Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife,Mumtaz Mahal., Strangely the scaffolding of this magnificent building was made, not of wood or bamboo, but with bricks. Probably due to the lack of wood made the architects to make brick scaffolding.
The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia and over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials.
 |
| Taj Mahal top/aerial view |
The site was excavated, filled with dirt to reduce seepage, and levelled at 50 metres (160 ft) above riverbank. In the tomb area, wells were dug and filled with stone and rubble to form the footings of the tomb.The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from Tibet and theLapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.
Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles. Though Shahjahan provided the vision behind the entire concept, Wen he was grief-stricken after his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal's death, during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. he was assisted in his endeavor by a number of architects including Muhammad Isa Khan, who hailed from Shiraz in Iran. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.
 |
| Taj Mahal elevation |
The Taj Mahal is built according to a predefined plan. It is built according to the Islamic concept of Paradise, where an enormous, shimmering pearl white dome stands supported by four corner pillars, from which flow the rivers of grace. Structural details 1. On a platform 22' high and 313' square. Each tower is 133 feet tall
2. Building is 186 feet high and 70 wide.
3. Corner minarets are 137' tall.
4. Main structure 186' on a side,
5. dome to 187'.
The mausoleum is 57 m (190 ft) square in plan.
6. "The central inner dome is 24.5 m (81 ft) high and 17.7 m (58 ft) in diameter, but is surmounted by an outer shell nearly 61 m (200).
7. The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon.
8. Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers.
9. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each.
10. The entire mausoleum (inside as well as outside) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper.
11. The main archways, chiseled with passages from the Holy Qur’an and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern, give a captivating charm to its beauty. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.
Building elements
1. Finial-decorative crowning element of the Taj Mahal domes
2. Lotus decoration-depiction of lotus flower sculpted on tops of domes
3. Onion Dome-massive outer dome of the tomb (also called an amrud or apple dome)
4. Drum-cylindrical base of the onion dome, raising it from the main building
5. Guldasta-decorative spire attached to the edge of supporting walls
6. Chattri-a domed and columned kiosk
7. Spandrel-upper panels of an archway
8. Calligrpahy-stylised writing of verses from the Qu'ran framing main arches
9. Arch-also called pishtaq (Persian word for portal projecting from the facade of a building) and
10. Dado-decorative sculpted panels lining lower walls
 |
| site plan of TajMahal |
|
| The massive plinth on which the Taj Mahal stands is representative of the material world, while the octagonal main structure signifies the transitional phase. Finally the dome is symbolic of being the vault of the heaven. To complete the illusion of the paradise, the tomb has been ornamented with splendidly calligraphy of verses from the holy Koran, in flowing Arabic. |
The Taj is marked by perfect symmetry and harmony, be it the shape of the four towering minarets; the cupolas (chhatris); the central arch in the façade; the perfectly arranged arched recesses on both the story. s; the intricate pietra dura (stone inlay work); the delicate lattice work on marble windows or the magnificent dome. Even the mosque and the guesthouse (mehmankhana) are a mirror image of one another.
However, there is one thing, which breaks the perfectly harmonious plan of the Taj Mahal - its position. Instead of locating the Taj Mahal in the middle of the Charbagh (four garden plan), Shahjahan built the mausoleum at the far end of the garden, with the back wall falling straight down to the bed of Yamuna River.
Architecturally, Taj was the greatest peace of architecture that Mughals produced, but it is a natural growth from the tomb of Humayun and to a lesser extent from certain other, prominent is the Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah in Agra itself. But it is far superior to any of them in the dignity of its grouping and disposition, in the masterly contrast between the central dome and the slender minarets, in the chaste refinement and painstaking craftsmanship of its details, and above all in the splendor of its materials. The design of Taj is more Persian 
