Taj Mahal (A True Story)

Taj Mahal ia a Persian/Urdu word meaning  "crown of buildings is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal , The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles .  The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.

 

HISTORY OF TAJ MAHAL

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 14th child, Gauhara Begum.  Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian architecture and earlier Mughal architecture.  While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, and buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.

 

ARCHITECTURE

The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. This large, white marble structure stands on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with iwan  (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.

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 domedchattris (kiosks) placed at its corners, which replicate the onion shape of the main dome. 

The main finial was originally made of gold but was replaced by a copy made of gilded bronze in the early 19th century. This feature provides a clear example of integration of traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements. The finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic motif whose horns point heavenward. Because of its placement on the main spire, the horns of the moon and the finial point combine to create a trident shape, reminiscent of traditional Hindu symbols of SHIVA.

EXTERIOR DECORATION

The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the finest in Mughal architecture . Throughout the complex, passages from the Qur'an are used as decorative elements. Recent scholarship suggests that the passages were chosen by Amanat Khan.  The calligraphy on the Great Gate reads "O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you."
 

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.

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 four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas, and each balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or jail 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 GARDEN

The complex is set around a large 300-metre (980 ft.) square charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the center of the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway with a reflecting pool on a north-south axis, reflects the image of the mausoleum. The raised marble water tank is called al Hawd al-Kawthar, in reference to the "Tank of Abundance" promised to Muhammad.

CONSTRUCTION

The Taj Mahal was built on a parcel of land to the south of the walled city of Agra. Shah Jahan presented Maharajah Jai Singh with a large palace in the center of Agra in exchange for the land. 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. The total cost has been estimated to be about 32 million Rupees at that time. The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia and over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials.

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RED FROT IN DELHI

The Red Fort  usually transcribed into  English as Lal Qil'ah and it  is a 17th century Fort  complex was not constructed by the Mughal  emperor Shah Jahan in the walled city of Old Delhi   It was built before the period of Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan renewed construction of this fort. That served as the residence of the Imperial Family of India.  It also served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian Government. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648 (10 years).  The Red Fort was originally referred to as "Qila-i-Mubarak" (the blessed fort), because it was the residence of the royal family. The layout of the Red Fort was organised to retain and integrate this site with the Salimgarh Fort. The fortress palace was an important focal point of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad.

 

This Fort has had many developments added on after its construction by Emperor Shahjahan. The significant phases of development were under Aurangzeb and later Mughal rulers. Important physical changes were carried out in the overall settings of the site after the Indian Mutiny in 1857. After Independence, the site experienced a few changes in terms of addition/alteration to the structures. During the British period the Fort was mainly used as a cantonment and even after Independence, a significant part of the Fort remained under the control of the Indian Army until the year 2003. The Red Fort is an attraction for tourists from around the world.

The fort lies along the Yamuna River which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an older fort; the Salimarg Fort a defence built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546.The construction of the Red Fort began in 1638 and was completed by 1648. On 11 March 1783, Sikhs briefly entered Red Fort in Delhi and occupied the Diwan-i-Am. The city was essentially surrendered by the Mughal wazir in cahoots with his Sikh Allies.

 

The last Mughal emperor to occupy the fort was Bahadur Shah II "Zafar". Despite being the seat of Mughal power and its defensive capabilities, the Red Fort was not defended during the 1857 uprising against the British. After the failure of the 1857 rebellion, Zafar left the fort on 17 September. He returned to Red Fort as a prisoner of the British. Zafar was tried on in a trial starting on 27 January 1858, and was exiled on 7 October.

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KHAJURAHO GROUP OF MONUMENTS IN INDIA

Khajuraho a group of monuments in Khajuraho , a small town in the state of Madhya Pradesh India. It is among one of the most Popular Tourist Places in India. Khajuraho has the largest Group of medieval Hindu and Jain Temples famous for their erotic sculpture .  The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is considered to be one of the "seven wonders" of India.

HISTORY OF KHAJURAHO

Some Bargujar Rajputs moved eastward to central India; they ruled over the Northeastern region of Rajasthan, called Dhundhar,  Later on they called themselves Bundelas andChandelas. The city was the cultural capital of Chandela Rajputs, a Hindu dynasty that ruled this part of India from the 10-12th centuries. The political capital of the Chandelas was Kalinjar. The Khajuraho temples were built over a span of 200 years, from 950 to 1150.  Khajuraho has no forts because the Chandel Kings never lived in their cultural capital. The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 25 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 20 square kilometers (8 sq. mi). Today, the temples serve as fine examples of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their explicit depiction of sexual life during medieval times. Locals living in the Khajuraho village always knew about and kept up the temples as best as they could. They were pointed out to an Englishman in late 19th century but the jungles had taken a toll on all the monuments.

ARCHITECTURE

The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern. The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone. The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon  joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons.

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NEW INDIAN TOURISTS VISA RULES BY INDIAN GOVERNMENT

Finally, the Indian government has released official clarification about new rule for Indian tourist visas, which requires a two month gap between visits to India.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has confirmed that the new rule will apply to ALL categories of tourist visas along with five and 10 year tourist visas. However, tourists who have documentation to prove that they're using India as a base to visit neighboring countries as part of their holiday, can enter India up to three times without being subjected to the two month gap in between.

These  new regulations also require frequent applications for tourist visas, within one month of visa expiry, to be referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs for clearance.

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