the Taj Mahal symbol of India
architectural jewel monument to a grand
passion the Taj Mahal was built in the
17th century by Shah Jahan king of the
world ruler of India's mighty mobile
Empire
this great warrior King gave the world
an architectural masterpiece of a kind
it had never seen before
this is how it came to be made
it's also the legend of his queen the
beautiful Mumtaz Mahal
and of their love to perfect to survive
the chosen one of the palace will have
her final resting place in the world's
most beautiful building
but the Magnificent chambers of the Taj
Mahal hide a secret
and Shah Jahan will pay a terrible price
to complete his life's work at a turning
point in India's history
today the Taj Mahal is one of the
world's greatest tourist attractions
every year more than 3 million people
come to see humanity's loveliest
building with their own eyes but for the
Indian nation the Taj Mahal is much more
than an architectural masterpiece
does good to the movement this is one of
the monuments that makes India what it
is that gives the people their identity
it makes them proud as building as a
symbol for the whole nation the Taj
Mahal was built in one of the most
glorious periods of Indian history
the time of the Moghuls with their
mighty empire and fabulous riches its
creator a man who dedicated his life to
a dream great mogul Shah Jahan
the building that emerged from his plans
perfectly combines grace and scale power
and beauty
the Taj Mahal crown of the palace the
inner sanctum of the Taj is a tomb for
Mumtaz Mahal the love of Shah Jahan's
life in her memory the great mogul
created this eternal love poem in stone
the building of the Taj commenced in
1632
an army of elephants began dragging
construction materials to the mogul
capital
this would be the biggest building
project of the age
in a few short years the shell of the
Taj Mahal was complete ready to be clad
in flawless marble add colossal expense
the location of the Taj on the banks of
the Yamuna River was a special challenge
ambasa at the Masons confessed Bogor
Jewish laws of the embassy close to
water you rarely find ground solid
enough to build on so you have to dig
down until you hit hard dry earth can't
you lose so they came up with a
brilliant solution to this problem
overdue schoolers turn on one that's
still used today in a slightly different
form the understand much they decided to
build a well foundation and cheating
that was a revolutionary idea for those
times enorm innovative the great moguls
engineers dig deep wells to below the
water table then they fill them up with
rocks and mortar on this base the master
builders erect stone columns linked
together by massive arches
the result a solid mountain of stone to
support the foundation slab of the
building
protecting the Taj from the currents of
the Yamuna River forever the Taj Mahal
must always stand as a testament to the
eternal power of love it will be the
legacy of Shah Jahan Shah Jahan was the
favorite son of the Emperor the great
mogul raised in a world of wealth and
splendor in the year 1607 he's granted a
rare honor on his lunar birthday is
weighed in gold and precious stones
that doesn't mean he's been chosen to
become the new great mogul but there are
high hopes for this young prince
and great dangers to his own brothers
are his deadliest rivals the firstborn
Prince does not always become king all
the rulers sons will fight to claim the
throne even to the death the adulation
of the crowds means nothing
the court Chronicles will be our guide
to Shah Jahan's life to its triumphs and
disasters
the prince is given a child bride an
arranged marriage for political reasons
it could have been an empty contract but
this love will last for eternity
ten years later the prince is 25 years
old his star shines brighter than ever
he has fought the enemies of the Emperor
winning victory after victory as a
reward his father gives him the title
shajahan king of the world the capital
of the Mughal Empire is the great city
of Agra in northern India the location
of the giant red fort the center of
imperial power and one of India's
mightiest strongholds the ruling moguls
and their families live in magnificent
palaces inside the fort here the women
of his harem Sita Shah Jahan's every
whim
but his favorite by far is his childhood
love Mumtaz Mahal Shah Jahan calls her
the chosen one of the palace from the
Chronicles
we know this royal couple were
especially close for those times
the impression which one gathers is that
there is a strong personal element of
personal love there is a bit of romance
it is usually said that the concept of
love
is a very European concept because in
the Eastern world you have the emotion
of love which is impersonal love for
deities love for idols love for father
love for institutions love for religion
spiritual love but not romantic love
Pichardo hans memorial to Mumtaz maja is
the world's most exquisite symbol of
romantic love every day countless
visitors are enthralled by the Taj Mahal
partly because it's mogul architects
used some remarkable optical tricks the
first view of the monument is framed by
the main gate as the visitor moves
closer the Taj Mahal seems to get
smaller
it seems to grow bigger as you walk away
the guides here say when you leave you
take the Taj with you in your heart
an optical trick went into the building
of the minarets too they leaned slightly
outwards if they were truly vertical
they would seem to be leaning inwards by
leaning away from each other they look
perfectly upright and that brings
another advantage in an earthquake the
minarets would collapse outwards sparing
the Taj and it's mighty dome the dome is
the crowning glory of the Taj Mahal the
element that makes it so timeless and
graceful I do and today we have other
options we can build giant supporting
structures and steel for a dome like
that called the bunker we have other
materials just they have to solve all
their problems in stone binders a miles
out they laid stone on stone and built
up the diamond rings Ling Fermi award
the dome rises layer by layer the mortar
between the stones gives its stability
the result is self-supporting with no
reinforcing struts or columns the weight
of the dome is transferred directly
downwards to the mass of masonry below
the dome is more than 40 metres high and
4 metres thick yet it seems to float
over the marble facade a miracle of
stress calculation still admired by
engineers for over 350 years this dome
has been the ultimate expression of
mogul architecture 1621 the Moghul
Empire is at a turning point the Emperor
Shah Jahan's father is desperately ill
his sons are gathering the shadow of the
throne ready to fill the vacuum of power
shajahan knows that his moment has come
nothing will stop him in his lust for
absolute power no means are ruled out
not even poison
when the great mogul finally dies shah
jahan has his rivals eliminated
brotherly love means nothing when the
prize is so great there was a notion of
family and there was a notion of
affection but this feeling recede into
the background and then that particular
vision of acquiring power for yourself
and to rule the country or Empire as you
see fit
becomes the rationale behind all the
violence that is perpetrated with his
rivals gone
Shah Jahan seizes the throne
his crowned emperor in 1628 in the red
fort in Agra
shajahan soon proves himself a wise and
moderate ruler he guides the Empire to
even greater prosperity
Mumtaz Mahal's stays in the background
but she's one of the chars most
important advisors this mogul dynasty
seems to have a glorious future perhaps
it will equal the illustrious past the
moguls are descended from the greatest
warlord of them all Genghis Khan their
distant ancestors were fierce warriors
of the Asian steppes the Mongols
a mere hundred years before Shah Jahan's
rise to power the Mughals swept down
from the north onto the plains of India
their cannons crushed one indian city
after another
by the time of shah jahan the moguls
controlled most of india the first time
this great land has been unified in
nearly 2,000 years the Mughal rulers
bring their faith with them Islam after
Hinduism Islam soon becomes India's
second religion but the invaders don't
impose it on the people they seek a
balance between the cultures the Mogul
lords proclaimed religious tolerance
more than a hundred million people now
see business and industry science and
art flourish
artists that caught portray their rulers
as godlike beings
there are no limits to the great moguls
power Shah Jahan holds sway over his
subjects over life and death his word is
law throughout the empire
this just ruler leads the country to
prosperity and stability
the court Chronicle records that
shajahan brings the people abundant joy
and happiness and a Shah Jahan mogul
rule in India reaches its dazzling
Zenith but now his greatest legacy the
Taj Mahal symbol of the Indian nation is
under threat
this has been a high-security zone since
2006 after bomb threats from terrorists
and religious fundamentalists it's
guarded round-the-clock access to the
mausoleum is tightly controlled filming
of the magnificent interior is forbidden
no one knows how long the Taj will need
this kind of protection
art historian abaca was able to study
the taj before the restrictions came
into force
she is the international expert on the
building and its history
she has also decoded the religious
symbolism of the monument
the attached mihaela standing are hip
external for kerplunk Fournier Taj Mahal
is the architectural embodiment of this
life and of the next according to
Islamic belief the ground plan shows
this duality the complex is split
between the tomb garden with its
mausoleum and a worldly side meant for
bazaars and markets the simple fact is
born what's interesting is that the
worldly side is the mirror image of the
mausoleum site no not be connecting
square with the great main gate marks
the transition to the tomb garden and
opens up the view to the mausoleum of
the Smithsonian at the center of the
mausoleum is the Holy of Holies the most
splendid room in the Taj Mahal the final
resting place of Shah Jahan's bride
Mumtaz Mahal the chosen one of the
palace leads a luxurious life in the
women's apartments of the Red Fort
poets admire her grace and charm even
the moon they say hides from her beauty
in shame the first lady of the Empire is
fabulously wealthy she has huge
resources she was the highest recipient
of money in the entire harem being the
chief queen or the most beloved queen of
the Emperor
because payments in the harem were
graded we have very interesting accounts
of graded payments from a very huge
amount to a very small amount and on top
of this they were gifts very very
exquisite expensive gifts on various
occasions the riches of the Mogul
dynasty are legendary both men and women
wear jewelry for the men it's a sign of
nobility and they give precious jewels
to their favorites in the harem
it's endless supply of gems makes India
the treasure house of the world in the
Mughal Empire the Indian art of jewelry
reaches its peak precious stones
decorate statues furniture weapons and
fabrics even today works by mogul
craftsmen command the highest prices the
same is true of india's textiles
cotton has been woven here for more than
4,000 years this is still a vital
industry in India under the moguls India
became the world's leading exporter of
precious fabrics
the rulers the great mogul and his
family cashed in on the trade Shah Jahan
has a special duty to his dynasty to
produce heirs his wives in the harem
bear him children but as the Chronicles
tell us once they've done their duty
these women are his wives in name only
shah jahan's harem may once have been a
love nest soon it comes to resemble an
nursery the harem is not an informal
entirely informal space it's a space
with a certain protocol it is a space
with a certain hierarchy
it is a space with a whole set of rules
and regulations with the Empire at peace
there's plenty of leisure time to fill
the Moghuls enjoyment of alcohol and
opium is legendary
Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are together
every possible moment as the Chronicles
record the mutual affection and harmony
between the two had reached a degree
never seen between a husband and a wife
among the classes of rulers or among the
other people the Imperial Chronicle
describes their life that called the
intimacy deep affection attention and
favour which His Majesty had for the
chosen one of the palace exceeded by a
thousand times what he felt for any
other for Shah Jahan the happiness of
Mumtaz Mahal is paramount if you look at
the wardrobe of the Emperor if you look
at his private chambers if you look at
the Shelf which displays all the
perfumes own men's oil and a whole range
of aphrodisiacs then you would perhaps
know that there is a lot of interest to
develop into good lovers to acquire
emotions or to release emotions in a way
that would revitalize them or rejuvenate
them
her husband's love is shared and
returned by Mumtaz Mahal from the depths
of her soul
and always that lady of the age was the
companion close confidant associate an
intimate friend of that successful ruler
in hardship and comfort joy and grief
when traveling or in residence
fortune smiles on the king of the world
but not for long
there is unrest in the empire in 1629
reports reach Agra of another uprising a
distant province has rebelled against
the Empire again This Means War shah
jahan mobilizes his army
he will crush opposition with brute
force
day after day week after week the Mogul
army blazes a trail across the Indian
Plains nearly two years of forced
marches follow for Shah Jahan's soldiers
but nothing will tear Mumtaz Mahal from
her husband's side
the moguls are forced to leave their
capital again and again to crush
rebellions in the Deccan region
the campaign seems to have no end
the great mogul still puts his faith in
his canons
the latest super weapons imported from
the Turkish Empire
his soldiers haul them over mountains
and across the roughest terrain
shattering city walls wiping out the
rebels
but his string of victories is
interrupted by tragedy
in the midst of the campaign Mumtaz
Mahal falls pregnant with the emperor's
child but there are complications at the
birth for once the king is powerless as
his bride weakens the great mogul can do
nothing but pray the court Chronicle
recorded the sad events on the 17th of
June 16:31
the unfortunate demise of Her Majesty
the Queen took place shortly after her
confinement and made the whole world a
house of mourning Mumtaz Mahal dies
after the birth of her 14th child Shah
Jahan's world has come to an end
they say the Emperor fasted for eight
days locked in his chambers for two
years he heard no music wore no jewelry
or perfume
his hair and beard had turned gray he
looked older much much older than what
he looked when he went into confinement
or statutory mourning
so surely this must have had a deep
impact on him
before she died legend says Mumtaz Mahal
made a wish for a mausoleum more sublime
than any the world had seen
this will be Shah Jahan's task for the
rest of his life to erect the world's
most beautiful building in her memory
the Taj Mahal stands in a long tradition
of fabulous memorials in India Shah
Jahan's predecessors had constructed
many gorgeous mausoleums
the Taj Mahal combines the very best
elements of the memorials to Shah
Jahan's forefathers the tomb of his own
father provides the model for the
minarets his great-grandfather's
mausoleum had four corner turrets
surrounding a central core the four
mighty portals are inspired by his
grandfather's tomb
and Shah Jahan took the form of the
Great Dome from the memorial to a famous
ancestor different models United in
perfect harmony no other mausoleum may
come close to the Taj Mahal in scale
beauty and grace this monument must be
nothing less than a paradise here on
earth
symbolism carved in stone and marble a
heavenly memorial to the queen of the
world or as a poet described it a
teardrop on the cheek of time
in 1632 just six months after Mumtaz
Mahal's death work begins on the Taj
Mahal it will be the greatest building
project of the age some say that over
20,000 workers slaved on the building a
court chronicler captures the scene and
from all sides of the Imperial
territories were assembled true after
troupe of skilled men Stonecutters in
layers and those who do carving in
relief each one an expert in his craft
who began work together with the other
laborers millions of bricks are baked on
the spot for the shell of the building
the Taj Rises at record speed but
progress comes at a price day by day
this gigantic construction is draining
the imperial treasury but nothing
matters to the great mogul no expense is
spared for this lavish project
nothing must hold up the building work
even if the people suffer terribly for
the Emperor's devotion Shah Jahan
created an artificial fur mean when he
diverted the supply of grain towards
Agra when it was meant for a different
place the regular supply of grain was
diverted to feed a huge population of
artisans craftsmen laborers merchants
officials servants such monuments cannot
be built by a few individuals
today no one remembers the ordeal of the
people only the sublime result the
fabric of the color scheme of the Taj
Mahal is deeply symbolic for worldly
elements and other buildings are all
clad in red sandstone bowden simply
dalton sandstone for cleric varys's
white is reserved for the mausoleum this
is to be a building of enlightenment an
earthly representation of the heavenly
house where Mumtaz Mahal will live for
eternity the pure white stands for the
spirituality and faith of the person
buried here the white marble for the Taj
Mahal comes from quarries Atma Khurana
in Rajasthan still in use today
McCraney marble is already famous in
Shah Jahan's time hard yet easy to work
its prized for its fine detail and high
polish the great mogul has reserved
Makran o marble for imperial buildings
the marble slabs are carried more than
400 kilometers to the site of the Taj
Mahal construction consumes colossal
amounts of this fabulous stone with the
skeleton of the building complete the
bricks disappear forever beneath the
pure white facade it's this smooth
glowing stone that gives the Taj Mahal
its unique impact deserve I assume
armoire link that to here of course it's
this white marble that gives it its
beauty its lightness that sense of
floating that's it well these it's idol
doesn't these a means of expression
available to an architect DNA detectives
just as words are used by a poet a water
heart right beside the marble edifice
the gardens begin their garden the
garden is the heart of the Taj Mahal
it's an earthly picture of the paradise
of the Quran the gone for two paths
divide the terrain into four squares the
Capel oak economy the channels along the
paths represent the rivers of paradise
in the Quran we see the Quran where the
channels meet there's a pool this is
symbolic of the celestial pool where the
faithful quench their thirst when they
arrive in paradise spilling
vincent's bodies and sealed
true to mogul tradition the mausoleum
and garden form an indivisible unity and
the interior of the mausoleum itself is
modeled after the eight paradises of the
Quran eight chambers surround the
central space beneath the dome Mumtaz
Mahal's coffin lies here before long it
attracted pilgrims from far and wide
even today the graves of deeply pious
Muslims attract thousands of pilgrims
the flowers on the graves recall the
Prophet Muhammad as he ascended into
heaven each drop of perspiration turned
into a rose the faithful pray to the
departed asking for their divine
intervention
Indian Muslims are drawn to the
sumptuous memorials of the Mughal rulers
in the same way
Orthodox Islam has no time for the
worship of saints but here in India it's
widely seen
the moguls brought Islam to the
subcontinent
but they didn't interpret the Quran
rigidly for a long time in India Islam
was linked to policies of tolerance and
openness and Ishod Jahan that tolerance
and openness reaches far beyond India's
borders the great mogul decrees that
visitors from the outside world will be
made welcome in his empire he knows
there is much to gain from the exchange
so travelers from East and West are
regularly seen a charger Hans Court
Europeans can easily be spotted by their
exotic headgear both sides benefit from
this transcontinental contact
the Europeans are drawn by the precious
fabrics spices and gemstones
European merchants pay with silver and
bring new ideas to the Mughal Empire the
Taj Mahal itself demonstrates the links
between India and Europe sumptuous stone
flowers adorned the filigree marble
lattice work and cover the entire
interior of the Taj Mahal techniques and
motifs coming from distant Europe these
mosaics of semi-precious stones are
called Pietra dura
in petra Dora for instance one doesn't
know whether Petra Dora came directly
from Europe or came via some
intermediaries own but nevertheless it
was something which really tickled the
imagination of Shah Jahan and he used it
in a very interesting way in which the
building really looks like a treasure
chest Pietra dura is italian for hard
stone in the renaissance these precious
inlays decorated palaces this craft of
stone cutting traveled from italy to
india where it experienced a new heyday
in the pietre dure workshops of india
the techniques haven't changed in
hundreds of years many families have
been doing this for 17 or 18 generations
these are the direct descendants of the
craftsmen who worked on the Taj Mahal
Pietra dura is a tough craft to master
the mosaics are made of tiny colored
stones set into marble a craftsman cuts
hundreds of stones for a single mosaic
each shaped and positioned with perfect
precision
he needs just as much skill to carve the
flower shapes into the marble creating
the setting for the precious stones
after the final delicate Corrections a
special glue sets the stones in their
recesses painting in stone is one of the
glories of Indian craftsmanship but no
chronicles record the names of the
artists who decorated the Taj Mahal one
thing we tend to forget is the hard
labor sweat suffering of artisans an
ordinary craftsman nobody knows anything
about them so the monument is a
testimony as much to their existence and
the skill which they possessed as it is
of Shah Jahan's aesthetic embellishment
through their work the men who made the
Taj Mahal live on 1643 the Taj Mahal is
finished it has taken 12 years in spite
of difficulties and obstacles
Shah Jahan has accomplished his dream
the chosen one of the palace rests in a
shrine worthy of her name
a building more sublime than any
conceived or carved by human hand on the
anniversaries of her death Shah Jahan
visits Mumtaz Mahal's tomb the king of
the world travels the Yamuna River to
the shrine of the Taj Mahal to remember
his great love
the Taj Mahal conceals a final mystery
the coffin seen in the mausoleum is only
a senator an empty monument Mumtaz Mahal
lies in a secret marble chamber below
there she rests undisturbed
after finishing the Taj Mahal Shah Jahan
rules these lands for 20 more years but
his reign will see an inglorious end his
costly projects and extravagant
lifestyle have brought the Empire to the
edge of ruin
in 1658 the king of the world is toppled
from the throne deposed by his and
mumtaz own son to save the empire from
his extravagance shah jahan absolute
ruler great mogul for 30 years is a
prisoner
he's held captive in the Red Fort he
will never leave it again
in the evening a servant reads him
stories of the heroic deeds of his youth
epochs of bravery and power struggle and
triumph a long long time ago
in Sharjah Hans decades of intelligent
rule the Moghul Empire reached its peak
no one succeeded in challenging his
infinite power
but the mightiest have furthest to fall
just one comfort remains to shah jahan
in the distance from his prison window
he can see the gleaming monument of his
beloved
he cannot forget his passion for the
chosen one of the palace
their happiness was mortal their love
was for eternity
Mumtaz Mahal's tomb has carved its place
in history
shajahan will also find his last resting
place here in 1666 at the age of 74 shah
jahan dies his chronicle ends with the
words the king of the world has died the
body was taken by River to the
Magnificent tomb of the late Queen
Mumtaz my Shah Jahan is reunited with
his chosen one of the palace their
legacy will make them immortal
the most perfect building in the world
you