TAJ MAHAL, INDIA

Location: On the banks of river Yamuna in Agra
Year of Construction: 1631-1653

Built By: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan

Spread Over: 42 acres

Significance: One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Taj Mahal of India - "the epitome of love", "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized. Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. It is believed that the name "Taj Mahal" was derived from the name of Shah Jahan wife Mumtaz Mahal and means "Crown Palace". The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make Taj Mahal travel gain a place amongst the most popular ones. However, unless and until, one knows the love story behind the Tajmahal of India, it will come up as just a beautiful building. But, the love behind this outstanding monument is what has given a life to this monument.

sourcehttp://www.tajmahal.org.uk/

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal: The Mughal Megalomania Referred to by the poet Rabindranath Tagore as a "tear on the face of eternity", the Taj Mahal is undoubtedly India’s most acclaimed landmark.Built to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, Arjumand Bann Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Elect of the Palace"), by the 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Taj epitomizes love for millions of people around the world. In fact, very few monuments are so instantly recognized the world over.Standing as a stunning monument to the Great Mughal Empire, Taj, overlooking the River Yamuna, is arguably the most photographed architectural gems in the world.

True to its reputation as a monument to romantic love, Taj has a poignant story attached to it. Shah Jahan, the great builder, was so devastated by the death of his wife Mumtaz Mahal that he set out to create an unmatched, eternal memorial to her life. Thus came into being the Taj Mahal. One of the architectural gems of the world, Taj kept some 20,000 labourers from all over Asia employed for nineteen years and remains a potent symbol of Mughal megalomania, visible from the Agra fort in the west, exuding romantic ambience at the northern end of large gardens enclosed by walls. Topped with a huge central dome, it extraordinarily finer detail of relief carving and monumental scale cast a spell on the viewer and he is left with saying “Wah Taj”. However Shah Jahan had little time to appreciate his achievement, only three years after the work was finished he fell ill in 1657 and war of succession broke out among his four sons. Aurangzeb, his third son, seized power after defeating his three brothers. Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor, was interned in the Red Fort at Agra. The legend has it that he spent his final years "gazing wistfully at the Taj Mahal" through the window. The name of the Taj’s chief architect is not known, but it is for certain that Mughal court's Persian calligrapher, Amanat Khan was responsible for the signing of many panels that embellish the gateways, mosque and tomb. While marble from Makrana, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, was used in the Taj, precious stones such as amethyst, onyx, turquoise, lapis lazuli, jade, crystal and coral - were brought to Agra from Persia, Afghanistan, Russia, China Tibet and the Indian Ocean.

Architecture
India's most seen tourist spot, the Taj Mahal, is essentially a squarish structure. Constructed of marble, precious stones on a commanding podium looking towards the Yamuna, Taj stands on an arcaded platform. The structure is crowned with a huge central dome that soars to a height of 55m. Words cannot do justice to the magnificence of Taj Mahal. You have to see it to believe it.

MEMORIAL TO LOVE

The Meaning and Experience of Place
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. But the monument also represented the King's desire for order and harmony, beauty and perfection. The Taj Mahal is an impressive structure partly because these ideas are supported visually by elements of size, proportion and decoration that are refinements of many centuries of architectural tradition in India. But there is more to the Taj Mahal than that. The message of the Taj is most powerful when one is physically there. It is a perfect example of architecture as a multi-sensory art form that is both very abstract and very concrete.In this lesson, students will explore a sense of place by considering three things:

1) the abstract ideas represented by a place
2) the concrete demonstration of these ideas in architectural elements
3) the sensory experience of being in a place and the way that experience enhances the understanding of its significance.

Students will write observational narratives about a place of their own choosing or invention, including detailed descriptions of the structure which represent the abstract ideas they would like to convey. This lesson will help students practice and increase higher-order thinking skills. It will lead students to investigate the following Life-long Learning

Question: What does the experience of a place tell us about ourselves and our values?
Grade Level: Middle to High SchoolSubject Areas: Visual Arts, Social Studies, Language ArtsLesson Length: one or two class periods

SOURCE:http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/ed_nav/level_1/ed_taj_frm.html