|
by George J Thaliath
|
|
|
Taj Mahal in Agra, beyond doubt, is the most precious architectural heritage of the wonder that was India. It was our second visit to Agra. Whenever I say this, my younger son jumps up with a note of objection. For, he was not born at that time. We visited Agra
in 1993 during our first trip to New Delhi.
Many times the real thing doesn't match the elegance of photographs. But, we were not at all disappointed. It was every bit as impressive in person as it is in photographs: stunningly beautiful and much much huger than we expected. We chose a conducted tour at that time. On the way we visited many places including birthplace of Lord Krishna in Mathura. So we had not got much time to spend in Agra. We decided to visit Agra again with sufficient time. It took another nine years to fulfill that wish. Agra reminds us of the old settlements of the early Aryans, the Hindu kings and the imperial glory of the mighty Mughals, the Muslim rulers. The Aryans chose the site because it was situated between the fertile banks of the holy rivers of Yamuna and Ganga. At that time Agra was called as 'Arya Griha' means dwelling place for Aryans. Some historians identify Agra with the 'Agra Vana' one of the 84 vanas (sub-forests) of Mahabarat period. It was a historical fact that Agra was governed by the Hindu Rajput Kings before the invasion of Mohammed Ghaznavi in 1022 AD. Agra was not on the historical map of India until Afgan King Sikandar Lodi made it his capital in 1504. Lodi was defeated by Babur, founder of Mughal Empire in 1526. Since then Agra remained first city of Mughal Empire for more than 150 years. During the reign of Akbar the great, grandson of Babur, Agra reached the pinnacle of its political power, cultural heights and architectural glory. Akbar followed a policy of national harmony and propagated a new religion called Din-E-Ilahi which contained in it all the best principles of almost all religions of the world. Though, Akbar was a Muslim ruler, yet he recognised the value of Hindus too and included Hindu ministers also in his cabinet of nine ministers called 'Nine Gems'. One of the wives of Akber was Jodha Bai, a Hindu Rajput princesses from Rajashan. We
Past the Chitor gate, installed in 1568, was the Diwan-i-Khas, or the Hall of Private Audience. Here, the emperor would receive kings, dignitaries and ambassadors. The famous gold throne called Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan was placed there. It was made of kilos of Gold, jewels. gems, diamonds and border of pearls. The head of the throne was decorated by none other than Kohinoor Diamond. It was presented by Emperor Humayun to his father and founder of Mughal Empire Babur when he visited Agra for the first time. It was greatest of that time and presently believed to be in London. The Peacock Throne was carried away by Nadir Shah to Persia in 1736 and later melted. Tucked away by the west wall of the hall was the Mina Masjid or the Heavenly mosque, where Shah Jahan prayed when he was imprisoned in the Fort by his son Aurangazeb. Shah Jahan had nothing to do for the rest of his life but look out of the window at this view of the Taj where his wife was buried. Shah Jahan passed his old age in disgust and agony. He lost his beloved wife in the mid days of his worldly life and remained sick rest of his life. His youngest son Aurangazeb murdered all his brothers and imprisoned Shah Jahan in Agra Fort. It was only Jahanara Begum, the beloved daughter of Shah Jahan, who remained with her father even in jail. On 31st January 1666, Shah Jahan asked Jahanara to put his neck little above so as to enable the old emperor to have a last glimpse of Taj Mahal. He expressed his last desire to be buried beside his beloved wife and and started a permanent voyage to heaven to join Mumtaz Mahal. A doorway from the rear of the Diwan-i- Khas lead us to the Mussaman Burj, a two-storeyed pavilion, where Shah Jahan caught the last glimpse of the Taj Mahal before he died. The guide showed us a particular spot in the wall by placing a small mirror there and explained that the Emperor was allowed to view Taj Mahal through a mirror only. Surrounded by a verandah, the elegant chamber
had a lattice-screen balustrade with ornamental niches; exquisite inlay covers almost every surface and a marble chhatri (umbrella) on top
added the finishing touch. Coming out of Agra Fort, we were surprised to notice Shivaji Smarak, a giant statue of horse mounted Chhatrapati Shivaji, a great Maharaja of Medieval period, pointing his sword symbolically towards the Agra Fort. It was the memorial of Shivaji's arrest and great escape during 1666, one of the defining moments in the rise of Maratha and decline of Mughals in the history. Shivaji had a great foresight and established Hindu Swaraj (self rule) in the most adverse circumstances. His reign proved to be the best example of welfare administration. His dazzling deeds and courage provided inspiration to those who sought freedom of India. Although he ruled the western region of India, too far from Agra and Delhi, the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeeb immediately realised that Shivaji's Swaraj could prove to be a threat to the Mughal empire. Shivaji visited Agra as per Purandar Treaty entered into with Mirza Raje Jaisingh on 12th May 1666. His meeting with Aurangazeeb took place at Divan-E- Khas in Agra Fort. In this visit Aurangazeeb accorded a humiliating treatment to Shivaji and kept him under house arrest at the so called "Shivaji Kothri" in Agra Fort. But with his brave skill and great planning Shivaji successfully managed to escape from this heavily guarded Fort on 17th August 1666. Disguised as a pandit (hindu priest), he travelled a long route from Agra to Gwalher (Gwalior), Narvar then straight to Burhanpur and reached Raigad safely. There are many a reasons for the
down fall of the mighty Mughal Empire. The empire, which was founded by
Babur and strengthened by the wit and wisdom of Akbar the Great, the same
empire was given a sense of justice by Jahangir and luster and fashion of
Noor Jahan, which was immortalised by Shah Jahan by constructing Taj Mahal,
could not be retained by the unwisely and intolerant policy of Aurangazeeb
and his incompetent successors. The Mughal rulers ruled major parts of
India even for name only up to 1857 when ultimately they were routed from
the throne by the British. Taj Mahal, perhaps the most enduring symbol of human love and one of the seven wonders of the world, was built by Sha Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in child birth after having previously giving him fourteen children. Shah Jahan bestowed upon her greatest degree of love because of her unusual charm, sincerity and pleasing manners. Mumtaz had major say in the administration during the reign of Shah Jahan. She was the chief advisor to the Emperor and the seal of authority was always in her possession. She fell seriously ill after her fourteenth delivery. Shah Jahan while on her bedside gave a word to effect a befitting memorial of her, the beauty of which would continue to be cherished in the world for ages. She left Shah Jahan on 17th June 1631 at the age of 39. The whole of the empire was shrouded in grief on death of this noble lady. Shah Jahan was no longer interested in the Durbar and other royal functions. He immediately started construction of Taj Mahal. During the time of festivals Shah Jahan used to cry like a baby on Mumtaz's tomb. His beard grew gray in an early age and he became very weak.
Arguably Taj Mahal (means Crown Palace) is still Indias most popular tourist attraction. In fact, for many outsiders visiting India, it is the most irresistible
spot drawing over three million tourists per year. This perfectly symmetrical edifice is set amidst landscaped gardens on the banks of river Yamuna. Built under the supervision of Persian architect Ustad Isa, the building in white marble has the verses of the Holy Quran inscribed on it. As Fergusson remarked, It is the combination of so many beauties and the perfect manner in which each is subordinated to the other that makes up a whole, which the word can not match and which never fails to impress even those who are most indifferent to the effects produced by architectural objects in general. From the gate a few steps took us
down into the magnificent Taj gardens designed by Ali Mardan Khan. The garden
contained four water channels to echo the four rivers of the Islamic
Paradise. Fountains and running channels of water with large reservoirs
were typical of their design. Originally, water was drawn up from the
river Yamuna by a system of buckets dipping into river and conveying water
up by a chain way drawn by bullocks or camels. While walking towards Taj, through the
marble pavements, Peter another tourist from Canada remarked, Taj Mahal was my first indication that something could be kept clean in India!
The upkeep of the Taj Mahal and surroundings
was adopted by Tatas, the biggest business house in India since June 2001. It was the finest example of
corporate participation to preserve heritage sites that are falling prey to decay and vandalism.
Although the Taj Mahal, also noted for its features like finely cut marble screens and use of gems, is amazingly graceful from almost any angle, its close-up is really astounding. I walked towards western side to take a photo and Taj looked great from there. The usual photographs of Taj were taken from the gate and they might not reflect the cubical structure of Taj. In fact, Taj gives similar views from four sides. We had to remove our footwear to get any closer. In India, many sacred places must be entered barefoot. Taj rises from a square platform measuring 313 ft (95 m) on a side, bearing a white marble minaret at each corner; the enclosure, 186 ft (57 m) on a side, has truncated corners and a high portal on each side. The white marble exterior is inlaid with semiprecious stones arranged in Arabic inscriptions (designed by a local artist Amanat Khan, who was Shah Jahan's calligrapher), floral designs, and arabesques, and the salient features of the interior are accented with agate, jasper, and colored marbles. The roofing dome, on the inside, is 80 ft (24.4m) high and 50 ft (15.2 m) in diameter; outside it forms a bulb, which tapers to a spire topped by a crescent. We entered the tomb chamber where strict silence was observed. The chamber, with its two sarcophagi, was an octagonal room in the center of the edifice right below the main dome and was softly illuminated by the light that passes through double screens of intricately carved marble set high in the walls. That exquisitely finished marble screen of eight sides around the cenotaphs took 10 years in its completion. On the cenotaph of the Queen, was written in black letters meaning 'the tomb of Arjumard Bano Begum, called Mumtaz Mahal, died in the year Hijri 1040. The Hurs of the heaven came down to greet her and the angels on date of her death said, "In the heaven may always be Mumtaz's seat". About five inches apart the western side was the sarcophagi of the Emperor Shah Jahan. The cenotaph slab was a little higher than that of the Empress. The inscription on it was like this.'The Mausoleum of the most excite majesty living his abode in paradise, the second lord of constellation, may ever flourish. Here lies Shah Jahan, Emperor called Firdaus Ashyani (a dweller in paradise) who was born like Jimur when Jupiter and Venus were in heaven. He passed away from the world on the night of 28 of the month of Rajab 1076'. The royal couple, however, were buried in an underground vault. It was locked up for various reasons. Through the grills one could view shadows of two sarcophagi very similar to the two above. The underground chamber was open during our last visit in 1993. I had recollected tourists inspecting the most complicated marble artworks on the walls of the basement with the help of flashlights. It was a very sunny day and the temperature was around 45 Degree Celsius (about 120 Degree Fahrenheit). But, the inside of the building was very cool. One could feel heat when come out of the inner chamber. It was very difficult to even walk barefoot over the hot marble floor. We spend some time sitting under the shadow of one of the four minarets. There had been reliable reports that one of the four minarets of the Taj Mahal has tilted slightly. Experts had already started studies on whether a tower had leaned outward by 8.5 inches. Dangerous tilts in the minarets, first noticed in 1942 have continued to increase over the years. They were caused by the dry Yamuna river bed, which must once again be filled if the monument was to be saved. Yamuna used to be full of water to maintain the monument's balance and absorb tectonic shocks. Now that the river bed is dry and the Taj is exposed to the elements. We started our return from Agra at about 5pm leaving behind the poem in marble, too pure, too splendid work of human hands. All were excited. While leaving Agra I asked my wife softly, "What do you think about Taj Mahal?" I saw the shining in her eyes in the dim light. She looked at my eyes and said, "I would die tomorrow to have a Taj over my grave"
|
went straight to the magnificent Agra Fort built by Akbar the
Great, and extended by Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj Mahal. Although there had been a fort there before, what is now known as Agra Fort was built between 1565 and 1605. Tourists can only visit one third of it, the rest is reserved for the military. The high red sandstone ramparts of this great monument stretch for almost 2.5 kilometers, dominating a bend in the river Yamuna, northwest of the Taj Mahal. The foundation of this majestic citadel was laid by the Emperor Akbar and it was developed as a stronghold of the Mughal Empire under successive generations. 
The curved bastions of the huge walls were interrupted by impressive gates. We entered the fort through Delhi Gate,the original and grandest entrance, which lead us to the inner portal called the Hathi Pol or Elephant Gate. After walking for about five minutes from the gate, we reached the graceful Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences. Made of red sandstone, it was constructed by Shah Jahan in 1628. Three rows of white polished stucco pillars topped by peacock arches support the flat roof.
All those peacocks arches were in perfect symmetry and exhibits the same
view straight as well as cornerwise. (see picture below) The hall had been bereft of brocade decorations, silk carpets and satin canopies, which would have enhanced the elegance of the settings when the Emperor sat down with his subjects to hear their complaints. 
The Agra Fort
houses the Royal Pavilions, which were designed to catch the cool breeze wafting across the river. Other attractions comprise the Macchi Bhawan
(Fish Palace), the
Hammam- i-Shahi (the Royal Bath), the Nagina Masjid (the Gem Mosque), and the Zenana Meena Bazaar, where the ladies of the court would browse through goods like silk, jewellery and brocade. 
Tourists flocked in the balcony to have their first sight of Taj Mahal.
Fellow tourist Dan from US said, The moment I saw Taj all my uncertainties about the trip melted away. The Taj on the banks of the river Yamuna was such a great view. The original idea was to build a black Taj on the other bank and a bridge between them. What a sight that would have been! The black Taj was never built as the emperors son, Aurangzeb, thought it was too expensive and had the work stopped.
In 2002 Uther Pradesh state government had come forward with a gigantic project to build a Taj Heritage Corridor across the river consisting of a giant shopping mall. It later became a big scandal placing then Chief Minister Mayawati and her cabinet colleagues in big trouble.
monument to his late queen was
completed, he would be in for a bit of a shock. He might conclude that the Taj had lost some of its transcendent purity.
