The stone flowers of the Taj Mahal

I spent two weeks working in Delhi, India during January. I had one weekend off and had planned to spend it in Delhi at my own leisure, but when the guys I worked with offered to take me to Agra and show me the Taj Mahal I off course promptly accepted.


The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The magnificent white marble mausoleum is the tomb of Mughal empress Mumtaz Mahal, the favorite wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631 while giving birth to their 14th child and Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a monument and tomb for his beloved wife (and later of Jahan himself). So it’s understandable that the Taj is told in most tourist guides as a true monument to love, or “a teardrop on the face of time” as the British historian Michael Wood poetically phrases it.


South facade of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal rises up on a marble platform that makes it seem to almost float in mid-air when observed from the entrance gateway of the complex. The precise proportions and strict symmetry of the structure are incredible to watch and permeate everything from the minarets and facades on the large scale to the floral motifs inlaid with stone on the small scale.


Floral motifs inlaid with stone above the south portal

The four facades of the tomb are identical and each has a grand portal, known as an iwan or pishtaq. Each portal is bordered by a rectangular frame decorated with inscriptions of verses from the Qur’an inlaid with black marble. The triangular spaces on either side of the point of the arch are decorated with carved arabesque and floral designs inlaid with semiprecious stones.


Decorated marble plinths inside the south portal

In Islamic culture flowers are often seen as symbols of Paradise; the kingdom of God. And stone flowers are everywhere at the Taj Mahal - flowers depicted with realism, yet with a soft lyricism that almost makes you forget they are carved in marble or inlaid with stone. And again the perfect symmetry is everywhere.

One can only admire the artisans who crafted these exquisite marble carvings; marble is a very hard stone to cut and they worked with large slabs of marble – in the above photo there goes 3 “plants” to one slab of marble. In case the craftsmen made just the smallest mistake they would have to ditch the whole slab and start from scratch.


Flower cut in marble, south portal


Floral designs inlaid with stone, south portal

As you enter the burial chamber of Mumtaz Mahal the floral motifs become even more pronounced and eminently detailed. Flowers – both cut and inlaid with stone – are absolutely everywhere. Photography is not allowed within the tomb, but I managed to “sneak in” a couple of (no flash) pictures while the guards were otherwise occupied (I hope taking pictures inside the tomb is not considered rude or bad taste – to my defense I’ll say that the Indian visitors also let loose and took lots of pictures while the guards were gone ;-)


Detailed floral pattern inlaid with stone, burial chamber

It has been said that the only discordant note in the Taj is, ironically enough, the tomb of Shah Jahan placed next to that of Mumtaz. The building was designed so that Mumtaz’s tomb would be its single centerpiece directly below the central dome in the octagonal burial chamber – Shah Jahan’s tomb breaks the symmetry that otherwise permeates the whole construction.


Inscriptions from the Qur’an inlaid with black marble


The main tomb building of the Taj Mahal

Four minarets sit at the corners of the square, raised marble platform that houses the main tomb building. Each slender, round tower is made of white marble, outlined in inlaid black stone, and includes a winding internal staircase leading up to its gallery (which is no longer used to call the faithful to prayer, though)


Minaret at the Taj Mahal

If you have the chance, seeing the Taj Mahal is a must – its ethereal, sad beauty will silence even the most cynical of world travelers.

As a foreigner visiting the Taj Mahal be prepared for a massive difference in entrance fees, though – I paid 750 INR while my Indian friend had to pay only 20 INR. I understand why this is done but I don’t like the signal it’s sending. Maybe I’m just grumpy but after many visits to India I’m growing weary of the ubiquitous (and often professional) beggars and hustlers that seem to think that westerners are walking ATMs that will dispense cash on demand, and it makes me sad to see that even the official India, in this case represented by the Archaeological Survey of India, condones this view.


Tickets to the Taj Mahal

I just watched Michael Wood’s The Story of India and new discoveries apparently suggest that the design of the Taj Mahal might go back to Sufi saints – that the key to the Taj may be a mystic map of a Sufi’s dream, a map where different parts of the Taj Mahal complex represents different elements of the judgment day.


Monkeys at Agra Fort

It has absolutely nothing to do with the Taj Mahal, but I couldn’t resist posting this photo of a couple of monkeys living at the nearby Agra Fort. The monkeys seem to be seriously contemplating if they really need to adhere to the directives on the sign – or if they instead should be frolicking on the lawn, tearing off leaves and eating flowers.