Assignment 1: Architectural Experience

The Taj Mahal

EVDA 523.01: Premodern Traditions of the World

Name: Sumer Matharu

Student ID: 10047835

Date: 22 September 2015

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List of Figures

1. At the base of the Taj Mahal Page 7

2. Behind the Taj Mahal, overlooking the Yamuna river Page 7

3. Looking through a carved motif inside the Taj Mahal Page 7

4. Inlaid precious stones inside the Taj Mahal Page 7

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The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in India for his wife

Mumtaz Mahal. I visited this architectural marvel when I was 7 years old and again

when I was 27 years old. It was a different experience each time although I saw the

same things.

When I was 7, I visited as part of a group of family friends and there were other

children as well. We all drove down in several cars from New Delhi to Agra and as a

child, the road trip was rather exciting. At 27, I visited with my fiancée. I was living in

Canada by that time and on a brief 10 month hiatus in India, my fiancée visited me in

New Delhi and we both drove from New Delhi to Agra. This was also exciting because it

gave us a chance to see the sights along the way to Agra and also the local scene

there.

The first time I visited the Taj Mahal at 7, my family drove us there and all the

adults in the group herded the children through the entrance. The tickets had already

been bought. All we had to do was pose for pictures and run up to the Taj Mahal. It was

a magnificent sight and even as a child I was in awe at how beautiful it was. One of my

friends crossed over a barricade and got in trouble with the police that was standing on

guard. His parents had to come and free him. Our group paid a guide to show us

around and tell us about the history to which I listened carefully. He mentioned how the

south facing pond was designed so one could see the entire reflection of the Taj Mahal,

how every piece of decorative stone inlay was unique and had to be crafted by hand,

and I remember especially well how Shah Jahan had the workers’ hands cut off at the

end of construction which my parents later told me was a myth. There were beautiful

motifs cut into the marble used as screens and window coverings. Couples would go

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there and pay to get a piece of ‘sacred’ cloth and tie it into the motifs to bless their

relationship. My parents did it and I stood there silently staring at them while they held

each other and tied the cloth. It was supposed to be blessed to how much Shah Jahan

and Mumtaz Mahal loved each other. I also remember how the marble was turning

yellow. I noticed this more closely than anything else because in school they had taught

us about the pollution in the air, how it was causing acid rains and how this was all

collectively discolouring and destroying the marble. Apart from that I highly enjoyed the

different motifs and the view of the coffins where Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan were

buried. I noticed a series of smaller domed buildings surrounding the Taj Mahals and

thought about how they looked like mini Taj Mahals. More than anything, I was waiting

to go back to the hotel and jump into the pool with my friends.

Right after our visit to the Taj, we drove to Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal fort not too

far from the Taj Mahal. Here again the group paid a guide to show us around. It was

built completely using indigenous red sandstone. There was a pit with a sitting area

above where the King would punish prisoners or criminals to death using a ‘mad’ or

‘drunk’ elephant that would crush those it faced. I also remember a board game similar

to chess that the royals would play. This version was enlarged, engraved into the

ground and was played using live characters, almost like battle chess. Fatehpur Sikri

was larger and seemed to have more action than the Taj Mahal. There was also a pool

where the local boys would dive in and retrieve coins thrown to the bottom by the

tourists. Most of them would keep the coins after the stunt.

During my second visit to Agra with my fiancée, we had a brief encounter with a

local policeman. We were driving a European car with New Delhi licence plates, so it

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was evident we were visitors. The policeman accused us of running a red light and not

wearing seat belts, neither of which were true, at the end the policeman just wanted us

to pay him a bribe. When we entered Agra, we took a wrong turn while on our way to

the hotel and it led us to a small residential area. I don’t think the children playing on the

streets had ever seen a European car because as soon as we halted to turn back

around, they stopped playing and jumped on top of the car, almost draping themselves

over it. One of the children even tried to open the door to get in. It was shocking. A

young man on a motorcycle stopped and shooed the kids off, spoke to us in English and

asked us if he could be our guide to the Taj Mahal. We agreed because I remembered

about how my parents also paid a guide thinking he would know more than them, and

he accompanied us to our hotel and then to the Taj Mahal.

My fiancée had to go through the ‘foreigner’ line where they pay a larger entry

fee in USD. Even though I lived in Canada, I was born in New Delhi so I didn’t think

anything of it and went through the Indian line. There is always an inspector standing at

the end of the line who firmly told me to go through the other line since he did not think I

was Indian or at least a resident of India. It was uncanny how he knew. Once we got

inside we were bombarded by agents and peddlers who wanted to take our pictures, or

wanted to guide us. Our guide told them all to go away but called his friends to peddle

us so he could get a commission. Once we cleared our heads from all the chaos at the

entrance, we greatly enjoyed the view of the gardens and how well maintained the

flowers and trees were along the way to the Taj Mahal. The architecture seemed to

intensify and the structures got larger as we got closer to the main gate of the Taj

Mahal. There were numerous old buildings that used to be living quarters for the

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maintenance team at the Taj Mahal and were now being used as administration and

tourist offices. Once we entered the main area leading up to the fountains and the main

structure, we were once again bombarded by peddlers. It was a struggle to find a place

at the base of the building to get a picture together because the area was very crowded.

Once we started walking towards the building, listening to the guide and admiring the

building became easier. He explained how the towers or minarets surrounding the

structure were intentionally designed with a slight tilt angle so from every perspective

they would look straight. The attention to detail by the artisans, engineers, architects

and builders all-together was astounding. It was amazing to comprehend the fact that

even back then, there was perfect and disciplined harmony between all the different

disciplines working together to emphasize each and every detail that went into

completing the Taj Mahal, no matter how minute it was. Each arched doorway had

calligraphy of beautiful Persian poems all around. I asked our guide about the

surrounding buildings and he mentioned that they were tombs for some of Shah Jahan’s

other wives and one of them was also for a loyal servant. Behind the Taj Mahal we

could see the river Yamuna which is slowly drying up and is but a mere shadow of its

former glory. It was intriguing to hear that across the Yamuna, a black stone or marble

Taj Mahal was slated to be built. The foundation was laid, but Shah Jahan departed the

world before he would see it to completion.

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Figure 1 Figure 2

Figure 3 Figure 4

After we left the building, we paid our guide who then tried to sell us marble

statues and we politely declined. We spent the rest of the evening at the hotel and the

next day we set out for Fatehpur Sikri. As we started to enter the area to the fort, a

group of men jumped in front of our fast moving car and stopped us. They asked us if

we had been there, started yelling at us and told us that we needed a guide. Once I

declined one of them tried to put his arm into the car and I drove off with him trying to

run with us. It was again, shocking. When we got to the premises, before we left our car

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we were again surrounded by peddlers. At this point we got overwhelmed and decided

we were not going to see the fort anymore. It was disappointing because I wanted to

relive my childhood memory of seeing the structure, and it was going to be something

new for my fiancée. By this point we just wanted to go back to New Delhi.

Overall, the Taj Mahal is truly one of the most magnificent displays of Islamic

Architecture from the Mughal eras. On writing this paper it is interesting to see my own

perspective about the structure from when I was 7 and then at 27. My interests have

evolved but more of less I am still intrigued by the same things. I wish to go back to see

the Taj Mahal again and compare with a later perspective.