Gauhara
Begum. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632, one year after
her death. The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the
love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. The
principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding
buildings and garden were finished five years later.
 Location
 India, Uttar Pradesh, Agra- Coordinates: 27° 10' 0 N 78° 2' 60 E
 Construction

 Time taken: 1632-1653 = The principal mausoleum was completed

in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five
years later.

 Cost involved: 32 million Rupees at that time which now runs into
trillions of Dollars if converted to present currency rates.
 Construction Materials
 Materials were from all over India and Asia

 Over 1,000 elephants as transportation mean

 The translucent white marble brought from Rajasthan

 The jasper from Punjab

 Jade and crystal from China

 The turquoise was from Tibet

 The Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan

 Tthe sapphire came from Sri Lanka

 The carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-
precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.
 Construction cont’-
Manpower
 20 000 workers were recruited across northern India

 Sculptors from Bukhara

 Calligraphers from Syria and Persia

 Inlayers from southern India

 Stonecutters 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.
Taj Mahal Floor Plan
Taj Mahal Projection
 Construction Process

 Acquisition of land: Shah Jahan presented Maharajah Jai Singh with a large
palace in the center of Agra in exchange for the land.

 The Taj Mahal was built on a parcel of land to the south of the walled city of
Agra.

 An area of roughly three acres was excavated, filled with dirt to reduce
seepage and leveled at 50 meters above riverbank.

 In the tomb area, wells were dug and filled with stone and rubble as the
footings of the tomb.
 Cont..

 Instead of lashed bamboo, workmen constructed a colossal brick scaffold that

mirrored the tomb. The scaffold was so enormous that foremen estimated it

would take years to dismantle.

 Shah Jahan decreed that anyone could keep the bricks taken from the

scaffold, and thus it was dismantled by peasants overnight.

 A fifteen kilometer tamped-earth ramp was built to transport marble and

materials to the construction site. Teams of twenty or thirty oxen were

strained to pull blocks on specially constructed wagons.

 Cont..

 An elaborate post-and-beam pulley system was used to

raise the blocks into desired position. Water was drawn
from the river by a series of purs, an animal-powered rope
and bucket mechanism, into a large storage tank and
raised to large distribution tank. It was passed into three
subsidiary tanks, from which it was piped to the complex.
 Cont..

 The plinth and tomb took roughly 12 years to complete. The

remaining parts of the complex took an additional 10 years and were
completed in order of minarets, mosque and jawab and gateway.
Since the complex was built in stages, discrepancies exist in
completion dates due to differing opinions on "completion". For
example, the mausoleum itself was essentially complete by 1643, but
work continued on the rest of the complex.
 Architecture

 The Tomb

 The central focus of the complex is the tomb. This large,

white marble structure stands on a square plinth and consists
of a symmetrical building with an Iwan (an arch-shaped
doorway) topped by a large dome and finial. Like most
Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin
 The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube
with chamfered corners, forming an unequal octagon that is
approximately 55 meters (180 ft) on each of the four long
sides. On each of these sides, a huge pishtaq, or vaulted
archway, frames the iwan with two similarly shaped, arched
balconies stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs
is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design
completely symmetrical on all sides of the building
 Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the
plinth facing the chamfered corners. The main chamber
houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah
Jahan; the actual graves are at a lower level.
 The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is the most spectacular
feature. Its height of around 35 meters (115 ft) is about the same as the
length of the base, and is accentuated as it sits on a cylindrical "drum"
which is roughly 7 meters (23 ft) high. Because of its shape, the dome is
often called an onion dome or amrud (guava dome). The top is decorated
with a lotus design, which also serves to accentuate its height. The shape
of the dome is emphasized by four smaller domed chattris (kiosks)
placed at its corners, which replicate the onion shape of the main dome.
 Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and
provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires
(guldastas) extend from edges of base walls, and provide
visual emphasis to the height of the dome. The lotus motif is
repeated on both the chattris and guldastas. The dome and
chattris are topped by a gilded finial, which mixes
traditional Persian and Hindustani decorative elements.
 The minarets, which are each more than 40 metres (130 ft) tall,
display the designer's penchant for symmetry. They were
designed as working minarets — a traditional element of
mosques, used by the muezzin to call the Islamic faithful to
prayer. Each minaret is effectively divided into three equal
parts by two working balconies that ring the tower.
 At the top of the tower is a final balcony surmounted by a
chattri that mirrors the design of those on the tomb. The
chattris all share the same decorative elements of a lotus
design topped by a gilded finial. The minarets were
constructed slightly outside of the plinth so that, in the event
of collapse, (a typical occurrence with many tall
constructions of the period) the material from the towers
would tend to fall away from the tomb.
 Exterior decoration

 The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the

finest in Mughal architecture. As the surface area changes the
decorations are refined proportionally. The decorative
elements were created by applying paint, stucco, stone inlays,
or carvings. In line with the Islamic prohibition against the
use of anthropomorphic forms, the decorative elements can
be grouped into either calligraphy, abstract forms or
vegetative motifs
Calligraphy on large pishtaq
 On the lower walls of the tomb there are white marble dados that
have been sculpted with realistic bas relief depictions of flowers
and vines. The marble has been polished to emphasize the
exquisite detailing of the carvings and the dado frames and
archway spandrels have been decorated with pietra dura inlays of
highly stylized, almost geometric vines, flowers and fruits. The
inlay stones are of yellow marble, jasper and jade, polished and
leveled to the surface of the walls.
 Spandrel

P
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Incised painting
 Interior decoration

 The interior chamber of the Taj Mahal steps far beyond

traditional decorative elements. Here, the inlay work is not
pietra dura, but a lapidary of precious and
semiprecious gemstones. The inner chamber is an octagon
with the design allowing for entry from each face, although
only the door facing the garden to the south is used.
 The interior walls are about 25 metres (82 ft) high and are topped by a
"false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq arches
define the space at ground level and, as with the exterior, each lower
pishtaq is crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall.

 The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas, and each
balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or jali cut from
marble. In addition to the light from the balcony screens, light enters
through roof openings covered by chattris at the corners
 . Each chamber wall has been highly decorated with dado bas-relief,
intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy panels, reflecting in
miniature detail the design elements seen throughout the exterior of
the complex.

 The octagonal marble screen or jali which borders the cenotaphs is

made from eight marble panels which have been carved through with
intricate pierce work. The remaining surfaces have been inlaid in
extremely delicate detail with semi-precious stones forming twining
vines, fruits and flowers.
 Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves. Hence,
the bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan were put in a relatively
plain crypt beneath the inner chamber with their faces turned
right and towards Mecca. Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph is placed
at the precise center of the inner chamber on a rectangular
marble base of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) by 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).
Jali screen surrounding the cenotaph

Tombs of Shah Jahan

and Mumtaz Mahal

Cenotaphs
 Outlying buildings

 The Taj Mahal complex is bounded on three sides by crenellated red sandstone

walls, with the river-facing side left open. Outside the walls are several
additional mausoleums, including those of Shah Jahan's other wives, and a
larger tomb for Mumtaz's favorite servant. These structures, composed
primarily of red sandstone, are typical of the smaller Mughal tombs of the era.

 The main gateway (darwaza) is a monumental structure built primarily of

marble which is reminiscent of Mughal architecture of earlier emperors. Its
archways mirror the shape of tomb's archways, and its pishtaq arches
incorporate the calligraphy that decorates the tomb.
 The Great gate (Darwaza-i
rauza)—gateway to the Taj
Mahal

Taj Mahal mosque or masjid

 Another Taj

Scientists believe that

another Taj was to be made
opposite the river with Black
Marble and it would have
been much more expensive
than the existing Taj.
Researches done concludes
that it would have been
constructed to bury Shah
Jahan himself.
 Conclusion

 The Taj Mahal is the epitome of Mughal art and one of the most
famous buildings in the world. Yet there have been few serious
studies of it and no full analysis of its architecture and
meaning.Ebba Koch is the only scholar who has been permitted
to take measurements of the complex. She has been working on
the palaces and gardens of Shah Jahan for thirty years and on the
Taj Mahal itself—the tomb of the emperor's wife, Mumtaz Mahal
—for a decade
 The tomb represents the house of the queen in Paradise

 The construction of Taj Mahal took love impossible to measure,

21 years of constant labor, hands of 20 000 men and women, 37
creative people, tones of Marble, elephants for transportation
and much more for its completion.