About Taj Mahal
Taj
Mahal the most beautiful building in the world. In 1631 the emperor
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz,.The white
marble mausoleum at Agra has become the monument of a man's love for
a woman. Shah Jahan came to power in 1622 when he seized the throne
from his father, while murdering his brothers to ensure his claim to
rule. He was known as an extravagant and cruel leader. But he redeemed
himself by his generosity to his friends and the poor, by his passion
in adorning India with some of its most beautiful architecture, and
by his devotion to his wife Mumtaz Mahal - "Ornament of the Palace."
He had married her when he was 21, when he already had two children
by an earlier consort. Mumtaz gave her husband 14 children in eighteen
years, and died at the age of 39 during the birth of the final child.
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a monument to her memory and her fertility,
but then relapsed into a life of scandalous behavior. This tomb was
only one of hundreds of beautiful buildings that Shah Jahan erected,
mostly at Agra and in the new Dehli that came into being under his planning.
Many architects have rated it as the most perfect of all buildings standing on earth. Three artists designed it: a Persian, an Italian, and a Frenchman. But the design is completely Mohammedan. Even the skilled artisans who built it were brought in from Baghdad,Constantinople, and other centers of the Muslim faith. For 22 years more than 20,000 workmen were forced to build the Taj. The Maharaja of Jaipur sent the marble as a gift to Shah Jahan. The building and its surroundings cost more than $200,000,000 in todays currency. Passing through a high wall, one comes suddently upon the Taj - raised upon a marble platform, and framed on either side by handsome mosques and stately minarets. In the foreground spacious gardens enclose a pool in whose waters the inverted palace becomes a quivering dream. Every portion of the structure is of white marble, precious metals, or costly stones. The building is a complex figure of twelve sides, four of which are portals. A slender minaret rises at each corner, and the roof is a massive spired dome. The main entrance, once guarded with solid silver gates, is a maze of marble embroidery; inlaid in the wall in jeweled script are qotations from the Koran, one of which invites the "pure in heart" to enter "the gardens of Paradise."
Shah Jahan had begun his reign by killing his brothers; but he had neglected to kill his sons, one of whom was destined to overthrow him. In 1657 his son Aurangzeb led an insurrection from the Deccan. Aurangzeb defeated all the forces sent against him, captured his father, and imprisoned him in the Fort of Agra. For 9 bitter years the deposed emperor lingered there, never visited by his son, attended only by his faithful daughter Jahanara, and spending his days looking from the Jasmine Tower of his prison across the Jumna to where his once-beloved Mumtaz lay in her jeweled tomb.
From
afar the Taj Mahal, with its delicate details, is not imposing. Only
a nearer view reveals that its perfection has no proportion to its size.
When in our hurried times, we see enormous structures of a hundred stories
raised in a year, and then consider how 20,000 men worked for 22 years
on this little tomb, hardly a hundred feet high, we begin to sense the
difference between industry and art. And perhaps more importantly, we
sense the ultimate lesson it offers: beauty and that which lasts, is
based on love. Location of the Taj Mahal
The Location of the grand Taj Mahal was carefully chosen by Emperor Shah Jahan, as the site was clearly visible from the Agra Fort. Located on the banks of the River Yamuna the Taj Mahal in Agra, India gives the impression of a humongous lone white cloud rising from the ground in unparalleled grandeur and enigmatic charm, full of unspoken promises of love and bonding.The location of the Taj Mahal was chosen to complement its beauty and to create a mausoleum complex that would be according to Shah Jahan's conception something similar to Allah's paradise. The location of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India is such that you can marvel at the reflection of this monument on the silver waters of the River Yamuna.The artistically designed Char Bagh and the pretty lotus pond that greet you as you enter the Taj Mahal complex in Agra, India are sure to steal your heart, in fact the complete panorama is breathtaking.
Char Bagh Gardens Taj Mahal
Explore the fascinating Char Bagh Gardens that ornament the front yard of the pristine Taj Mahal in Agra, India with About Taj Mahal.The Char Bagh Gardens at the Taj Mahal complex in Agra, India have been constructed in a manner that they add a feminine grace to a dream mausoleum that was constructed as a celebration of love and as a tribute to unmatched beauty.
The concept of the ethereal Char Bagh Gardens have their root in the religious beliefs expressed in the holy Koran, that mentions that there are four rivers in Allah's garden of paradise one of milk, one of wine, one of water and the fourth one is a river of honey. And since Shah Jahan wanted to create a dream in white marble that would be quite like the Lord's paradisiacal garden, as evident from the inscriptions on the main gateway, the Char Bagh was of course an integral part of the architectural design.Almost 300 meters of the entire area of the Taj Mahal complex in Agra, India is covered with the symmetrical Char Bagh Gardens that have been so constructed that at the one end of a ornamented water channels lies the Taj Mahal, at another end lies the Mosque, the guest house or the Naqqar Khana lies at one end and at the fourth end lies the massive sandstone darwaza or the main entrance to the Taj Mahal.
About Agra
Location: 220 kms From Delhi, 250 kms From Jaipur
Architectural Style: Mughal Architecture
Built In: 1551 - 1585
Built By: Mughal Emperor Akbar
Agra has found its mention in the famous Hindu epic Mahabharat as the forest of Agraban close to Mathura. Badal Singh founded the city in 1475. Sikandar Lodhi made Agra his capital city. Later, Babur defeated the Lodhis to capture the city situated on the banks of River Yamuna and thus, the long association of Mughals with Agra started. The Mughal love of architecture translated into beautiful monuments such as Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra. The glory of Agra was at its peak during the reign of Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan. Akbar made it the center of art, culture, commerce and learning and Shah Jahan saw it in full bloom. In fact, it is said that it was Akbar who laid the foundation of the modern city that we see now in 1558 and was known as Akbarabad. Most of the buildings belong to the period between mid-16th century and 17th century and were of high quality. These monuments were built in the contemporary Mughal style. Mughlai cuisine and the skilled craftsmen can still be seen in the narrow lanes of the city as a reminiscent of the lost times.Visit to India cannot complete without paying a visit to this erstwhile Mughgal city of Agra, the home of Taj Mahal, world's most beloved monument. With its laid -back lifestyle and its immense wealth of architecture, handicrafts and jewellery, Agra is amongst the most remarkable city of the world.
Places to Visit in Agra:
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal in Agra is one of the mainly well-known building in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's loving wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New 7 wonder of the globe, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra . The fragile Makrana marble of this globe famous tomb takes on diverse hues from sunrise to sunset. It is chilly and dreamy at down, sun kissed and polished by the morning, golden and temperate by the day, dazzling and squashy by sunset, remote and ghostly by the moon light
Agra Fort
Massive fort is 2.5 kms long and is considered as the predecessor of the Delhi Red fort.The colossal walls are 20 feet high and the whole fort is encircled by a fetid moat. Amar Singh gate towards the south is the only entry point in the fort. The building and structures inside the fort gives an impression of a city within the city. Many of the building inside the fort is now closed for the public. The marble pearl mosque inside the fort is one of the most stunningly beautiful mosques in India.
Ram Bagh
The first Mughal gardens laid by Babur in 1558, half a km from Chini Ka Rauza, were planned carefully in Persian style. They were then named as Bagh-i-Gul Afshan. Later, Jehangir renovated them and named them as Bagh-i-Nur Afshan. Babur introduced three-terraced garden here for the first time. The river-drawn water was made to look like a spring, as it artificially descended from one terrace to another through a network of canals, tanks and water chutes that had stairs on both sides ended in a red sandstone pond. The gardens were beautified using 'Chhatris', platforms, pathways and a conglomeration of plants that were cultivated in a landscaped manner. Jehangir had also built two beautiful suites on the two sides of the main terrace and a Mahtab or island platform in the centre, which was connected with the main water system. Ram Bagh symbolizes the erstwhile Mughal pleasure garden that hasn't aged gracefully unlike other legacies of that time.
Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah
Nur Jehan, the wife and queen of Mughal Emperor Jehangir built this tomb for her father Mirza Shiyath Beg between 1622-25.Mirza was appointed Prime Minister of the Empire and received the title of 'Itimad-ud-Daulah' or 'Treasurer of the Empire'. The tomb is situated on the left bank of river Yamuna and is only overshadowed by Taj in beauty. This beautiful mausolem was the first one to be built on a riverbank, which was normally used only to build pleasure gardens till then. The marble mausoleum is designed like a silver jewel box with stunning and delicate inlay work. Facing river Yamuna, this quadrangular tomb stretches across 550 sq. feet with four gateways facing the four main directions.
Dayal Bagh Temple
Swami Bagh Temple at Dayal Bagh is 10 km to the north of Agra. Started in 1904, it is still under construction even after 100 years! The white marble Samadhi of the Radha Swami, the founder of a unique religion that seeks to being all religions under one umbrella and preaches unity of mankind, the construction of this temple is not expected to be completed until sometime next century. If you want to witness the Pietra Dura inlaid marble work, you must visit the temple and walk to its sides to see the artisans at work. The aim of this structure is to build a temple for Hindus, a church for Christians, a gurudwara for Sikhs and a mosque for Muslims, each on a separate floor, in the same building, to symbolize brotherhood and unity in mankind. The artistic work here is wonderful and has an outstanding visual appeal.
Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri, whose significance was short lived, is "an epic poem in sandstone" equivalent to Agra in its importance, as it is to this city that Akbar stayed for 14 years, transferred his entire court and capital. When he deserted it and returned to Agra , silence established over the city and the noise of elephant calls and the boom of drums were heard no more, but Akbar left at the back for posterity a wealthy inheritance in the buildings built by him.