The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-25
THE TAJMAHAL.

tute OIL Architects, paper describing the
famous Tai -Mahal at Agra, in India, the
Harem," the heroine of Moores popular
poem. He says that of all the places he has
ever seen, either in the East or the West, 'T
unhesitatingly affirm that Agra aud the Tai
Mahal stand pre-eminent in the impression
made on my mind.
''Venice, with its Grand Canal and Saint
Marks numerous palaces and art works; Con-
stantinople and the Bosphorus. with the
Sta. Sophia aud Sulieman Mosques: Cairo
with its beautiful Hassan aud interesting
Tooloun Mosques, picturesque streets, and
Coptic churches, and ruins, and the huge,
ugly pyramids and Bejapore, with its big
dome and elaborate Ebrahim Roza, all fall
into the shade contrasted with Agra and its
Tai j-Mahal Its romantic situation, dazzling
brilliancy, excessive elaboration, and the par
ticularly refined though lavish display of
wealth in its ornamentation, make it, beyond
all others, place in which a cold-blooded
Caucasian can perhaps realize somewhat of
the poetical and luxurious feeling of the
voluptuous Easterns."
The Tai. Mahal was built about the year
1910 OF the Hegira, or 1862 A. D., during the
latter years of thereign of Kurreem Shah, the
fifth of the AIogul emperors, grandson of the
great Akbar, and son of Jehangir. He is
more commonly known by his assumed title
of Shah Jehan, signifying the King of Worlds.
1t was erected as a tomb for his wife, the
Begun Ungeman Bunnoo, whose title was
Moomtaz Mahal, daughter Of Azif Khan, aid
granddaughter of the Nawab Ettmadowla,
She was also called Tai -Mahal, and Nour-
Mahal, which means ''the Light of the
Harem," or palace" She had four sons and
four daughters; the youngest daughters name
was Dhahur ARA, at whose birth Taj-Mahal
died Shah Jehan was exceedingly fond of
her, and on her death-bed he promised two
things; first, that he would never marry
again; and, second, that he would build for
her so magnificent tomb that it should sur
pass all others the world ever saw.
The tomb is erected on the left bank of
the river Jumna, and Shah Jehan's intention
was TO have erected another for himself of
equal splendor, on the opposite bank, con-
Meeting the two by bridge, with silver rail
ings, SO that after death their souls might be
enabled to hold spiritual communion with
each other. He went so far as to put in the
foundations of the second, when his demise
put stop to further proceedings, and he
lies, in consequence, by the side of his wife
in her tomb, her sarcophagus occupying the
central position.
The Tai buildings altogether form paral
telegram. They consist of the Tai proper,
placed on a raised dais of white marble, some
twenty feet high and three hundred feet
square, situated in the centre of the end of
the parallelogram, Immediately overlooking
the Jumna, and fianked on each side by red
sandstone buildings, separated from the
raised dais by courts about four hundred feet
wide, paved with marbles, laid in geometrical
patterns. One of these buildings is mosque;
the other is of no use, but for its architectu-
ral effect in contrasting and grouping with
the Tai, and is called by the natives the
Jawab, which means "answer," and very we'll
and Jawab are of red sandstone and white
and black marbles, and inlaid with precious
stones, something similar in design to the
entrance gateway to be presently described.
On the floor of this Jawab are outlines
of the dome and finals, and some
other portions of the Tai, cut in the pave
ment for the men to work from.
AS one drives into the outer court yard,
and pulls up opposite the grand entrance, the
beauty and magnitcence of the place lmme-
diately strike him. The gateway is two sto-
ries in height; in elevation, it has large and
deep central recess, q mi-octagon, domed
over, and hanked on either side by two
smaller recesses, those on the upper floors
forming galleries, and with large octagonal
turrets at the extreme angles, surmonnted by
domes supported on columns and arches.
The grand centre arch is also surmounted by
row of eleven little domes, on columns and
effect of these is particularly beautiful. 1t is
built of red sandstone, inlaid with white and
black marbles. The gateway forms square
room, with large entrance arches on two
sides, the outside one being hung with gates,
and on the two sides smaller doorways leading
to rooms on either side, and to staircase,
which leads to the galleries over these smaller
doors. A seat runs round the room, and on
one side is platform for the use of servants,
soldiers, and gatekeepers. the lower part of
the wall has dado, formed of panels of white
marble, enclosed by border of inlaid white
and black marble, in a zigzag pattern. Over
and at the sides of the smaller side doors are
the peculiar little arched recesses used fol
placing lamps in at the time of festival. The
friezes are inlaid with sentences from the
Koran. This gateway is domed over, faced
internally with white choonam (or plaster, and
ornamented with Black lines, radiating from
the centre which accentuate the raised ridges
dividing the little followed spaces forming
the surface ornamentation of the interior OF
the dome. The gates themselves are of teak
covered with plating of bronze, with raiseC
pattern on it, in shape mixture of quatre
foil and rectilinear figure. Through thi
gateway, at the end of a long avenue o
cypress trees, the centre of the avenue beinl
occupied by marble fountains, basins, ant
flower beds, the Tai -Mahal, dazzling the eye
with its whiteness, is seen. There is almos
every description and variety of flower, AM
on hot day the cool sound of the water
trickling along the little aqueducts whicl
carry it to all parts of the grounds, tn
shady walks, and parts of the paths arche
over by creepers, covered with flower
of most gorgeous colors, and tn
mango, guava, orange, lime and loquat trees
combine to make it a most pleasant resort
Leaving the gardens, and ascending tgh