Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
hello I am Lonell Fletcher I will be your guide today please enjoy and join me as
we learn the true story of the Taj Mahal
the Taj Mahal a symbol of grandeur and opulence the likes of which the world
has never known its beauty is unparalleled its scope unfathomable but
what is the story behind this iconic creation why was it built why is it so
heralded and beloved it all began as a love story this epic tale begins in 1607
Lahore in what is modern-day Pakistan it was here that Shah Jahan the soon-to-be
fifth Mughal Emperor became engaged to Mumtaz Mahal the love of his life they
would have to wait five years to marry however based on a date assigned by the
court astrologer as the most conducive to ensuring the happiest of marriages in
the meantime Shah Jahan embarked on two marriages the first of which was to
Princess Kandahari Begum with whom he had his first child this was a political
marriage officially ushering Jahan into manhood and giving him an official
military rank important steps to establishing his own claim to the throne
finally in 1612 Shah Jahan aged 20 married Mumtaz Mahal on the auspicious
date chosen by court astrologers the marriage was a happy one and Jahan
remained devoted to Mumtaz she bore him 14 children out of whom seven survived
into adulthood on July 7th 1631 Mumtaz Mahal died while giving birth to the
couple's 14th child the impact of her death was so profound
that Shah was inspired to construct a majestic temple to house and honor his
beloved thus the Taj Mahal named for Mumtaz Mahal was commissioned in 1658
Shah Jahan fell ill leading to a war of succession among his four sons were his
third son Aurangzeb triumphed in short order Shah Jahan was declared
incompetent removed from the throne and put under house arrest then in a final
heart break Shah Jahan was kept from visiting his beloved Taj Mahal for the
remainder of his life Shah Jahan's beloved daughter princess Jahanara
stayed with him throughout his exile and upon his death in 1666 sent his body of
the river toward the Taj Mahal today it is interred next to the body of
his beloved Mumtaz Mahal construction on the Taj Mahal began in 1632
and completed in its entirety in 1653 employing some 20,000 laborers under the
guidance of the court architect to the Emperor Ustad
Ahmed Lahauri the building was constructed using white marble inlaid
with semi-precious stones instead of the then traditional red sandstone ushering
in a new level of refinement in Mughal architecture arguably the Taj Mahal is
most spectacular feature is the marble dome that surmounts the tomb it is nearly
115 feet tall and is decorated with a lotus design to accentuate its height
the shape of the dome is emphasised by for smaller domed kiosks placed at its
corners which replicate the onion shape of the main dome the dome and kiosks are
topped by a gilded finial which mixes traditional Persian and Hindustani
decorative elements the exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among
the finest in Mughal architecture the decorative elements are created by
applying paint stucco stone inlays or carvings
throughout the complex our passages from the Koran that comprise some of the
decorative elements the opulence of the Taj Mahal's interior is unrivaled with
inlay work that uses a lapidary of precious and semi-precious gemstones
together they form several designs of twining vines fruits and flowers the
interior walls are over 80 feet tall and are topped with a replicate or false
version of the outer dome decorated with a Sun motif the four upper arches form
balconies or viewing areas and each balconies exterior window has an
intricate screen or jali cut from marble each chamber wall is highly
decorated with dado bas-relief intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy
panels which reflect in miniature detail the design elements seen throughout the
exterior of the complex calligraphy is heavily incorporated throughout the Taj
Mahal's design it is used in several forms such as passages from the Quran in
several spiritual motifs as well as marking areas such as the tombs of Shah
Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal most don't realize that there are in fact two tomb
sites one is the ornately decorated facade displayed for public viewing at
the center of the Taj Mahal the other is the actual tomb where both Mumtaz and
Shah Jahan are laid to rest this tomb is located at the lower level of the
building is deliberately undecorated to adhere to Muslim tradition and not open
to the public the gardens of the Taj Mahal are lavish and symbolic they are
meant to represent paradise an idea brought by the Mughals from Persia after
the British to control of India the gardens were altered to fit subtler
British tastes while the elaborate decoration of the Taj Mahal is its
most obvious attraction its construction was less aesthetic and more strategic
before famous minarets that surround the complex were deliberately tilted as to
fall away from the tombs in the event of a collapse preventing the grave from
occurring any damage in 1942 the government erected a scaffolding to
disguise the building in anticipation of air attacks by the Japanese air force
during the india-pakistan Wars of 1965 in 1971
scaffolding were again erected to mislead bomber pilots in recent years
there have been calls for the structure to be classified as a Hindu temple this
stems from accusations that the site of the mausoleum was originally an ancient
shrine to the Hindu god Shiva in 2015 a petition was started calling for
ownership to be transferred to Hindus for worship and for all Muslim religious
activity to be blocked in graves to be removed this petition has led to several
court cases that are still pending an epic love centuries of war familial
conflict cultural changes controversies and threats to its existence in the face
of hundreds of years of change the Taj Mahal continues to endure as a symbol of
opulence vision and cultural might that have solidified its legacy as one of the great wonders of the world
reflecting on the 2015 petition calling for the end of all Muslim religious
activity and removal of all Muslim graves from the Taj Mahal I couldn't
help but think what if someone tried to change my identity to try and erase and
make me over into an image they would find acceptable would I put up a fight
and resist it would I just give in and fade away I imagine this question to be
on the minds of all who love the Taj Mahal how important is my identity to me