Taj Mahal - The Tomb |
Tomb above the main grave of Taj Mahal is part of the architectural beauty of this great building. In the words of Ustad Ahmad Lahori, chief architect of the project: " And above this inner dome, which is radiant like the heart of angels, has been raised another heaven-touching, a guava-shaped dome…crowning this dome of heavenly rank, the circumference of whose outer girth is 110 yards high flittering like the sun with its summit rising to a total height of 107 yards above the (level of the) ground."
The dome is crucial to Islamic architecture, cosmologically uniting heaven and earth. The square of the edifice represents the material universe; the dome symbolizes the vault of heaven. The octagon stands for the transitional phase. Above the finial is the region of transcendence. The whole domed structure is thus designed as a replica of the throne of God in Paradise where a gigantic white pearl dome stands supported by four corner pillars from which flow the rivers of grace. The Taj architects have prominently used the keel arch set within a rectangle, repeating the shape everywhere "the gateway, niches, windows, trellised doors, plinth, dome ornamentation and cusped arches of the cupolas. To complete the image of Paradise the tomb has been most lavishly ornamented with splendidly calligraphed verses from the Quran.
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History
of Agra
