, 1900-12-13

Inc cnle1 glory OF lnQla IN the way
Of architecture Is the famous Tai Ma
hal. at Agra, l must try and tell you
= little about 1t, though l warn o
that 1t 10 an Understandable wonder.
Perhaps Bayard Taylor has more
nearly described it than any n else.
First. let me give you the story Of 1t in
brief. 1t is a tomb erected by Shah
Jehan, the son Of Akbar, the Great. to
commemorate his favorite wife, Ma
hal. 1t was built only about 800 years
ago. 1t is said to have been ten years
In building. and In that time 10000
men were employed in one way or an
other. The cost Of it was about e.
900 900, which. at the price of wages,
paid with us. would many times dou-
BILE that sum. 1t Is situated on the
banks Of the Jumna. in a beautiful
garden. which is still exquisitely kept
up. Fancy a raised platform of mar
BILE, say 200 feet quare. and lifted
pllnth like from the ground fifteen or
twenty feet. This platform is paved
with tesellated marble OF black and
white. At each corner Of this plat
Al ll9eS q atClul hiLidLCl
tower, 140 feet In height, of exquisite
proportions. covered with a beauti-
fully designed canopy. Each tower
has three platforms or balconies equal
distance from the grounl.
The Tai proper is situated in the
middle of this platform, and Is a
building. say, 100 feet square, or rath-
er more than that. The proportions
between the square OF the platform
and hat OF the Tai proper is two to
one. OF course, the foundations and
su%bstructures OF the building go
down through the platform many feet
into the ground. The building rises
! 240 feet above the platform. to the top
of the central dome. and is surmount-
ed by a bronze ornamental piece,
which in turns upholds the Moham-
medan crescent. These together lift
the building thirty feet higher. max
ing the entire height, say. 2S5 feet
from the ground. The building is
square. with the corners beveled to
the extent Of, say. twenty feet. in
which there Is a deep arched and
crowned recess. On each side Of these
recesses are. of course, the main ones,
magnificent In proportion, reaching
from a low plinth to almost the top Of
the tomb. The building is itself fiat
rooted, but from the roof springs the
most magnificent dome Of pure white
marble, in the world. There are four
minor domes on the roof, and many
beautiful and delicate minarets. The
whole building is Of pure white mar
BILE, except the black marble and d!f-
ferent colored stones that are inlaid to
sarnish the cornices or write in the
Koran. There is not a bit of wood or
iron about the whole building.
1t is hopeless to tell you Of the sur
passing beauty Of it-by far the most
witching and beautiful thing l eve
saw. l can't even conceive anything
more beautiful. 1t would be beautiful
II you should see 1t in heaven. I could
we'll imagine m believing it. II 1t
were told him, that it had come down
out of the new Jerusalem from heaven
to earth, just to give one an idea
what the mansions in the city Of God
are like. 1t is a poem unspoken, but
breathing itself out in the air; 1t 10
unuttered- music: it is an oratorio In
marble and precious stones. every
note Of which Is written in great base
stone, cornice projections and brack-
cts. thrilling away In delicate cary
ings of flower and fruit, and dying on
the immaterial ear in the lacelike
tracery cut in magnificent marble
monoliths, through which g%lintings OF
sunlight pass and dance as II in an
ecstasy of delight. 1t is indeed a mir
acle In marble, harmonizing with
everything in earth, air and sky
Magazine.