The History & Visual Experience of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The history behind it

Perhaps the most famous of all Indian Islamic structures, the Taj Mahal, is sited on the bank of the Jamuna River at Agra, in northern India.  Built between 1631 and 1648, it was commissioned as a mausoleum for his wife by the emperor Shah Jahan, who is believed to have taken a major part in overseeing its design and construction.  This magnificent structure could be certainly considered a jewel of Muslim art throughout India which is highly admired worldwide as such a masterpiece.  The book of Qur' an only furthers this point by stating that the reflections in the pools in front of the structure are intended to evoke feelings of paradise to the onlookers.  

Of all the buildings in the world, the Taj Mahal has been known as one of the most famous in past and present history. As it was mentioned in the earlier portions of this report, the tomb was constructed by Shah Jahan, the emperor Mughal, to honor the passing of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.  It was a sacred burial place for Shah’s empress.  It is thought that the name of the tomb was an abbreviation of Shah’s wife Mumtaz.  Seen from the shimmering white marble façade of the Taj Mahal, it would certainly make sense that during the reign of Shah, he was quite passionate on infusing Indian construction with the use of white buildings.  It was believed that Shah would have built a second one, which would have been constructed from black marble to contrast the white one across the river.  This strong and evident contrast, however would work together as one unit and express his truly and abundant love for his empress Mumtaz.  However, after being dethroned form his son, Aurangzeb, Shah died eight years later in captivity in 1666.  Therefore, the vision of a second and mirrored image of the Taj was unable to be completed.  Shah was buried by his son and placed next to his empress in the tomb.  Regardless of how the reign of Shah had ended in such a dramatic fashion, the Taj Mahal, in its historical context, as noted by contemporary sources, was definitely the Mughal's greatest contribution to worldwide architecture.  

Never fails to visually impress the viewer

Visually the Taj Mahal never fails to impress.  This is quite evident solely by the sheer size of the property which measures 1,000 feet x 1,900 feet.  The Taj Mahal's entrance gate certainly mimics the actual design and architectural elements of the main building on the complex.  As seen in this photograph, the minarets are also included in the entrance gate as well as the major central focus shapes which the Shah used to tie the entire complex together as a cohesive whole.

 Also, the Taj Mahal is situated on intricate, symmetrical gardens which all were the "environment" and space which the visitors explore first before they are actually able to enter into the actual structure and view the mausoleum from both the inside and outside.  The gardens directly across the river from the Taj Mahal was the plot which the Shah planned to use as his area to construct the secondary mausoleum.  He planned on constructing using black marble to create this strong contrast to the shimmering white shine.  

The façade is the “cover of its book.”  The façade of the Taj Mahal is intricately decorated with calligraphic inscriptions done by one of India’s most prominent calligraphy artists of all time, Amanat Khan.  By creating these delicate inscriptions from semiprecious stones such as carnelian, agate, coral, turquoise, garnet, lapis, and jasper, the beauty of the façade increases and allows the viewer to delve into the small, yet important details that accentuate the color of the stones against the illuminating white marble.  Alluding to this idea of an illuminating façade, the Taj Mahal was originally called the Illuminating Tomb due to its luminescent nature.  It was not until the nineteenth century that building took its most known name as the Taj Mahal.

Furthermore, this structure has a unique construction plan known as hash behisht, which means eight paradises.  This plan is named for the eight small chambers that create a ring around the interior of the structure, one at each corner, and one behind each vaulted opening with an arched portal leading to various other spaces throughout.  The structure, which is made of two stories, stretches its external beauty to the heavens, reinforcing this idea of “paradise.” 

The quote "Don't judge a book by its cover" certainly plays into this visual context of the Taj Mahal.  Although the exterior facade is quite plain with much of it drenched in colorless white marble, the interior spaces quickly explode with color.  However, the delicate patterns which are visible on the exterior continue into the interior spaces and voids of this majestic piece of art.  

Although I was never quite interested in the architecture or artwork of south and southeast Asia until I came across and learned about the Taj Mahal.  Visually and historically interesting, every aspect about this structure intrigues me.  The combination of delicate and sharp lines throughout the building adds an interesting element of design and structure to it.   I enjoy artwork that hides visual surprises within the entire whole such as the delicate floral designs and inscriptions which the artists and builders placed all around the structure.   

It was quoted by Shah Jahan’s historian, Muhammad Amin Qazwini, in the 1630’s speaking of the Taj saying, “And a dome of high foundation and a building of great magnificence was founded – a similar and equal to it the eye of the Age has not seen under these nine vaults of the enamel –blue sky, and of anything resembling it the ear of Time has not heard in any of the past ages…it will be the masterpiece of the days to come, and that which adds to the astonishment of humanity at large.” 

This quote certainly sums up the Taj Mahal as a milestone in Southern and Southeastern Indian art.  Also, just as many magnificent and empowering sculptures are throughout the art world in various nationalities and cultures, the Taj Mahal flexed the muscle of Shah Jahan that expressed the glory and power of the emperor.  The Taj Mahal now is a major tourist attraction in India attracted from two to four million visitors yearly, about two – hundred thousand of the people traveling from overseas. 

How the art has influenced art of my own

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Work Cited

Akbar, Ahmed. "The Taj Mahal." Academic Search Complete. n. page. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.

Koch, Ebba. Muqarnas. BRILL, 2006. Web.

Stokstad, Mary. Art Hisotry. 4th. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.