Taj Mahal

Images of the Taj Mahal are familiar to us all, one of the most photographed iconic monuments in the world. However, does it live up to expectations? As far as we are concerned it far surpasses and exceeds them. It is the greatest Indo-Islamic architectural masterpiece - a precious jewel

Darwaza-i rauza - The Great Gate

We did not anticipate that the Taj Mahal complex would be so large, being bound on three sides by crenellated red arched sandstone walls. Entry is through this elaborate Great Gate. 

Immediately flanking the western side of the Taj Mahal is this red sandstone Mosque with its mirror image replicated on the eastern side. The replicated building was used as a Guest House. 

It was obligatory, according to Muslim law, for each mausoleum to have a place of worship nearby

The fourth side, behind the Taj Mahal, is open to the River Yamuna

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Mumtaz Mahal

In 1631 Emperor Shah Jahan was heartbroken when his much favoured third wife , Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess, died giving birth to their 14th child

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Emperor Shah Jahan

 The Taj Mahal is Emperor Shah Jahan's sublime expression of grief

He was reported to be inconsolable and went into secluded mourning for a year. When he appeared again, his hair had turned white, his back was bent, and his face worn

Looking back at the main entry gate from the mausoleum

The marble is covered in exquisite Calligraphy showing verses from the Qur'an, Persian poems, floral designs, plant motifs, and inlaid Pietra Dura work

This detail was clipped from the photo above 

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The white marble used in the Taj Mahal was brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, reputed to be the finest marble in the world. The marble is very dense and non porous making it resistant to water and weather. It consists of a very high amount of calcium carbonate and is an excellent building material

Evening descends, 

birds roost, the sun sets,  

and now it is time for us to fly away to Paradise!

Agra Fort

Agra Fort, also known as the Red Fort, was planned and built to be an impregnable military structure. It is monumental exuding a powerful presence

Amar Singh Gate

However, it has all the elegance, lavishness and majesty of an imperial palace

Lying on the right bank of the Yamuna River, it is literally three kilometres upstream from the Taj Mahal 

Emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the Red Fort and built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned here by his son Aurangzeb

There are so many beautiful buildings within the Agra Fort complex that it is best described as being like a small walled city.

 Deewan I am - the Hall of Public Audience

The Emperor sat just below these arches at the back of the ' Deewan I am' on his Peacock Throne holding his durbar

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Emperor Shah Jahan holding a durbar in the Public Audience Hall C1650

Across the square from the Hall of Public Audience is 

the Moti Masjid - Pearl Mosque - constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan for members of his royal court. It is closed to visitors

Sitting rather incongruously in front of the Hall of Public Audience is the tomb of John Russell Colvin - British civil servant in India and part of the illustrious Anglo-Indian Colvin family. He died of cholera during the peak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. His body could not be carried out of the Fort which after the fall of the Mughals, the British establishment in India converted into a military garrison. The tomb reminds me of the work of English architect, Augustus Pugin

A large inner marble square where the royal court lived. The golden tower to the left is where the emperor was held and died

The Emperor had three wives but there were concubines living within the complex too!

One of many open pavilions with ornate and intricate 'jali' screens 

The marble quarters where Emperor Shah Jahan was confined until his death. He was considered one of the great Mughals - his rule has been called the Golden Age

Beautiful white marble work inlaid with semi precious stones which I know as 'Pietra Dura' but is called 'Parchin Kari' in India

When looking from the open pavilions over the river it is possible to view the Taj Mahal lying romantically across the water, and

this is the view that Emperor Shah Jahan would have seen everyday - the tomb of his third and favoured wife 

The Taj Mahal is our next visit

Lutyen's New Delhi and Qutab Minar

The HQ of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office and the Defence Ministry designed by eminent British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, form part of an impressive and lasting legacy left to New Delhi by Lutyens. During the 1920s and 1930s he was responsible for much of the architectural design when India was part of the British Empire.

India Gate commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during World War l.

Rashtrapati Bhavan the residence of the President of India formally the Viceroy's House

Built as a Victory Tower in 1192, the Qutab Minar is the tallest minaret in the world. It was inspired by the minaret of Jam in Afghanistan, and is an important example of Afghan architecture which later evolved into Indo-Islamic Architecture. It is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the surrounding buildings and monuments.

The bands of intricate carving are in the Kufic style of Islamic calligraphy

A further tower was planned known as the Alai Minar. It was conceived to be twice as high as the Victory Tower, but the construction was abandoned. However, it is interesting to see the remains of the giant rubble masonry core that still stands today. It would have been covered with dressed stone on completion

Carved stone cloister columns to the entrance and inside the Quwwatul-Islam Mosque which sits at the centre of the complex

Built in 1193 and although now lying in ruins it is still possible to appreciate and see the Mosques indigenous corbelled arches, motifs and geometric patterns amongst the Islamic architectural structures.

A 23ft iron pillar, weighing 6.5 tons, and dating back to 375 stands within the ruins of the mosque. It is an enigma being made of 98 percent wrought iron which has stood for over 1,600 years without rusting or decomposing. The indentation on the pillar is the result of a cannonball fired at close range during Nadir Shah's invasion of Delhi in 1739.

Close to the Victory Tower lies the tomb of Imam Zamin - a sufi saint who came to India in 1500 from Turkestan. He lived in the complex during the reign of Sikandar Lodi. He built his own mausoleum here and died in 1539. Inside the sides are carved with perforated 'Jali' screens characteristic of the Lodi Period

It is time to head off back to the hotel, have our supper, get an early night,

and be ready to board the early morning Shatabdi Express train from Delhi to Agra where we have a date with two iconic Indian monuments