Taj Mahal
Located at the city of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the
Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of
architecture in the world.
Taj Mahal was born for love. The construction of this
marble masterpiece is credited to the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan who erected this mausoleum in memory of his beloved
wife. It started in A.D. 1632 and completed at the ended in
1648 A.D. For seventeen years，twenty thousand workmen are
said to have been employed on it daily.，for their
accommodation a small town，named after the deceased
empress- 'Mumtazabad'，now known as Taj Ganj，was built
adjacent to it .
The building rests on a platform of red sandstone. Four thin white towers, or minarets, rise from the corners of the platform. A large dome rises from the center of the building. Around this large dome there are four smaller domes. The building is made of fine white marble with inlays of colored marble. It has eight sides and many open arches. There is an open corridor just inside the outer walls. From this corridor the visitor looks through carved marble screens to a central room. The bodies of Shah Jehan and his wife lie in a tomb below this room. The entire mausoleum is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems. The main archways give a captivating charm to its beauty. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration. The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque, a guest house, and several other palatial buildings. The large garden contains four reflecting pools dividing it at the center. Each of these four sections is further subdivided into four sections and then each into yet another four sections.
A beautiful garden surrounds the Taj Mahal. The green trees make the marble look even whiter. In front of the main entrance to the building there is the reflection of Taj Mahal in the water of a narrow pond.
The materials were brought in from all over India and central Asia and white marble from Jodhpur. Precious stones for the inlay came from Baghdad, Egypt, Russia, China, and so on. The unique Mughal style combines elements and styles of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic architecture. The Bageecha, the ornamental gardens through which the paths lead, are planned along classical Mughal char bagh style. Two marble canals studded with fountains, lined with cypress trees emanating from the central, raised pool cross in the centre of the garden, dividing it into four equal squares. In each square there are 16 flower beds, making a total of 64 with around 400 plants in each bed. The feature to be noted is that the garden is laid out in such a way as to maintain perfect symmetry. The channels, with a perfect reflection of the Taj, used to be stocked with colorful fish and the gardens with beautiful birds.
Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience the Taj as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.
It constructs history glorious, the project grand is vast , is the world unusual miracle. I deem that the beauty of historic scenic should lie in its culture connotation. Image that : From the tower ,the king spent his last days as a prisoner of his son and usurper to the empire, gazing at the tomb of his beloved. I am moved by the scene deeply.。