Architecture of Taj Mahal

The catacomb of the Taj Mahal Agra stands in a formally laid-out walled garden entered through a spectator area. The architectural complex comprises five main elements: the Darwaza or main gateway, the Bageecha or garden, the Masjid or mosque, the Naqqar Khana or rest house, and the Rauza.

The unique Mughal style combines elements of Central Asian, Persian, and Islamic architecture. The mosques, built only to balance the masterpiece are set sufficiently far away to do no more than surround the mausoleum. In essence, the whole riverside podium is a mosque courtyard with a tomb at its hub. The great entrance gate with its vaulted central chamber, set at the end of the long waterway, would in any other setting be a monument in its own right.

The Taj Mahal stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners condensed, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and asymmetry of architectural basics. The four graceful and slender 162.5 feet minarets, set symmetrically about the tomb, are scaled down to amplify the effect of the prevailing, slightly spherical dome. Its central dome is 58 feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet It is edged by four subsidiary domed chambers.

The tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal are actually located in a shadowy burial chamber. Above them, in the main chamber are false tombs, a ordinary practice in mausoleums built during the Mughal period. Light is admitted into the central chamber by finely cut marble displays. The echo in this high-domed chamber is worth hearing, and there is always somebody there to express it.