Seven
Wonders of the World:
Taj Mahal
Taj
Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was
built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite
wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is considered the finest
example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines
elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural
styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the
jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired
masterpieces of the world's heritage."
While the white domed marble and tile mausoleum is most familiar,
Taj Mahal is an integrated symmetric complex of structures that was
completed around 1648. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered
to be the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.
History
By the late 19th
century, parts of the Taj Mahal had fallen badly into disrepair.
During the time of the Indian rebellion of 1857, the Taj Mahal was
defaced by British soldiers and government officials, who chiseled
out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. At the end of
19th century British viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a massive
restoration project, which was completed in 1908. He also
commissioned the large lamp in the interior chamber, modeled after
one in a Cairo mosque. During this time the garden was remodeled
with British-looking lawns that are visible today.
In 1942, the government erected a scaffolding in anticipation of an
air attack by German Luftwaffe and later by Japanese Air Force.
During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, scaffoldings were
again erected to mislead bomber pilots. Its recent threats have
come from environmental pollution on the banks of Yamuna River
including acid rain due to the Mathura oil refinery, which was
opposed by Supreme Court of India directives. In 1983, the Taj
Mahal was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
The
Garden
The complex is
set around a large 300-meter square charbagh, a Mughal garden. The
garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters
of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or
flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the center of
the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway, with a reflecting
pool on North-South axis reflects the image of the Taj Mahal.
Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and
fountains. The raised marble water tank is called al Hawd
al-Kawthar, in reference to "Tank of Abundance". The charbagh
garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to
India by the first Mughal emperor Babur. It symbolizes four
flowing rivers of Paradise and reflects the gardens of
Paradise derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning 'walled
garden'. In mystic Islamic texts of Mughal period, paradise is
described as an ideal garden of abundance with four rivers flowing
from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into
north, west, south and east.
Tourism
The Taj Mahal
attracts from 2 to 4 million visitors annually,
with more than 200,000 from overseas. Most tourists visit in the
cooler months of October, November, and February. Polluting traffic
is not allowed near the complex and tourists must either walk from
car parks or catch an electric bus. The Khawasspuras (northern
courtyards) are currently being restored for use as a new visitor
centre. The small town to the south of the Taj, known as Taj Ganji
or Mumtazabad, originally was constructed with caravanserais,
bazaars and markets to serve the needs of visitors and workmen.
Lists of recommended travel destinations often feature the Taj
Mahal, which also appears in several listings of seven wonders of
the modern world, including the recently announced New
Seven Wonders of the World, a recent poll with 100 million
votes.
Reference/Image Credits:Wikipedia, 1. Rebekahcoolbeans, 2. Wikimedia, 3. Taj-Mahal, 4. Taj-Mahal
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