The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 AD and took nearly 20 years to complete. The extensive complex covers over 22 hectares and includes gardens, subsidiary buildings, and tombs. At the center of the complex is the white marble Taj Mahal mausoleum, which houses the cenotaphs and actual graves of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal is renowned for its intricate decorative elements and geometric symmetry, and remains one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

1. HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
TAJ MAHAL

2. •
The Taj Mahal represents the finest and most
sophisticated example of Mughal architecture. The
distraught
Mughal
Emperor
Shah
Jahan
commissioned the mausoleum upon the death of
his favourite wife Mumtaz Begum.
•
Today it is one of the most famous and recognisable
buildings in the world and the white domed marble
mausoleum is the most familiar part of the
monument.
Taj Mahal is an extensive complex of buildings and
gardens that extends over 22.44 hectares and
includes
subsidiary
tombs,
waterworks
infrastructure, the small town of 'Taj Ganji' and a
'moonlight garden' to the north of the river.
•
•
Construction began in 1632 AD, on the south bank
of the River Yamuna in Agra, and was substantially
complete by 1648 AD
•
The architects Ustad Ahmad Lahauri and Mir Abdul Karim.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
TAJ MAHAL

3. Site plan
The Taj Mahal complex can be conveniently divided into 5 sections:
1. The moonlight garden to the north of the river Yamuna.
2. The riverfront terrace, containing the Mausoleum, Mosque and Jawab.
3. The Charbagh garden containing pavilions.
4. The jilaukhana for the tomb attendants and two subsidiary tombs.
5. The Taj Ganj, originally a bazaar and caravanserai only traces of which are still preserved. The
great gate lies between the jilaukhana and the garden.
Levels gradually descend in steps from the Taj Ganji towards the river
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
TAJ MAHAL

4. Plan of the complex
Guest House
Ornamental Pool
Main
Gateway
Forecourt
Tomb
Taj Ganj
Yamuna
Mosque
Char Bagh
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
Servant
Quaters
Royal Tombs
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5. Guest House
Tomb
Mosque
Ornamental Pool
Main
Gateway
Royal
Tombs
Char Bagh
Servant
Quaters
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
Forecourt
TAJ MAHAL

6. Concepts, Symbolism and Interpretation
•
•
•
•
•
•
This theme, common in most Mughal funerary
architecture, permeates the entire complex and
informs the detailed design of all the elements. A
number of secondary principles also inform the
design, of which hierarchy is the most dominant.
A deliberate interplay is established between the
building's
elements,
its
surface
decoration, materials, geometric planning and its
acoustics.
In Dimensional organisation- The Taj complex is
ordered by grids
Symmetry and geometric planning played an
important role in ordering the complex.
In the Taj Mahal, the hierarchical use of red
sandstone and white marble contributes manifold
symbolic significance
Red sandstone also had significance in the Persian origins of the Mughal empire. In the Taj
Mahal the relative importance of each building in the complex is denoted by the amount of
white marble (or sometimes white polished plaster) that is used.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
TAJ MAHAL

7. Taj Ganj
•
•
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
The area directly outside of the
forecourt is known today as Taj
Ganj.
It was once a large teeming
bazaar with stalls containing gems
and other luxuries.
TAJ MAHAL

8. Forecourt
•The Taj Mahal is split into three sections
and the forecourt is the second in
importance.
•The other two sections are; the main
mausoleum area, and the Taj Ganj.
•The imposing sandstone gateway is the
main entrance to the mausoleum.
•The Fore Court is enveloped by a red
sandstone wall that consisted of 128 shops.
Also called the Jilokhana or Chowk-iJilaukhana
ForeCourt of the Taj Mahal that was lined by
128 shops in the past
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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9. The Taj Gateway
•Spread over a width of 150 feet and
standing tall at 100 feet, the Taj gateway is
entrance to a monument.
• Made of red sandstone, this three storeyed
building is topped by cupolas or chattris.
Records state that this gateway was
completed in 1648.
•Decorated with the most sought after craft
in the Mughal times, calligraphy was used to
inscribe Holy Koranic verses on the walls of
the Gateway.
• Crowning the gateway are twenty two
small ornamental chhatris , placed in two
lines of eleven above the main portal.
•As grand an entrance as this is, it was never
used by Shah Jahan and the royal party, as
they always arrived from the Agra Fort by
boat.
Inscriptions start at the bottom and but
miraculously look the same size as your eyes
travel up the arch
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
TAJ MAHAL

10. • The Taj is hidden by a massive red
sandstone gateway within this square
before
the
main
entrance
Decorated in calligraphy with verses from holy
Koran.
 The original door of the gateway was made out of
the solid silver
• Calligrapher, Amanat Khan has used the tromp
l'oeil effect.
•Gradual enlarging of the letters and their spacing
as they snake around the form of the arch.
•The result is seemingly consistent dimensions as
you read the holy lettering from the ground.

11. Taj Mahal Gardens
•The gardens in the Mughal era were heavily influenced
by the Persian style.
•The Holy Qoran describes Paradise as a garden, so we
see that most Mughal monuments mostly always
accompany beautiful gardens, as a representation of
heaven.
•The Taj Mahal gardens are no exception and have been
designed in the "Chahar Bagh" style, that is, divided into
four parts, the number four being a sacred number in
Islam.
Water channels is provided by neat geometric paving.
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12. • These main four parts are divided using water
channels, each channel joining the centre.
•At the centre, halfway between the tomb and
the gateway, where the four water channels
meet is a raised marble lotus-tank with a
cusped border called the "Al-Kawthar" that
signifies 'The celestial pool of abundance'.
Central tank of the Taj Mahal representing the
"celestial pool of abundance"
• The tank was so positioned that one can
perfectly see that Taj Mahal's reflection in
its waters.
•The four main garden beds are further
divided by paved stone walkways into four
beds each, making a total of 16 flower beds.
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13. The al-Kawthar - The Celestial Pool of Abundance
•The planner of the Taj preferred to add to the gorgeous view of the monument from the front
by providing these delicate bud-shaped fountains in the centre.
•This is the point where the two water channels intersect dividing the garden into four sections.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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14. Taj Mahal Exterior
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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15. The dome
•The most remarkable part of the Taj
Mahal.
•Enormous white onion shaped dome
crowning the tomb.
•Located at the exact centre of the
structure, the main dome is flanked by
four smaller ones on it four corners.
•The onion shaped dome of the Taj Mahal
sits on a massive drum that adds support
to the circular top.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
60 m
•The drum
is
also
intricately
designed
with
superb
inlay work.
TAJ MAHAL

16. •The weight of the dome was distributed to the building on which it was rested and then on to
the iwans and arches, from which it was transferred to the plinths and foundation.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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17. •The dome is actually double
shelled, and the interior false
dome was made much smaller
to be in proportion to the inner
chamber.
•This gave the building perfect
visual balance; extraordinary
from
the
outside
and
comfortable small from the
inside.
Similar technique is used at St Paul's
Cathedral in London.
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18. Finial of the Dome
•The main finial was originally made of gold
but was replaced by a copy made of
gilded bronze in the early 19th century.
•The summit of the gold gilded finial perched
at almost 220 feet from the ground, gives a
finishing look to the Taj Mahal.
• The motif is a Hindu symbol with bent lotus
leaves mounted on a "kalash" with a coconut
on top.
Decorating the summit of the dome is
an open lotus, over which is a gilded
finial.
Taj Mahal - Islamic inscription on the gold
gilded Finial
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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19. Chattris
•The most prominent are the main four
chattris, which flank the four corners of the
onion dome.
•Having an octagonal base
•with small arches on each of the eight
sides
•The top is nicely finished with an inverted
lotus with a gold finial rising from its
summit.
•Chattris are also present at the tops of the
four tall minarets.
Open
ornamenting
chattris
Taj Mahal "Chattris" flank the main dome from four sides
lotus
the
Similar Chattris on the
top of the minarets
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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20. Minarets
•The Taj Mahal's minarets detached from
the main tomb
•Standing tall at 138 feet were intelligently
designed with a slant towards the outward
side.
•This was done so that in case of any
minaret topples, it causes no damage to the
central
dome.
•These four minarets rise from the plinth with an
eight sided base and a circular pillar.
•On the top of the pillar is an octagonal balcony.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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21. •Decorated with delicate inlay work and
beautiful carvings.
•The balcony is encircled with geometric
patterns and floral motifs.
•It may have been built as a watch tower or a
place from where the "muezzin" calls for
prayers.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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22. Iwans
The tradition of having iwans in both
residential and public buildings found their
way into Mughal architecture.
• By definition, iwans are vaulted spaces
covered by three sides and open from one.
•They normally have an ornate gateway that
was called a "pishtaq".
•The Taj Mahal's front facade is dominated
with "iwans", the main one lying just below
the onion shaped dome.
•There are eight smaller ones on the front face
equally intricately designed.
•The monument has 28 iwans in all, with four
main iwans on the four faces of the structure.
•The other 24 iwans are identical in size with
four on each face and two on the angled sides.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
The Taj Mahal Iwan with an ornate "Pishtaq"
TAJ MAHAL

23. Guldastas
•Even the smallest areas had design elements
like the "guldastas" that flank the exterior of
the Taj.
• "Guldastas" is the Urdu terminology for the
flower topped pinnacles that rise from the
main sides of the structure. These "guldastas"
are not originally Mughal, but were an integral
part of the Sayed architecture
They were added to the Taj Mahal purely for
beauty and lends the building a sense of height.
•Decorated with lotus petals, the guldastas are
topped with gold finials.
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24. Tomb
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25. •The tomb is the central focus
•It stands on a square plinth
•It consists of a symmetrical building with
an iwan topped by a large dome and finial.
• Its basic elements are Persian in origin
•On each of these sides, a huge pishtaq, or
vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two
similarly shaped, arched balconies stacked on
either side.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
• Multi-chambered cube
•Chamfered corners forming an unequal
octagon that is approximately 55 meters
(180 ft) on each of the four long side.
TAJ MAHAL

26. •The Taj Mahal is situated on a raised platform which is over 6 meters high.
•The actual Tomb of Shah Jahan is in the basement below the platform.
•Surmounted by a curving dome which is over 60m long on each side.
•Height is over 60m at its pinnacle.
•Platform covers 94 sq m area.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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27. Entrance to the Mausoleum
Way to Cenotaph
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
Rauza (tomb) in the
mausoleum
TAJ MAHAL

28. The Rauza(tomb) in the Mausoleum
The main chamber houses the false
sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and
Shah Jahan.
The actual graves are at a lower level
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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29. Hasht bihisht and the central chamber
 The central chamber of the
mausoleum is an octagonal room.
 It is flanked on each wall by outer
chambers that create a layout
used frequently in Mughal
architecture.
 This layout, referred to as the
'hasht bihisht', a nine-fold
plan, was derived from Persian
architectural precedents.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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30. Entrance to cenotaphs
The cenotaphs
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31. •
Surrounded by a marble screen, the cenotaphs
of the Emperor and his wife lie in the centre of
the room.
•
Mumtaz Mahal's body was buried in the Taj
Mahal after her death in 1631;
•
Shah Jahan laid to rest at his wife's side in 1666
after death
 Originally not planed for Shah
Jahan’s cenotaph
Which was added after his death
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32. Jali around the cenotaphs
•
A protective octagonal screen made of
perforated marble panels, or jalis, with borders
of inlaid marble surrounds the two cenotaphs in
the central chamber.
Octagonal room
Each of the jalis, including the larger
doorway and north face, were carved
from single slabs of marble.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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33. The Interior
•Staircases lead to the upper storey that has
four octagonal rooms.
•The rooms also have balconies with jali
screens to allow light and air to filter in to the
chambers.
Balcony of the octagonal rooms on top floor
of the Taj Mahal
•All the interior walls of the mausoleum have
huge arches that have jalis to allow air and
light.
Jali screens that allow light and air
inside the masoleum
•The shining marble cladded on the walls are decorated with beautiful floral patterns using
carving and inlay work.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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34. •
The inner dome is an umbrella
to the central octagonal room.
•
Four rectangular rooms are
situated to the sides
•
The inner layer of the
dome, like the exterior, is made
of creamy white marble.
•Three-dimensional geometric decoration
and a central inlaid motif highlight the
interior of the dome.
•Following the theme of light, the imitation
of the sun could be seen to symbolize Allah's
divine presence within the tomb of his
devout servant
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35. Ornamentation and Mouldings
•The Taj Mahal depicts elaborate carvings
with around forty three different kinds of
gems used.
•The carving at the Taj Mahal is done
using a technique called “manabbat
kari”, which essentially is a carving that
stands out from a flat surface.
•The manabbat kari process involves
drawing the flower patterns directly on
the marble with henna and then using
fine chisels to carve them out.
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36. Ornamentation and Mouldings
INLAY WORK
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37. FLORAL MOULDINGS
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38. FLORAL ORNAMENTATION
JALI WORK
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
JALI RAILING
TAJ MAHAL

39. Flooring Pattern
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40. Calligraphy
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41. Materials, Cost and Calligraphy
• The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials
from all over India and Asia. The buildings are
constructed with walls of brick and rubble
inner cores faced with either marble or
sandstone locked together with iron dowels
and clamps.
• Much of the calligraphy is composed of florid
thuluth script, made of jasper or black
marble, inlaid in white marble panels.
• Higher panels are written in slightly larger
script to reduce the skewing effect when
viewed from below.
• Throughout the complex, passages from the
Qur'an are used as decorative elements.
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42. Storm water management
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43. WATER SYSTEM
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44. The Mosque
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45. The Mosque
•The tomb of Mumtaz Mahal has a
mosque or the "Masjid" to its left.
• Built of red sandstone, the structure
complements
the
pristine
white
mausoleum.
•Spread over 210 feet in length and 90
feet in width, the mosque stands on a
raised platform.
•The front face of the mosque boasts of
one big central iwan and two smaller ones
perched on either side on the main one.
•The central dome is flanked by two
smaller ones on either side and the four
corners of the mosque have a chattri.
•Other design features include the
guldastas or the pinnacles that flank the
sides of the iwans.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
TAJ MAHAL

46. • Either side of the major iwan is two
smaller arches sandwiched between four
towering pinnacles. The spandrels above
the arches are studded with colored
marble inlay and the mosque dados
feature naturalistic floral designs.
On the roof and complementing the arches
below are three marble-coated domes.
Inverted lotus shaped designs cloak the top
of the domes, surmounted by gilded finials.
On the four corners of the mosque are
chhatris, or domed kiosks, which have a
marble
coated
veneer.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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47. •The flooring of the mosque is
beautifully laid out.
•Giving a carpet feel, the floor area is
inlaid with red marble stone in the
pattern
of
prayer
mats.
•The ceiling of the mosque has an ornate
display of beautiful geometric patterns.
•The white inlay work stand out splendidly
against the red sandstone background
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48. •The mosque also has a "minbar", a
platform from where the priest delivers
lectures.
•The other notable feature of the mosque
is the "mihrab" that is an enclosed area
showing the direction of Mecca.
•One can see a lot of calligraphy on the walls of
the interiors, all taken from the Koranic verses.
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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49. View from the rooftop chattri (kiosk)
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50. View from the Minaret
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE III
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