Taj mahal mumtaz. Taj mahal

Taj Mahal- This mausoleum-mosque, which is in India in the city Agra. In the mosque you can see elements of both Indian and Persian styles. Indian Taj Mahal is an object World Heritage UNESCO since 1983.

The most famous component of the mosque is, of course, the white dome. Twenty thousand craftsmen and artisans worked on it. Construction lasted from 1632 to 1953. The Taj Mahal is a five-domed structure 74 meters high; there are four minarets on the platform in the corners of the mosque. The surrounding area also has swimming pools, fountains and a garden. The walls of the Taj Mahal are made of translucent polished marble inlaid with gems. During construction, stones such as agate, malachite, turquoise, carnelian and others were used. In bright sunlight, marble appears white, at dawn it appears pink, and on a moonlit night it appears silver.

The history of the Taj Mahal romantic and sad, it tells about the love story of the padishah and his wife. The mosque became last refuge Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the padishah Shah Jahan, who died at thirty-eight during childbirth, giving birth to her fourteenth child. At the age of nineteen she was married off, and she became the third and most beloved wife of the padishah. The Taj Mahal is their symbol eternal love. The grief of loss was very great for Jahan. He turned gray, lost the meaning of life and even thought about suicide. Before the death of his beloved wife, he promised to build a monument that would convey all the tenderness and beauty of Mumtaz. It was in honor of Mumtaz Mahal that the Taj Mahal was built.

The exterior of the Taj Mahal is no less amazing. Carvings, various paints, stone inlays and plaster were used as decorative elements. An important decorative element is that passages from the Koran are used throughout the complex. Abstract forms are used in the pedestal, gates, tomb surfaces, minarets and mosque. There are also images of vines and flowers.


There are two tombs inside the Taj Mahal: the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal and her husband. But they are not buried in them, but deep under the tombs. The cenotaph of Shah Jahan is located next to Mumtaz Mahal, it is taller and larger only because it was completed much later. But it is decorated in the same way as Mumtaz's coffin. The bodies of the spouses are not buried in them, since decorating the graves is prohibited. Their bodies lie in ordinary crypts, and their faces are turned towards Mecca. On the lid of Mumtaz's tomb is a triangular diamond that was designed to be written on. Calligraphic inscriptions on the tombstone praise the late wife of the padishah. Despite the considerable harem, all the love and tenderness of Jahan belonged only to her.

Shah Jahan had six wives and several concubines. The remaining wives are buried in separate mausoleums located outside the walls of the central room. Also, the beloved servant Mumtaz Mahal is buried in one of these mausoleums.

Over time and due to environmental pollution, the white walls of this magical building began to turn yellow. And due to the movement of the soil, cracks were even noticed on the walls. Despite all this, the Taj Mahal mosque-mausoleum in the city of Agra was and remains one of the most beloved tourist places in India and is rightfully considered one of the 7 wonders of the world!

The Taj Mahal is famous all over the world and has attracted many tourists for 350 years. The silhouette, familiar from countless photographs, has become a symbol of India. The Taj Mahal seems to float between heaven and earth: its proportions, symmetry, surrounding gardens and water mirror create an unprecedented impression.

The monument erected by the Sultan in honor of his beloved wife not only amazes with its appearance, but also with the history that accompanied the construction of the mausoleum.

History of the Taj Mahal mausoleum

In 1612, Prince Khurram (the future ruler Shah Jahan, whose name means “Lord of the Universe”) took the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal as his wife. According to one version, the future princess was a commoner, but the prince, seeing her eyes, simply could not resist. According to another, more probable version, Mumtaz Mahal was the niece of Jahan’s mother and the daughter of the first vizier.

The lovers could not get married right away: according to local tradition, the wedding ceremony could only take place if the stars were favorable, so Shah Jahan and his beloved had to wait for a happy day for five whole years, during which they never saw each other.

Shah Jahan ascended the throne in 1628. As befits a ruler, he had a large number of wives, but Mumtaz Mahal remained his most beloved. She accompanied him even on long military campaigns and was the only person he completely trusted.

In 1629, after giving birth to her 14th child, the wife of ruler Shah Jahan, known as Mumtaz Mahal (“Chosen by the Palace”), died. This happened in a tent pitched in a camp near Burhanpur

She was 36 years old, of which she was married for 17 years. It should be noted that for a woman in those days it was a respectable age, and frequent childbirth undermined her health. So it was rare for a woman in India to live to be forty.

Sultan Shah Jahan was very sad, because he lost not only his beloved wife, but also a wise adviser who helped him in the most difficult political situations. There is information that he mourned for her for two years, and his hair turned gray from grief. The Sultan took an oath to build a tombstone worthy of the memory of his wife, completely unusual, with which nothing in the world could compare.

The city of Agra, which in the 17th century was considered a capital on a par with Delhi, was chosen as the location for the future mausoleum. The location was chosen surprisingly well: no one has yet caused serious damage to the mausoleum.

Construction began in 1632 and continued for more than 20 years. More than 20,000 workers were employed here. Many skilled masons, stone cutters and jewelers flocked to Agra from all over India and Western India. Ismail Khan designed the magnificent dome. The lines from the Holy Quran on various parts of the mausoleum - for example, on the main entrance to the Taj Mahal - were executed by the famous calligrapher Amanat Khan Shirazi. The main performers of the mosaic work were five Hindus.

The chief architect Ustad (meaning "master") Isa Khan was given unlimited powers. It should be noted that not everyone agrees that the architect was Isa Khan, assuring that she was not so technically advanced as to be able to independently build such a perfect temple. Supporters of this version say that most likely some invited Venetian master supervised the construction. Whether this is true or not is now unlikely to be established. There is no information in any document about who supervised the construction. All that remains is the inscription on the Taj Mahal itself, which reads: “The builder was not a mere mortal, for the plan of the building was given to him by heaven.”

On the instructions of Shah Jahan, only the best was selected for the memorial in honor of his beloved wife. All materials for the mausoleum were delivered from afar. Sandstone was delivered to Agra from Sikri, semi-precious stones - from the mines of India, Persia and Central Asia. Jade was brought from, amethyst from, malachite from Russia, carnelian from Baghdad, turquoise from Persia and Tibet.

The white marble from which the Taj Mahal is made was brought from the Makrana quarries, located 300 kilometers from Agra. Some of the marble blocks were enormous in size, and for transportation they were loaded into huge wooden carts, which were harnessed to several dozen buffaloes and oxen.

White marble is the basis of the entire Taj Mahal. The walls were covered with thousands of precious and semi-precious stones, and black marble was used for calligraphic ornaments. It is thanks to this treatment that the building is not pure white, as it is depicted in many photographs, but shimmers in many shades, depending on how the light falls on it.

Even in our time, the building of the mausoleum creates a feeling of unprecedented luxury, although before it looked even richer. The doors to the Taj Mahal were once made of silver, with hundreds of small silver nails hammered into them. Inside there was a parapet of gold, and a cloth strewn with pearls lay on the tomb of the princess, installed at the very spot where she was burned. Unfortunately, all this was stolen. When Lord Lake occupied Agra in 1803, his dragoons carried away 44 thousand tolas of pure gold from the Taj Mahal. British soldiers removed many precious stones from the walls of the mausoleum. As Lord Curzon testifies, “it was common practice for soldiers, armed with chisels and hammers, to pick out precious stones from the tombstones of the emperor and his beloved wife in broad daylight.” Having become the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon introduced laws that saved the Taj Mahal and thousands of other monuments from complete destruction.

When construction came to an end, in 1653, the aging ruler gave the order to begin the construction of a second building - a mausoleum for himself. The second mausoleum was supposed to be an exact copy of the first, but made of marble, and between the two mausoleums there was to be a bridge made of black marble. But the second mausoleum was never built: the people began to grumble - the country was already impoverished from numerous internal wars, and the ruler was spending a lot of money on such buildings.

In 1658, Aurangzeb's son seized power and kept his father under house arrest for nine years in the Agra Fort, an octagonal tower. From there, Shah Jahan could see the Taj Mahal. Here, at dawn on January 23, 1666, Shah Jahan died, without taking his eyes off his beloved creation until the last moment. After his death, he was again reunited with his beloved - according to his will, he was buried next to him, in the same crypt with Mumtaz Mahal.

Features of the structure of the Taj Mahal mausoleum

The airiness is created by unusual proportions for us - the height is equal to the width of the facade, and the facade itself is cut through with huge semicircular niches and seems weightless. The width of the building is equal to its total height - 75 meters, and the distance from the floor level to the parapet above the arched portals is half the entire height. Many more lines can be drawn and a whole series of amazing patterns and correspondences can be discovered in the proportions of the Taj Mahal, which is equal in height to a twenty-story building, but is by no means overwhelming in size.

This perfectly symmetrical octagonal building measures 57 meters in perimeter and is topped by a central dome 24.5 meters high and 17 meters in diameter. When the giant dome was erected, to more conveniently deliver the necessary materials to a greater height, a sloping earthen embankment 3.6 kilometers long was built according to the design of Ismail Khan.

The remains of Mumtaz Mahal are buried underground, just under the very center of a large white dome, shaped like a flower bud. The Mughals were followers of Islam, and in Islamic art the dome points the way to heaven. An exact replica of the sarcophagus is installed at floor level so that visitors can honor the memory of the Empress without disturbing the peace of her tomb.

The entire park is surrounded on three sides by a fence. The stone entrance is decorated with a white patterned “portico”, and the top is “covered” with 11 domes; on the sides there are two towers, also crowned with white domes.

The Taj Mahal is located in the middle of a park (its area is almost 300 sq. m.), which can be entered through a large gate, symbolizing the entrance to paradise. The park is designed like a road that leads directly to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. In the middle of this “road” there is a large marble pool with an irrigation canal stretched to it. During the time of Shah Jahan, decorative fish swam in the pool, and peacocks and other exotic birds strutted along the paths. Guards dressed in white clothes and armed with blowguns guarded the garden from birds of prey.

The mausoleum is located in the center of a vast rectangular area (length 600 m, width 300 m). The short northern side runs along the banks of the Jamna River. On the southern side, a third of the area is occupied by outbuildings and ends with a monumental gate leading into the walled area, which makes up most of the rectangle.

The facades of the mausoleum are decorated with gently sloping pointed arches. In addition, so-called “stalactites” are used here - articulations of small cantilever niches overhanging each other. Stalactites support the projecting forms and are located at the base of the dome, in niches, under cornices and on column capitals. They are made of plaster or terracotta and create an exceptionally subtle play of light and shade.

A wide staircase leads to the very center of the facade. It is customary to leave shoes at its base, as before entering a temple.

The inside of the building is no less beautiful than the outside. The snow-white walls are decorated with stones and intricate patterns. Fourteen suras from the Koran - a traditional decoration for Muslim architecture - crown the arches above the windows. On the walls there are garlands of unfading stone flowers. In the center is a carved marble screen, behind which two false tombs are visible. In the very middle there is a chamber of the tomb, which has a square plan with beveled corners. The chamber contains the cenotaphs of the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan, surrounded by an openwork marble fence.

Mausoleum of the Taj Mahal today

The Taj Mahal Mausoleum is the most visited place in India. Thousands of tourists come here from all over the world. There are police officers on all four sides of the mausoleum, who vigilantly monitor all visitors. They guard the entrance to the upper platforms of the mausoleum (before this passage was closed, dozens of suicides jumped from the minarets, most often the reason was unrequited love - symbolic, because the Taj Mahal is also called the “temple of love”). Police also ensure that tourists do not take photographs of the building up close, since the Taj Mahal is recognized as a national shrine.

It should be noted that scientists are seriously concerned about the future of the mausoleum. In October 2004, two Indian historians warned that the Taj Mahal was tilting and could collapse or settle if authorities in the state of Utar Pradesh, where the famous mausoleum is located, did not deal with the area immediately adjacent to the monument. Of particular concern is the Jamna, located next to the Taj Mahal. This is due to the drying out of the riverbed. The Indian government has promised to allocate a sufficient amount for special work.

It is undoubtedly necessary to protect this architectural monument. After all, this is not only the most famous mausoleum, but also one of the most beautiful buildings on earth. traveler Edward Lear, who visited India in the mid-19th century, wrote in his diary: “All people in the world are divided into two groups - those who saw the Taj Mahal, and those who did not deserve this happiness.”

Of course, in India this is not the only thing you need to see, but not all at once :) For now, we are adding to the list “See the Taj Mahal”... The history of its construction is a love story...

Having met a beautiful poor girl with wooden beads in her hands at the bazaar, Prince Khurram fell in love with her at first sight and firmly decided to take the beauty as his wife. Mumtaz Mahal became a person whom he completely trusted and even consulted. She was the only one from his harem who accompanied him on military campaigns. Over 17 years of marriage, they had 13 children. But Mumtaz Mahal did not survive the difficult birth on the 14th.

The mausoleum was built by more than 20,000 people over 22 years. When construction came to an end, in 1653, the aging ruler gave the order to begin the construction of a second building - a mausoleum for himself, an exact copy of the first, but made of black marble.

But this was not destined to come true. In 1658, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb. He stopped the construction of the second mausoleum, and imprisoned his father for the rest of his life in a tower, from the window of which he could see Taj Mahal. And only after death they were reunited again - according to the will, he was buried next to her, in the same crypt. “This is such a squiggle... you know...”

The best twenty thousand craftsmen came from all over the world to build the Taj Mahal. The white marble walls were decorated with mosaics from large number various precious stones. In the center of the mausoleum Taj Mahal there were so-called false tombs, but the crypts were located under the floor and reliably protected from prying eyes. The walls of the burial hall were inlaid with graceful stone flowers.

Currently, the Taj Mahal is visited annually by thousands of tourists and local residents- Indians. In the past, large silver doors - a symbol of the entrance to heaven - were marked with a special pattern of silver studs. This expensive door was stolen during one of the robbers' raids. Later it was decided to install a copper door instead of a silver one. In addition, the decoration of the façade was also fairly “torn” - most of the precious stones disappeared irretrievably.

More than once, unhappy lovers threw themselves down from the minarets of the Taj Mahal, thus committing suicide. Therefore, now the entrance there is closed and reliably guarded by police. In addition, law enforcement officers ensure that visitors do not take photographs of parts of the mausoleum. Due to strict rules, photographs are only allowed at the entrance to the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal Mausoleum, located in Agra, is one of the most recognizable landmarks not only in India but throughout the world. The structure was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth. The Taj Mahal is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, as well as a symbol of eternal love. In this article I will tell you about the history of this miracle, as well as the most interesting facts and events related to it.

The Taj Mahal is the most outstanding example of Mughal architecture, combining elements of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is essentially an integrated complex of structures, the central and iconic component of which is the white domed marble mausoleum. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1653, and thousands of artisans and craftsmen worked day and night to create this miracle. A council of architects worked on the construction, but the main one was Ustad Ahmad Lakhauri

Let's start from the very beginning, namely with what prompted the emperor to build such a miracle. In 1631, grief befell Emperor Shah Jahan, the ruler of the Mughal Empire at the height of its power. His third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died while giving birth to their 14th child. A year later, construction began, which Shah Jahan decided to undertake, driven by his irrepressible grief and strong love for his dead wife.

The main mausoleum was completed in 1648, and the surrounding buildings and garden were completed 5 years later. Let's move on to describing each of the structural elements of the complex in detail.

Taj Mahal Mausoleum

The tomb is the architectural center of the Taj Mahal complex. This huge, white marble structure stands on a square pedestal and consists of a symmetrical building with an arched doorway, topped by a large dome. Like most Mughal tombs, the main elements here are of Persian origin.

Inside the mausoleum there are two tombs - the Shah and his beloved wife. The height of the structure is 74 meters including the platform, and there are 4 minarets in the corners, slightly inclined to the side. This was done so that if they fell, they would not damage the central building.


The marble dome that adorns the tomb is the most spectacular part of the Taj Mahal. Its height is 35 meters. Because of its special shape, it is often called an onion dome. The shape of the dome is emphasized by four smaller domed figures placed at the corners of the tomb, which follow the onion shape of the main dome

The domes are topped with gilded figures in the traditional Persian style. The crown of the main dome was originally made of gold, but was replaced by a replica in bronze in the 19th century. The crown is labeled with the month in typical Islamic style, with horns pointing upward

The minarets, each 40 meters high, also display perfect symmetry. They were designed to function - a traditional element of mosques that calls the Islamic believer to prayer. Each minaret is divided into three equal parts by two working balconies encircling the tower. All decorative design elements of the minarets are also decorated with gilding

Exterior
The exterior design of the Taj Mahal can undoubtedly be considered one of the best examples of world architecture. Since the surface of the structure is different in different areas, the artistic design was chosen proportionally. Decorative elements were created using various paints, plaster, stone inlays and carvings. In accordance with the Islamic prohibition on the use of anthropomorphic forms, decorative elements are grouped into symbols, abstract forms and plant motifs

Throughout the complex, passages from the Koran are also used as decorative elements. On the gate at the entrance to the Taj Mahal park complex there are four verses from the 89th sura of the Koran “Dawn”, addressed to the human soul:
“O you, resting soul! Return to your Lord satisfied and having achieved contentment! Come in with My servants. Enter My Paradise!

Abstract shapes are used throughout, especially in pedestals, minarets, gates, mosques, and even on tomb surfaces. For more low levels The tombs are decorated with realistic marble figures of flowers and vines. All these images are polished and inlaid with stones such as yellow marble, jasper and jade

Interior

The interior of the Taj Mahal strays far from traditional decorative elements. A large number of precious and semi-precious stones were used inside, and the inner hall is a perfect octagon, which can be accessed from any side of the structure. However, only the south door on the garden side is used.
The internal walls are 25 meters high with a ceiling in the form of an internal dome decorated in the shape of a sun. Eight large arches divide the interior space into proportional parts. Four central arches form balconies and observation decks with a viewing window carved in marble. In addition to these windows, light also enters through special openings at the corners of the roof. Like the outside, everything inside is decorated with bas-reliefs and inlays

Muslim tradition prohibits the decoration of graves. Consequently, the bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan were placed in a simple crypt, with their faces turned towards Mecca. Both the base and the coffin itself are carefully inlaid with precious stones. Calligraphic inscriptions on the tombstone praise Mumtaz. The rectangular diamond shape on the lid of her tomb was presumably designed to allow writing on. The cenotaph of Shah Jahan is located next to Mumtaz, and is the only asymmetrical element in the entire complex, as it was added later. It is larger than the wife's coffin, but decorated with the same elements

On the tomb of Shah Jahan there is a calligraphic inscription that reads: “He set out on a journey from this world to the abode of Eternity on the night of the twenty-sixth day of the month of Rajab 1076.”

Taj Mahal Gardens
Let's move on to a description of the magnificent garden adjacent to the architectural complex. The Mughal garden stretches 300 meters in length. The architects came up with raised paths that divide each of the 4 sections of the garden into 16 sunken beds. The water channel in the center of the park is lined with marble, with a reflecting pond located in the middle, between the tomb and the gate. It reflects the image of the tomb. The emperor was inspired to create the garden after seeing the same luxuries among the Persian sheikhs. The Taj Mahal Garden is unusual in that the main element, the mausoleum, is located at the end of the garden. Early sources describe a garden with an abundance of vegetation, including exquisite varieties of roses, daffodils, and hundreds of fruit trees. But over time, the Mughal empire weakened, and there was no one to guard the gardens. During the reign of the British Empire, the landscaping of the garden was modified, and it began to resemble an ordinary lawn in central London

Adjoining buildings
The Taj Mahal complex is bordered on three sides by jagged red sandstone walls, with the river side remaining open. Outside the walls of the central structure there are several additional mausoleums where the rest of Jahan's wives are buried, as well as the large tomb of his beloved servant Mumtaz. These structures are built of red sandstone, typical of Mughal-era tombs. Nearby is the Music House, which is now used as a museum. The main gate is a monumental structure built from marble. Its vaulted passages follow the shape of the vaulted passages of the tomb, and the arches are decorated with the same elements as the tomb. All elements are carefully planned from a geometric point of view

At the far end of the complex are two large buildings made of the same red sandstone, located on either side of the tomb. They are absolutely identical, the building on the left was used as a mosque, and the identical building on the right was built for symmetry, but may have been used as a boarding house. The construction of these buildings was completed in 1643



History of the construction of the Taj Mahal
Here I will tell you about interesting facts from the history of the construction of the complex. The Taj Mahal was built on a piece of land south of the city of Agra. Shah Jahan presented Maharaja with Jai Singh big palace in the center of Agra in exchange for this land. Large-scale excavation work was carried out on the territory of the complex. A huge pit was dug and filled with dirt to reduce the flowability of the soil. The site itself was raised 50 meters above the river level. When laying the foundation of the tomb, deep wells were dug and filled with rubble for drainage and foundation support. Instead of bamboo scaffolding, workers built huge brick supports surrounding the tomb - this greatly facilitated further work. Later it took years to dismantle these scaffoldings - they were so huge. In order to speed up this process, Shah Jahan allowed the peasants to use these bricks for their needs.

A fifteen-kilometer trench was dug in the ground to transport marble and other materials to the construction site. Teams of 20-30 oxen pulled large blocks on specially designed carts. A system of special reservoirs was built to supply water from the river to the canal and to the complex itself. The pedestal and tomb of the Taj Mahal were built in 12 years, while the rest of the complex took another 10 years to complete. The total cost of construction was approximately 32 million rupees at that time

Materials from all over Asia were used for the construction of the complex. More than a thousand elephants were used for transportation. In total, twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into white marble. 20 thousand workers from northern India were involved in the construction. Most likely they did the hardest work in slave conditions, since even in our time people in India work like slaves - for example, the article “Child labor in India”. Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, and stone carvers from Balochistan, Turkey, and Iran were also involved.

Soon after the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his own son Aurangzeb and arrested at the Delhi Fort. After his death, he was buried in the mausoleum next to his beloved wife. By the end of the 19th century, parts of the structure fell into disrepair. The Taj Mahal was looted by British soldiers and officials, who carved precious materials from the walls of the building. At the same time, Lord Curzon conceived a large-scale reconstruction, which was completed in 1908. At the same time, the famous garden was modified, giving the lawns a British style.

In 1942, the government erected scaffolding in an attempt to camouflage the Taj Mahal before an attack by Luftwaffe and Japanese pilots. air force. The same action was taken during the India-Pakistan Wars of 1965 and 1971. This had an effect, and the structure remained intact and unharmed.

Currently, the complex is threatened by environmental pollution. Due to the pollution of the Jumna River, there is a threat of its shallowing and soil erosion. Cracks began to appear in the walls of the tomb, and the mausoleum began to settle. Due to air pollution, the building began to lose its whiteness and a yellow coating appeared, which has to be cleaned annually. The Indian government is taking urgent measures to close hazardous industries in Agra and expand the environmental protection zone, but this has not yet had an effect

The Taj Mahal is India's top tourist attraction, attracting between 2 and 4 million tourists annually, more than 200,000 of them from abroad. There is a special entry price for Indian citizens, many times lower than for foreigners. The complex brings huge amounts of money to the state treasury, replenishing the budget. Most tourists visit the complex starting in October, during the cooler time of year. Due to measures to protect nature, access by buses is prohibited here; an electric tram that brings tourists from special remote parking lots is supervised

The Taj Mahal is included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World, as a result of a worldwide vote held in 2007. The monument is open to the public from 6:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, with the exception of Fridays, when prayers are held in the mosque. For safety reasons, you are only allowed to bring into the territory water in transparent bottles, small video cameras, photo cameras, mobile phones and small handbags.

Real art means something that helps you to be meditative. Gurdjieff called real art objective art, it helps you meditate. The Taj Mahal is true art. It's worth going there.
I would like to tell the story of how the Taj Mahal came into existence.
One person came from Shiraz, Iran. He was called Shirazi because he came from Shiraz. He was a great artist, the most famous in Shiraz. And he was a wonderful man. Before he came to India, there were a thousand and one stories about him. The Emperor was Shah Jahan; he had heard about these stories. He invited the sculptor to the court. Shirazi was a Sufi mystic.
Shah Jahan asked him:
“I heard that you can sculpt the entire body of a man or woman just by touching their hand and without seeing their faces.” This is true?
“Give me one chance,” Shirazi replied, “but on one condition.” Place twenty-five beautiful women from your palace behind the curtain. Let me touch their hands from behind the curtain. I will touch their hands and choose one, but with one condition. Whoever I choose, I will make a statue of her; if the statue is absolutely true, and you and your entire court are satisfied, then this woman will be mine. I want to marry her, I want a woman from your palace.
Shah Jahan was ready. He said:
- I agree.

Twenty-five beautiful slaves were placed behind the curtain. He went from the first to the twenty-fifth and rejected them all. Just for fun, Shah Jahan's daughter, who stood behind the curtain when all twenty-five were rejected, extended her hand. He touched her hand, closed his eyes, felt something and said:
- Here is my hand.
And he put a ring on his hand as a sign that, if successful, she would be his wife.
The Shah looked behind the curtain and was horrified: “What has this girl done?” But he didn't worry because it was almost impossible to make a sculpture of a woman just by touching her hand.
For three months, Shirazi disappeared into his room. He worked day and night. Three months later, he invited the emperor, and the entire court and the emperor could not believe their eyes. She looked exactly like it! He did it. The emperor did not find a single flaw - he wanted to find a flaw because he did not want his daughter to marry a poor man, but now there was no way out: he gave his word.
He was alarmed, and his wife became so alarmed that she became ill. She was pregnant, and while giving birth to the child, she died in agony. Her name was Mumtaj Mahal. And the king fell into despair - how to save his daughter? He asked the sculptor to come and told him the whole story.
- It was a mistake. The girl is to blame for everything, but look at my situation: my wife died, and she died because she could not agree for her daughter to marry a poor man. And I also cannot agree, although I gave my word.
The sculptor said:
- There's nothing to worry about. You should have told me right away; I will return to Shiraz. Don't worry. Forget it!
“But this is impossible,” said the king, “I cannot forget.” I gave you my word. Wait. Let me think.
The Prime Minister proposed:
- Do this thing: your wife died, this is a great artist, and he proved it. Let him make a copy in memory of your wife. You must create a beautiful grave, the most beautiful in the world. And make it a condition that if you approve this copy, you will have to give your daughter to him as a wife. If you don't approve of her, it's over.
This was discussed with the artist, and he agreed.
“And I,” thought the king, “will never approve.”
And Shirazi made many copies, and they were so beautiful, but still the king persisted and said: “No, no, no.” The First Minister was in despair because these copies were of rare beauty, and it was unfair to reject them. And he spread a rumor, making sure that it reached the sculptor, that the girl he had chosen was very sick. She was sick for a week, a week later she became even worse, and in the third week she died - according to rumors. When the sculptor heard a rumor that the girl had died, he made his last copy. The girl died - his heart was broken. And this was the last copy. He brought it to the king, and he approved of it. The trick was that the girl was sick, and there was no longer any question of him marrying her.
This copy became the Taj Mahal. This copy was created by a Sufi mystic. How could he create the entire image of a woman just by touching her hand? He was probably in some other space. He was probably out of his mind at that moment. This moment was supposed to be a moment of great meditation. At that moment he touched the energy, and simply by feeling the energy, he recreated the entire image.
Now this is much easier to understand logically thanks to Kirlian photography, because every energy has own sample. Your face is no accident; your face is like that because you have a certain energy pattern. Your eyes, your hair, your color are all because you have a certain personal energy pattern.
Meditators have been working on energy patterns for centuries. Once you know the energy pattern, you know the whole personality. You know it through and through, all of it, because energy creates everything. You know the past, you know the present, you know the future. Once the energy pattern is understood, you have the key, the understanding of everything that has happened to you and what will happen. This is objective art. This man created the Taj Mahal.
Meditating on the Taj Mahal on a full moon night makes your heart pulsate new love. The Taj Mahal still carries the energy of love. Mumtaj Mahal died out of love for her daughter; Shah Jahan suffered because of love; and Shirazi created this model because he suffered deeply, because he was deeply wounded, because his future was dark. The woman he had chosen was no longer there. Out of great love and meditativeness, the Taj Mahal came into existence. He still carries that vibration.

The Taj Mahal in India is located near Agra. In its external majestic appearance, it resembles a temple, but in fact it is a mausoleum built in honor of the second wife of Shah Jahan - Mumtaz Mahal (otherwise known as Arjumand Bano Begum).

History and Legends of Mumtaz Mahal

Translated, Taj Mahal means Crown of the Mughals. For some time it was also called Taj Bibi-ka-Rauza or the burial place of the queen of the heart. By old legend Prince Guram, the future Shah Jahan, once saw a poor girl in the market. Looking into her eyes, he immediately decided to take her as his wife. So, at the age of 19, Arjumand Bano Begum acquired the status of the second wife of Prince Guram. Guram had many other wives and concubines, but it was Mumtaz who won the heart of the future ruler for a long time.

Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

During the conquest of the throne, Mumtaz became the prince's most faithful companion. But the struggle was serious: the prince was opposed by his brothers, and besides, he had to hide from his own father Jahangir. But still, in 1627, Guram managed to seize the throne and receive the status of Shah Jahan - ruler of the world.

Mumtaz occupied an important place in the life of the government. Shah Jahan organized various receptions and feasts in her honor. Mumtaz was present at all important state ceremonies, she was listened to even at state councils.

The specific facts about Mumtaz's life and death are mixed up in different sources, which over time made them a legend. So Mumtaz gave birth to nine or thirteen children, and died in 1636 or 1629. The reason is also confused - according to one of them she fell ill, according to the other she died during childbirth. Much comes down to the fact that this event occurred during the return with victory from the Deccan. Legend also says that before her death, Mumtaz asked her husband to build a tomb equal to their love.

History of the creation of the mausoleum

Initially, the queen was buried in Burkhan-Nur, where she died. Six months later, her remains were brought to Agra. And on the anniversary of his death, Shah Jahan began construction of the mausoleum. The best architects of the East took part in the project competition. All the masters were surpassed by the architect Usto Isa Khan Effendi from Shiraz. On the whole, the emperor really liked his project, and was only partially changed later.

It took 22 years for 20 thousand people to build this landmark of India. The tomb itself was surrounded by a wall made of red sandstone. In front of the Taj Mahal mausoleum, a huge courtyard was built for the future garden. According to one of the beautiful legends, on the opposite side of the Jumna River, the ruler began the construction of another mausoleum of the same shape, but made of black marble, for himself. Shah Jahan's love for symmetry is visible in this legend and in the general architecture of the building. The construction of an anti-copy of the mausoleum was not destined to come true - his son Aurangzeb intercepted the throne and imprisoned his father in the Red Fort. This is how Shah Jahan spent his recent years lived under house arrest and died in 1666.

According to his father's will, Aurangzeb transfers his body to the Taj Mahal to his wife. Many other wives of Shah Jahan, as well as some family members and their associates, were also buried here.

The Taj Mahal is really very beautiful building. No description, photo or video can convey the true beauty of this structure. The architecture of the building conveys a mixture of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture. The fortress walls are framed at the corners by pavilion towers. In the center rises the tomb building itself in iridescent colors depending on the lighting. At night it appears dazzlingly white, and when the river is in flood, all this beauty is evenly reflected in its flow.

The building is surrounded on three sides by a park. The façade of the palace is made up of a marble portal flanked on either side by two domed towers. Along the central axis of the mausoleum in front of the facade there is an irrigation canal divided by a pool. There are paths from the pool towards the four minarets, to which access has been closed due to suicide cases.

The feeling of lightness of the building from afar is reinforced by its decoration upon closer examination. So the walls are painted with a subtle pattern, the marble blocks are inlaid with gems that shimmer in the light. It seems that this building was erected quite recently. It is not surprising that according to another legend, Shah Jahan ordered the hands of the architect to be cut off so that he could not repeat this.

Two side staircases lead to the second floor of the tomb, where open terraces lie under a huge dome rising to a height of 74 meters. Niches are carved into the facade of the building, which further enhances the feeling of weightlessness of the building. Entering through the facade passage, you can see a spacious hall, in the center of which there are two white marble sarcophagi.

Sarcophagi

The walls of the building are decorated with stone mosaics. They are woven into many plants, garlands of flowers, letters. The vaults of the arches are painted with fourteen suras from the Koran.

The Indian Taj Mahal, the most famous monument of love, has long become a symbol of this country. It is one of the most popular attractions among tourists, perceived as eternal story love in stone.

The girl that the Indian Prince Jahan once saw in the market was so beautiful that he immediately brought her to the palace, making her his beloved wife: Mumtaz Mahal managed to captivate her husband so much that he did not look at other women until her death. At the same time, she did not sit at home, she always accompanied him on military campaigns and was the only person in the world whom he trusted and with whom he often consulted.

This gives grounds to assert that the story that Mumtaz was of plebeian origin is a myth far from reality. In fact, she had a noble origin, was the daughter of a vizier and was a distant relative of Jahan’s mother, and therefore received an extremely good education (otherwise the young woman would hardly have been able to give constructive advice).

They lived together for about seventeen years, during which time Mumtaz gave birth to fourteen children to her husband, and died during the birth of the last child. First, she was buried in the city in which she died, in Burhan Noor, and six months later her remains were transported to one of the most prosperous cities in India, Agra. It was here that the inconsolable widower decided to build a tomb for his wife, which was supposed to be worthy of Mumtaz in beauty and would tell descendants a story of incredible love by its very appearance.

It was decided almost immediately in which city to build the Taj Mahal mausoleum (“taj” means “crown”, “mahal” means “palace”): the suburb of Agra, one of the most beautiful and developed cities in India, located on the banks of the river, was best suited for this way. To be able to build a mosque on the chosen territory, Shah Jahan had to exchange this site for a palace located in the center of Agra.

He did not have to regret this: this area near the city was not only extremely beautiful and picturesque, but also turned out to be seismically resistant - in the years following the completion of construction work, earthquakes failed to cause serious damage to the structure.

The main building was designed by Turkish architect Ismail Afandi from Ottoman Empire, and his compatriot Usatada Isa is considered the creator of the architectural image of the monument - it was their projects that Jahan liked most. The choice of the ruler turned out to be successful: the erected Taj Mahal (Agra) turned out to be one of the most outstanding monuments in the world, successfully combining the styles of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles, and was recently recognized as one of the wonders of the world.

Construction of the tomb

Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and construction lasted twenty-one years (the tomb was completed ten years earlier). To build this unique complex, more than 20 thousand workers from all over India, as well as architects, artists, and sculptors from nearby countries, were involved in the construction work.

An area near the city (Agra) measuring 1.2 hectares was dug up, after which, in order to reduce the flowability of the soil, the soil was replaced. The level of the site planned for the construction of the mosque was raised 50 meters above the shore level. After this, the workers dug wells and filled them with rubble stone, thus obtaining a foundation, which was also supposed to act as a kind of cushion during earthquakes and would prevent the complex from collapsing.


Interesting fact: instead of bamboo scaffolding, the architects decided to use brick scaffolding: it was easier to work with heavy marble. Stone forests looked so impressive that the architects were afraid that it would take several years to dismantle them. Jahan found a way out of the situation by announcing that any resident of Agra could take the required number of bricks - and the scaffolding was dismantled in a few days.

To deliver building materials to the mosque, the Hindus built a gently sloping earthen platform along which oxen dragged luggage located on specially designed carts. They were delivered to the city from all over India (and not only). The most important building material, white marble, was brought to the city from Makrana and Rajasthan, which were located 300 km from Agra.

The marble blocks were raised to the required height using special devices. The water needed for construction work was first extracted from the river, after which it was poured into a reservoir, from where it rose into a special reservoir and was sent through pipes to the construction site.


Architectural complex

All buildings architectural complex Taj Mahal, Agra from a geometric point of view were extremely carefully planned. Central building The complex is a mausoleum that tells the story of the love story of the ruling couple of India. This wonder of the world is surrounded on three sides by jagged walls built from red sandstone, thus leaving it open for viewing only from the river side.

The Taj Mahal tomb, Agra, is surrounded by several more tombs in which other wives of the ruler were buried (they were also built from red sandstone, which was often used in the construction of crypts of that time). Not far from the main mausoleum is the Music House (now there is a museum there).

The main gate, like the main building, is made of marble, the entrance is decorated with an openwork white portico, on top there is an eleventh dome, on the sides there are two towers with white domes. On both sides of the central tomb, two large structures were built from red sandstone: the building on the left was used by the residents of Agra as a mosque, and the building on the right served as a boarding house. They were built for balance - so that during an earthquake nothing would collapse.

In front of the mausoleum there is a luxurious park, the length of which is 300 meters. In the middle of the park, there is an irrigation canal lined with marble, in the center of which a pool was built, in which the mausoleum is completely reflected (paths lead from it to the four minarets).


According to descriptions of eyewitnesses, in former times Agra and its park amazed with the abundance of vegetation: roses, daffodils, huge amount garden trees. After India came under the British Empire, its appearance changed significantly - and it began to resemble an ordinary English lawn.

What does the tomb look like?

The main structure of this architectural complex, located in the city of Agra, is the Taj Mahal mausoleum, built of white marble. It is best viewed from the river, since there is no wall on this side.

It looks especially gorgeous at dawn: the tomb is reflected in the water, creating the illusion of unreality and, if you look at it from the opposite bank, you get the impression that this miracle is floating in the pre-dawn fog, and the rays that appear create an amazing play of colors on the walls.

Such airiness and a feeling of “floating” are given to the mausoleum primarily by unusual proportions, when the height of the building has the same dimensions as its width, as well as a huge dome, which seems to carry with it the smaller elements of the structure - four small domes and minarets.


The Taj Mahal Mausoleum, Agra tells the world the beautiful love story between Jahan and Mumtaz Maha and is of incredible beauty. The height and width of the mausoleum is 74 meters. The facade of the tomb is square in shape, with semicircular niches built into it, giving the massive building a weightless appearance. The mausoleum is crowned by a 35-meter-high marble dome, shaped like an onion.

The top of the dome is decorated with a month, the horns of which are directed upward (until the 19th century it was gold, and then it was replaced by an exact copy made of bronze).

At the corners of the tomb, emphasizing the shape of the main dome, there are four smaller vaults that completely repeat its shape. At the corners of the mausoleum, at a slight inclination in the opposite direction from the tomb, there are four towers (minarets) decorated with gilding, about 50 m high (the inclination was provided for at the early stage of construction work, so that if they fell, they could not damage the main structure).

The walls of the Taj Mahal (Agra) are painted with a fine pattern and built of white marble with gems inserted into it (28 types of precious stones in total). Especially many decorative elements can be seen on pedestals, gates, mosques, as well as at the bottom of the mausoleum.

Thanks to the unique marble, the mausoleum looks different throughout the day: during the day the tomb is white, at dawn it is pink, and on a moonlit night it becomes silver. Previously, the entrance doors were made of pure silver, but later, like many other valuable decorative elements, they were stolen (by whom - history is silent).

Inside view

The inside of the Taj Mahal (city of Agra) looks no less remarkable than the outside. The entrance to the mausoleum is decorated with a gallery with elegant columns. The hall inside the tomb is an octagon, which can be entered from any side of the tomb (now this can only be done from the park). Inside the hall, behind a marble screen, there are two sarcophagi made of white marble, which in reality are false tombs, since the graves themselves are located under the floor.

On the lid of the sarcophagus of the ruler's wife there are inscriptions praising her. The only asymmetrical element in the entire complex is Jahan’s sarcophagus, which was installed after his death: the ruler’s coffin is slightly larger than his wife’s coffin. The height of the walls inside the building is 25 m, and the ceiling decorated with the sun is made in the form of an internal dome.

The entire space inside the hall is divided by eight arches, above which you can read quotes from the Koran. The four middle arches form balconies with windows through which light enters the hall (besides these windows, the sun's rays enter the room through special openings in the roof). You can climb to the second floor of the mausoleum via one of two side staircases. The walls inside the tomb are everywhere decorated with mosaics made of gems, which form various symbols, plants, flowers, letters.

Death of Jahan

After the completion of the construction of the Taj Mahal, Agra, the ruler’s son, Aurangzeb, overthrew his father from the throne and put him in prison, in which the former ruler spent several years (according to one legend, its windows overlooked the tomb of his beloved wife, which he had built).

After Jahan's death, the son fulfilled his father's will and buried him next to his wife. This is how the love story ended, imprinting its memory for centuries in a unique building that still stands today.

 

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