Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal (/td mhl/ often /t/;,

[2]
from Persian and Arabic,
[3][4]
"crown of
palaces", pronounced d ; also "the Taj"
[5]
) is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar
Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj
Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces
of the world's heritage".
[6]

Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements
from Islamic,Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.
[7][8]

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is
the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction
began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.
[9]
The
construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-
Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
[10][11]
Lahauri
[12]
is generally considered to be the
principal designer.
[13][14]

Origin and inspiration
Main article: Origins and architecture of the Taj Mahal
In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when
his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess, died during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara
Begum.
[15]
Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632.
[16]
The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate
the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal.
[17][18]
The principal mausoleum was completed in
1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself
described the Taj in these words:
[19]

Tomb
1. The Moonlight Garden to the north of the Yamuna.
2. Terrace area: Tomb, Mosque and Jawab.
3. Charbagh (gardens).
4. Gateway, attendant accommodations, and other tombs.
5. Taj Ganji (bazaar)
The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. This large, white marble structure stands on
a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large
dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.
The base structure is essentially a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, forming an unequal
octagon that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft) on each of the four long sides. On each of these sides, a
huge pishtaq, or vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two similarly shaped, arched balconies stacked on either
side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely
symmetrical on all sides of the building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth facing the
chamfered corners. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; the
actual graves are at a lower level.

Qutb Minar
Qutb Minar (Urdu: ), also spelled Qutub or Qutab, is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India
after Fateh Burj in Chappar Chiri at Mohali which stands 100 meters tall. Qutub Minar originally an early Islamic
Monument inscribed with Arabic inscriptions is aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
[1]
Located in Delhi, the Qutb
Minar is made of red sandstone and marble. The stair of the tower has 379 steps,
[2]
is 72.5 metres (237.8 ft)
high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started
in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak and was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. In 1368, Firoz Shah
Tughlaqconstructed the fifth and the last storey.
[3][4]
It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval
structures and ruins, collectively known as the Qutb complex.
[1][5]
History[edit]
The Qutb Minar was commissioned by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Sultan of Delhi, and was completed by his
successor - Iltutmish. It is not known whether the tower was named after Qutb-ud-din Aibak or Qutbuddin
Bhaktiyar Kaki, a famous Sufi saint who was living in Delhi contemporarily. As the name suggests the tower was
to serve the purpose of a minaret from where the adhan could be issued. The culture of tower architecture was
well established in India before the arrival of the Turks as can be understood from the Kirti
Stambh at Chittor, Rajasthan. However, there is no evidence on record to confirm that the Qutb Minar was
inspired or influenced by earlier Rajput towers.
[6]
The minar is itself built on the ruins of the Lal Kot, the Red
Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of theTomars and the Chauhans, the last Hindu rulers of Delhi.
[7]

Numerous inscriptions in Parso-Arabic and Nagari characters in different sections of the Qutb Minar reveal the
history of its construction. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD
135189) and Sikandar Lodi
[8]
(AD 14891517).
[citation needed]

The Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque, located at the northeast of Minar, was built by Qutb deen Aibak in AD 1198. It is
the earliest mosque built by the Delhi Sultans.
[9]
Later, a coffee arched screen was erected and the mosque was
enlarged by Iltutmish (AD 121035) andAlauddin Khilji, along with Teentasiya, Xuyang, Mading, and
Taipingyang.
The minar has been damaged by earthquakes and lightning strikes on several occasions but has been repaired
and renovated by various rulers. During the rule of Firoz Shah, the minar's two top floors were damaged due to
lightning but were repaired by Firoz Shah. In 1505, an earthquake struck and it was repaired by Sikandar Lodi.
Later in 1794, the minar suffered another earthquake and it was Major Smith, an engineer, who repaired the
affected parts of the minar. He replaced Firoz Shah's pavilion at the top of the tower with his own pavilion. This
pavilion was removed in 1848 by Lord Hardinge and now stands between the Dak Bungalow and the Minar in
the garden. The floors built by Firoz Shah can be distinguished easily as the pavilion was built of white marble
and quite smooth compared to the others.
Architecture[edit]
The minar is made of red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an.
The minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried
on Muqarnas corbels.
The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At
the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India.
The nearby 7 metres high Iron Pillar is a metallurgical curiosity, standing in the Qutb complex. The pillar has
Brahmic inscriptions on it that predate the Islamic minar.
[5]

The minar tilts just over 60 cm from the vertical, which is considered to be within safe limits, although experts
have stated that monitoring is needed in case rainwater seepage further weakens the foundation.
[11]

Gateway of India
The Gateway of India is a monument built during the British Raj in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India.
[2]
It is
located on the waterfront in the Apollo Bunder area in South Mumbai and overlooks the Arabian Sea.
[3][4]
The
structure is a basalt arch, 26 metres (85 feet) high. It lies at the end of Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg at the water's
edge in Mumbai Harbour.
[5]
It was a crude jetty used by the fishing community which was later renovated and
used as a landing place for British governors and other prominent people. In earlier times, it would have been
the first structure that visitors arriving by boat in Mumbai would have seen.
[6][7]
The Gateway has also been
referred to as the Taj Mahal of Mumbai,
[8]
and is the city's top tourist attraction.
[9]

The structure was erected to commemorate the landing of their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary at
Apollo Bunder, when they visited India in 1911. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the foundation stone for the
Gateway of India was laid on 31 March 1911. The final design of George Wittet was sanctioned in 1914 and the
construction of the monument was completed in 1924. The Gateway was later the ceremonial entrance to India
for Viceroys and the new Governors of Bombay.
[10]
It served to allow entry and access to India.
[11]

The monument has faced three terror attacks from the beginning of the 21st century; twice in 2003 and it was
also the disembarkation point in 2008 when four gunmen attacked the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.
History[edit]
The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai, prior to
the Delhi Durbar, in December 1911. However, they only got to see a cardboard model of the structure since the
construction did not begin till 1915.
[12]
The foundation stone was laid on 31 March 1911, by the governor of
Bombay Sir George Sydenham Clarke, with the final design of George Wittet sanctioned on 31 March 1913. The
gateway was built from yellow basalt and concrete.
[13]
Between 1915 and 1919, work proceeded at Apollo
Bundar (Port) to reclaim the land on which the gateway and the new sea wall would be built. The foundations
were completed in 1920, and construction was finished in 1924.
[14]
The gateway was opened on 4 December
1924, by the viceroy, the Earl of Reading.
[6]

The last British troops to leave India following the country's independence, the First Battalion of the Somerset
Light Infantry, passed through the gateway on their way out in a ceremony on 28 February 1948, signalling the
end of British rule.
[6][15]

Design and structure[edit]
The architect George Wittet combined the elements of the Roman triumphal arch and the 16th-century
architecture of Gujarat.
[16]
Its design is a combination of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles; the arch is of
Muslim style while the decorations are of Hindu style.
[17]
The gateway is built from yellow basalt and reinforced
concrete.
[12]
The stone was locally obtained, and the perforated screens were brought from Gwalior.
[18]
The
gateway faces out to Mumbai Harbour from the tip of Apollo Bunder.
[19]

The central dome is 48 feet (15 metres) in diameter and 83 feet (25 metres) above the ground at its highest
point.
[20]
The whole harbour front was realigned in order to come in line with a planned esplanade which would
sweep down to the centre of the town. On each side of the arch, there are large halls that can hold 600
people.
[12]
The cost of the construction was 2 million (US$33,000), borne mainly by the Government of India. For
lack of funds, the approach road was never built, and so the gateway stands at an angle to the road leading up
to it.
[6][20]


Haji Ali Dargah
The Haji Ali Dargah (Urdu: , Marathi: ) is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located on
an islet off the coast of Worli in the Southern part of Mumbai. Near the heart of the city proper, the dargah is one
of the most recognisable landmarks of Mumbai.
[1][2][3]

An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Architecture, associated with legends about doomed lovers, the dargah
contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.
Background[edit]
The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431
[4]
in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali
Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Hailing from
Bukhara, in the ancient Persian Empire(present day Uzbekistan), Bukhari travelled around the world in the early
to mid 15th century, and then settled in present dayMumbai.
According to legends
[5]
surrounding his life, once the Saint saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an
empty vessel. He asked her what the problem was, she sobbed that her husband would thrash her as she
stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying. He asked her to take him to the spot where she spilt
the oil. There, he jabbed a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up the vessel
and went home.
Later, Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari had a recurring - and disturbing - dream that he had injured Earth by his act. Full
of remorse, he soon fell ill and directed his followers to cast the coffin carrying his body into the Arabian Sea,
once he died. Haji Ali left this world during his journey to Mecca and miraculously the casket carrying his body,
floated back to these shores, getting stuck in the string of rocky islets just off the shore of Worli. Thus, the
Dargah was constructed there.
On Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is visited by at least 40,000 pilgrims. Irrespective of faith and religion,
people visit the dargah to get the blessings of the legendary saint. Sometimes, especially on Fridays,
various Sufi musicians perform a form of devotional music called Qawwali at the dargah.
The Structure[edit]
The Dargah Sharif is built on a tiny islet located 500 meters from the coast, in the middle of Worli Bay,
[6]
in the
vicinity of Worli. The edifice is a brilliant specimen of the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. The islet is linked to
the city precinct of Mahalakshmi by a narrow causeway, which is nearly a kilometre (0.62 mile) long.
The accessibility to the dargah is very much dependent on the tides. As, the causeway is not bound by railings,
when the causeway gets submerged during high tide it becomes inaccessible
[citation needed]
. Therefore, the dargah is
accessible only during low tide. This walk on the causeway, with the sea on both sides, is one of the highlights of
a trip to the shrine.
The whitewashed structure occupies an area of a marble courtyard contains the central shrine. The tomb within
the mosque is covered by a brocaded red and green chaddar (tomb cover sheet). It is supported by an exquisite
silver frame, supported by marble pillars. The main hall has marble pillars embellished with artistic mirror work:
blue, green, yellow chips of glass arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns interspersed with Arabic patterns which
spell the ninety-nine names of Allah. As per the Muslim traditions separate praying rooms for ladies and gents
are provided here to pay their respects. During the high tide, the dargah seems completely isolated with no
access. It looks more like a little island.

Red Fort
The Red Fort was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India for nearly 200 years, until 1857. It is located in
the centre ofDelhi and houses a number of museums. In addition to accommodating the emperors and their
households, it was the ceremonial and political centre of Mughal government and the setting for events critically
impacting the region.
[1]

The Red Fort was built as the fortified palace of Shahjahanabad, capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah
Jahan,
[2]
in 1648. Named for its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone, it is adjacent to the older Salimgarh
Fort, built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546. The imperial apartments consist of a row of pavilions, connected by a
water channel known as the Stream of Paradise (Nahr-i-Behisht). The Red Fort is considered to represent the
zenith of Mughal creativity under Shah Jahan. Although the palace was planned according to Islamic prototypes,
each pavilion contains architectural elements typical of Mughal buildings, reflecting a fusion
of Timurid, Persian and Hindu traditions. The Red Forts innovative architectural style, including its garden
design, influenced later buildings and gardens in Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kashmir, Braj, Rohilkhand and
elsewhere.
[1]
With the Salimgarh Fort, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 as part of the
Red Fort Complex.
[1][3]

The Red Fort is an iconic symbol of India. On Independence Day, the prime minister hoists the national flag at
the main gate of the fort and delivers a nationally-broadcast speech from its ramparts.
[4]

Name[edit]
Its English name, "Red Fort", is a translation of the Hindustani Lal Quila ( , ) deriving from its red-
sandstone walls. As the residence of the imperial family, the fort was originally known as the "Blessed Fort"
(Quila-i-Mubarak).
[5][6]
Agra Fort is also called Lal Quila.
History[edit]
Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort in 1638, when he decided to shift his capital
from Agra to Delhi. Its design is credited to architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
[7][8]
The fort lies along the Yamuna
River, which fed the moatssurrounding most of the walls.
[9]
Construction began in the sacred month
of Muharram, on 13 May 1638.
[10]:01
Supervised by Shah Jahan, it was completed in 1648.
[11][12]
Unlike other
Mughal forts, the Red Fort's boundary walls are asymmetrical to contain the older Salimgarh Fort.
[10]:04
The
fortress-palace was a focal point of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad, which is present-day Old Delhi. Its
planning and aesthetics represent the zenith of Mughal creativity prevailing during Shah Jahan's reign. His
successor Aurangzeb added the Pearl Mosque to the emperor's private quarters, constructing barbicans in front
of the two main gates to make the entrance to the palace more circuitous.
[10]:08

The administrative and fiscal structure of the Mughals declined after Aurangzeb, and the 18th century saw a
degeneration of the palace. When Jahandar Shah took over the Red Fort in 1712, it had been without an
emperor for 30 years. Within a year of beginning his rule, Shah was murdered and replaced by Farukhsiyar. To
raise money, the silver ceiling of the Rang Mahal was replaced by copper during this period. Muhammad Shah,
known as 'Rangila' (the Colourful) for his interest in art, took over the Red Fort in 1719. In 1739, Persian
emperor Nadir Shah easily defeated the Mughal army, plundering the Red Fort including thePeacock Throne.
Nadir Shah returned to Persia after three months, leaving a destroyed city and a weakened Mughal empire to
Muhammad Shah.
[10]:09
The internal weakness of the Mughal empire made the Mughals titular heads of Delhi,
and a 1752 treaty made the Marathas protectors of the throne at Delhi.
[13][14]

Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves (Ajih leni; Marathi: ) in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are about
30 rock-cutBuddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE.
[1]
The
caves include paintings and sculptures described by the government Archaeological Survey of India as "the
finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting",
[2]
which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art,
with figures of the Buddha and depictions of theJataka tales.
[3]
The caves were built in two phases starting
around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 400650 CE according to older
accounts, or all in a brief period of 460 to 480 according to the recent proposals of Walter M. Spink.
[4]
The site is
a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India,
[5]
and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves
have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near Jalgaon and just outside the village
of Ajinh203156N 754444E), about 59 kilometres (37 miles) from Jalgaon railway station on the Delhi
Mumbai line and Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line of the Central Railway zone, and 104 kilometres (65 miles) from
the city of Aurangabad. They are 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Ellora Caves, which
contain Hindu and Jain temples as well as Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta. The
Ajanta caves are cut into the side of a cliff that is on the south side of a U-shaped gorge on the small river
Waghur,
[6]
and although they are now along and above a modern pathway running across the cliff they were
originally reached by individual stairs or ladders from the side of the river 35 to 110 feet below.
[7]

History[edit]
Like the other ancient Buddhist monasteries, Ajanta had a large emphasis on teaching, and was divided into
several different caves for living, education and worship, under a central direction. Monks were probably
assigned to specific caves for living. The layout reflects this organizational structure, with most of the caves only
connected through the exterior. The 7th-century travelling Chinese scholar Xuanzang informs us that Dignaga, a
celebrated Buddhist philosopher and controversialist, author of well-known books on logic, lived at Ajanta in the
5th century. In its prime the settlement would have accommodated several hundred teachers and pupils. Many
monks who had finished their first training may have returned to Ajanta during the monsoonseason from an
itinerant lifestyle.
The caves are generally agreed to have been made in two distinct periods, separated by several centuries.
Caves of the first (Satavahana) period[edit]
The earliest group of caves consists of caves 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15A. According to Walter Spink, they were made
during the period 100 BCE to 100 CE, probably under the patronage of the Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE c.
220 CE) who ruled the region.
[13]
Other datings prefer the period 300 BCE to 100 BCE, though the grouping of the
earlier caves is generally agreed.
[14]
More early caves may have vanished through later excavations. Of these,
caves 9 and 10 are stupa halls of chaitya-griha form, and caves 12, 13, and 15A are vihras (see the
architecture section below for descriptions of these types). The first phase is still often called
the Hinayna phase, as it originated when, using traditional terminology, the Hinayna or Lesser Vehicle
tradition of Buddhism was dominant, when the Buddha was revered symbolically.
[15]
However the use of the term
Hinayana for this period of Buddhism is now deprecated by historians; equally the caves of the second period
are now mostly dated too early to be properly called Mahayana, and do not yet show the full expanded cast of
supernatural beings characteristic of that phase of Buddhist art. The first Satavahana period caves lacked
figurative sculpture, emphasizing the stupa instead, and in the caves of the second period the overwhelming
majority of images represent the Buddha alone, or narrative scenes of his lives.