Reflected on Marble

Akbar’s mausoleum is predominantly red sandstone, which at sunset seems to radiate light of its own. Red sandstone also predominates at Jahangir’s mausoleum outside Lahore, which is level with the ground in a garden, shaped like the mausoleum of his father-in-law I’timad ad-daula, and encrusted with cheerful depictions of vases, jugs and goblets. In the following centuries, many of the beautiful mausoleums from the time of Jahangir and Shah Jahan have been stripped of their white marble casing, which has then been reused elsewhere. All that remains of the noble building erected by the khankhanan Abdu’r Rahim for his wife near Humayun’s graves in Delhi is the red sandstone inner structure.

The Taj Mahal, which Shah Jahan had built for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, is unquestionably the epitome of Indian architecture, the most photographed of all buildings in India. The Taj Mahal is so magnificently constructed that the visitor is quite taken aback on realising just how enormous the delicate looking structure actually is. It is built on a high platform, which makes it appear quite inaccessible. Tavernier records that 20,000 men worked on its construction. The building is set in a traditional garden so that it is reflected in a central canal, which was also intended in the case of the above mentioned mausoleums, but was not so successfully achieved in their case. This layout follows the traditional nine-fold pattern, which reached its highest expression in Humayun’s mausoleum. The size of the building is impressive enough, but the rauza-i munawwar, ‘The Illustrious Tomb Garden’, is even more astonishing. Numerous marble reliefs, mostly of flowers and blooms, decorate the outer walls, enhancing the general impression of delicacy, even transparency. Experts are astounded at the enormous inscriptions around the entrance, which are of Koranic verses composed of flawlessly beautiful white marble lettering. The broad terrace at the rear looks out over the Jumna river, and towards the Red Fort in the distance. In addition there are many smaller buildings in the large complex, including a mosque, the mausoleums of a few women especially closely connected to the Mughal household, and houses for servants.

There has been a great deal of debate regarding the architects, who it is assumed were working under French or Italian influence. Apparently the architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who was also known as Nadir-al-asr, ‘The Rarity of the Age’, (died 1649) was chiefly responsible for the building. He also worked on the Red Fort in Shahjahanabad. Amanat Khan (died 1644) was the master calligrapher who created the inscriptions.

There is no better way of following the change in the artistic climate of India than by comparing the Taj Mahal with the burial place built by Aurangzeb, the son of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, for his wife Rabi-a Daurani. This building was constructed in Aurangabad, in the Deccan, scarcely twenty years later, in 1660. Although this narrow fronted building is certainly attractive, it looks a bit like a stunted Taj Mahal. Instead of marble, shining chuna was used, a fine mortar which reflects like a mirror when polished.

The Mughals were accustomed to the uncertainty of life, and when Akbar first decided to found a large city, Fatehpur Sikri, the plans for the city only really began to take shape when Shah Jahan designed his new city in Delhi, which was built to a geometrical plan with wide, straight streets. It was initially called ‘Shahjahanabad’, although it later became known simply as ‘Delhi’, even though it was quite some distance from the traditional districts of the city, such as Nizamuddin. Construction began on 12 May 1639, and the inaugural celebrations were held nine years later, on 19 April 1648. The fort was adorned with velvet brocade from Gujarat and a canopy measuring 70×45 royal cubits (c. 25×15 m) with a height of 22 yards (c. 19 m) which was supported on four silver pillars about 2.5 yards (2.20 m) in length.

The Timurids were very familiar with the concept of a mobile palace, as were the Mughals, who put it into practice during their numerous travels and military campaigns. Early Mughal buildings in India developed out of the Timurid style found in Samarkand and Central Asia. The first two rulers of the ‘House of Timur’ had no time to devote to building. Babur built the fort in Agra, on the Jumna. Humayun spent too much time out of the country to be able to carry out much building work; however, his mausoleum, in which the nine-fold foundation plan was perfected, set a standard for subsequent Mughal buildings. It had a central area surrounded by eight smaller rooms, with al-covers and corners. This ground plan long remained the ideal for Mughal buildings, just as the location of Humayun’s grave at the far end of a garden is typical for most monuments from the following decades, even centuries. Almost all important Mughal buildings are situated by a river.

Extracted with permission from OUP