Essence of Love- History
The magnificent marble tomb was built between 1631 and 1653 by Shah Jahan, the Emperor of Agra.The Taj Mahal was built in memory of his wife Mumtaz, who died in childbirth. The Taj depicts the eternal love of man for a woman. Inside are the tombs of the Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shahjahan created his vision of the world in the form of Taj, not as it is, rather it should be-peace, harmonious and pure.
Many architects from all over the world have adjudged it as the most perfect and beautiful of all buildings standing on earth.
The architecture of this tomb is completely Mohammedan. It is said that the Maharaja of Jaipur sent the marble as a gift to Shah Jahan. It took over 20,000 workmen and 22 years to build the Taj. Experts were brought from all over the world, including Italy and France.
Mumtaz Mahal
Shahjahan used to built extravagant palaces for her,like, the Khas Mahal in Agra fort. She daily rose in his confidence and used to give her the royal seal, Ruhr Uzah. She continually interceded on behalf of petitioners and gave allowances to widows and orphans. Like many royal ladies enjoyed the spectacle of men in combat with animals. Mumtaz Mahal died in childbirth in 1630. As she lay on her deathbed, she asked for three promises that she whispered in Shahjahan ears. One of the promise was to built the monument that would symbolize the beauty of their love. As a tribute to a beautiful woman and as a monument to enduring love, the Taj reveals its subtleties at leisure.
Architecture
The Taj is a glorious lesson in symmetry as it is symmetrical from all four sides. The Taj is made of white marble and many precious -semiprecious stones are embedded in the walls. This mughal style of architecture amalgamates elements of Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic architecture.
The most outstanding feature of the white marble tomb are black and white chessboard marble floor, the four tall minarets (each 39 m high) surrounding the Taj Mahal and the majestic dome.
On the entrance you have, the Quran verses that appears to be uniform, regardless of their height. The letter spacing has been reorganized to give such impression to the beholder. The impressive pietra dura artwork includes geometric elements, plants and flowers, mostly common in Islamic engravings.
The level of elegance in artwork becomes apparent when one realizes that a 3 cm ornamental element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.
The Main gateway has 22 domes on it, supposedly to represent the amount of years it took to build.The inlay work is so fine that no joints can be seen, even by looking through a magnifying glass.
