HERITAGE BYTES: VIEWING THE TAJ: Some Uncommon Frames (Part 1)

THE Taj Mahal not only forms one of the most iconic representations of India but is also considered the greatest architectural achievement in the world of Indo-Islamic architecture. The monument, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his favourite wife, Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal. On her death, she was buried in the garden of Zainabad at Burhanpur and then shifted, in December 1631, to Akbarabad (now Agra). She was finally enshrined in a crypt in the mausoleum that Shah   Jahan built in her honour-the Taj Mahal. 

The tomb (rauza) was built on the right bank of the Yamuna at a point where the river takes a sharp turn and flows eastwards. The land for the mausoleum was acquired from Raja Jai Singh (grandson of Raja Man Singh), who donated his grandfather’s haveli for the purpose. He was given four havelis in Akbarabad in exchange. The foundation of the Taj Mahal was laid in January 1632. While the tomb complex and its garden were completed around 1647-48, the Darwaza-i-Rauza (the Great Gate or the main entrance) was completed around 1653-54. 

The monument is, among other things, known for its--beauty and grace; symmetry and uniformity of shapes; surface brilliance; selective use of naturalism; hierarchical grading of materials, forms and colours; symbolism; and attention  to detail. Most accounts of the Taj emphasize its symmetry. It is true that the monument was built on the principle of strict bilateral symmetry with emphasis on the features of the central axis—the tomb and its four minarets flanked by a mosque to the west and an assembly hall (Mihman Khana) to the east. Radial symmetry is also observed in the nine-fold plan of the tomb and the gate.

There are also several non-common frames for looking at the Taj Mahal, all of which enhance our understanding of this unique architectural marvel. For instance, few know that the monument was originally conceived as, in the words of Shah Jahan’s historian Qazwini, “a masterpiece for ages to come”. As the scholar Ebba Koch says, it was built with posterity in mind and viewers were a part of its concept. Such was the consciousness; such was the confidence. What also remains unnoticed is that the monument not only formed a heavenly tribute to Mumtaz Mahal, it reflected the power and glory of the Mughals, in particular Shah Jahan. Likewise, there are other frames as well. This multi-part article looks at several related ways of looking at the monument such as the evolution of tomb construction in India; interactions between red sandstone and white marble; the notion of a garden paradise; surface ornamentation, pietra dura and stone inlay; and finally, myths surrounding the monument. The first article in the series look at Taj as the highpoint of tomb architecture in medieval India.

Tomb Construction in India 

The systematic beginnings tomb construction began during the Delhi Sultanate days and the tomb of Iltutmish in the Qutb complex in Delhi formed one of the first royal tombs. It followed a very simple plan--simple square plan with a domed roof. Taj Mahal marked an improvisation over several features of tomb architecture developed over a period of time, including the octagonal structure (seen in the tomb of Khan-i-Jahan Tilangani near Nizamuddin Auliya’s tomb in Delhi and later in the imperial tombs of the Sayyids and the Lodis-- as seen in the Lodi Gardens and Humayun’s tomb complex); the double dome (seen in Sikandar Lodi’s tomb in New Delhi, though the true double dome appears first in Humayun’s tomb); drum /raised platform to raise tomb elevation (see Adham Khan’s octagonal tomb in front of Mehrauli Bus Stand near the Qutb complex); positioning of the tomb at the centre of a char bagh, or four-fold garden (introduced by Babur and seen in imperial Mughal tombs, we saw this in Humayun’s tomb as well); use of minarets (see Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra, Jahangir’s tomb in Lahore and Itmad-ud-Daulah’s tomb in Agra); hasht bihisht symbolizing the eight doors of Paradise (we discussed this during our Heritage Walk at the Humayun’s tomb complex); construction of a complete marble tomb and pietra dura (first seen in Itmad-ud-Daulah’s tomb at Agra); and the idea of a forecourt, Jilau Khana square with streets, bazaars and residential buildings (first seen in Jahangir’s tomb in Lahore). These architectural components are seen in their most classical and developed form at the Taj.

- Dr. Shashank Shekhar Sinha

Saaraansh

A Decade!

'Chapter 1.

He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else. He thrived on the hustle bustle of the crowds and the traffic. To him, New York meant beautiful women and street-smart guys who seemed to know all the angles...'

Ah, corny, too corny for my taste. Can we ... can we try and make it more profound?

'Chapter 1.

He adored New York City. For him, it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. The same lack of individual integrity that caused so many people to take the easy way out was rapidly turning the town of his dreams in...'

No, that's going to be too preachy. I mean, you know, let's face it, I want to sell some books here.

'Chapter 1.

He adored New York City, although to him it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. How hard it was to exist in a society desensitized by drugs, loud music, television, crime, garbage...'

Too angry, I don't want to be angry.

'Chapter 1.

He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved.'

I love this.

'New York was his town, and it always would be.'

....

The first scene of Manhattan. The voiceover swims with music, Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' — soon a story will unfold and it echoes my thought today.

Love is an odd thing. A restless dream. Maybe that is why every morning an impish day waits to watch anew. Your time in a place deepens that spirit, that dream to build, make, change, question, grow. To bring out the best from within, to imbibe the best from others. To share, to create, own and together.

Excellence is virtue: I think about this often. I look at the desktop screensaver (it is from Kiarostami’s Close-Up, a film director and his earnest imposter riding a motorbike in surreal motion) to rest my eyes between heaps of work, to remind of possible zeniths. A tribute to what the human spirit is capable of, when it makes great books, art, poems, pictures, comics, songs, sparks of thought, ideology, ruptures, scientific imagination, emboldened by technology and the incredible physical endurance of the body. The hunger for knowledge, action, expression, well-being, art, freedom, love.

To strive for nothing short of excellence, armed with fierce passion, to find something that you love is a privilege. I have had that privilege.

All problems are problems of harmony. I think about that. Courage is the golden mean between recklessness and foolhardiness. I think about that.

To chase that mean, to look for harmony. Empathy and frankness. To be truthful and kind at the same time. To withstand storm and the daily everyday. To come back burnished and strong. To hold, to persevere, to nurture. Dissolve negatives, bracket the beauty.

To go back to your desk every morning, driven by an unsaid power, immersed in the zest to make books, to breathe and hear its heart throbbing in the markets, among readers, authors, sellers, buyers. To think about this business organically, like it were a living thing, grounded, aspiring, diverse and dynamic. To embrace a challenge and the tough times because you know that pain will bring love.

To look out for a while when it rains, to breathe the wind floating from the trees that line the office, in the heart of a metropolitan capital, amid rush and traffic, exchange ideas and conversations. To be faithful to inner values and outer goals. To resilience and work ethics. To justice, equality and fairness, to hear the other, to be sensitive, gentle, steadfast, honest and strong. To be responsible and confident. To judge, but liberally. To be generous often, to have distance and proximity in equal measure. To be open to differences, to making mistakes and accepting your vulnerabilities, because that is the only way to learn, evolve, being true to self. To be patient and committed. To rate talent and integrity alike. To be engaged, to be prudent. To be real yet ideal. Fearless and free. Without hubris, with compassion and candour.

These are the ideals I seek every day.

You know the road will never be easy, or maybe it is in some way and we don't know that yet. But the fire counts. Perfection is known to hide in little moments. And that's where an unmixed kind of delight lives.

Thank you all of you who have made me feel at home. You know who you are: warm, friendly, bright, funny, inspiring. I have learnt everything that I have through difficult and beautiful days. The years are cast with tiny stories, ignored crevices, folds of a weary day or the after-shine of happy adventures. Unforgotten, relentless, the dream renews. The camera pans out, the radio starts to play. Like in a song loop that takes you far and now brings you ahead of time.

* Completed 10 years, this August, with Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Informa plc (not including some off-record months at Routledge Liaison Office in India).

--Rimina Mohapatra