CASE STUDY : TAJ MAHAL

PRESENTED BY AISHWARYA V
CLASS : VII A
TAJ MAHAL : THE CROWN PALACE

▪ The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the

seven wonders of the world.
 Standing on the banks of river Yamuna in Agra,
Uttar Pradesh , it is a marble mausoleum, built
by Mughal King Shah Jahan for his beloved wife
Mumtaz who died during the birth of their 14th
child.
TAJ MAHAL : architecture and design

 The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the finest in
Mughal architecture, which is a blend of Indian, Persian and
Islamic styles.
 Ustad-Ahmad Lahori was the main architect of the Taj Mahal.
 The large double storied domed chamber, which houses the
cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, is a perfect octagon
in plan.
 Flanking the mausoleum are two symmetrically identical buildings,
the east-facing mosque and its west-facing jawab. Both are built of
red Sikri sandstone with marble-necked domes and architraves.
TAJ MAHAL : architecture and design

▪ The garden is set out as a square quartered by long watercourses with

walking paths, fountains and ornamental trees.
▪ The southern end of the complex is marked by a wide
red sandstone gateway with a recessed central arch that reaches a height of
two-storeys
▪ Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves. Hence, the bodies
of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan were put in a relatively plain crypt beneath the
inner chamber with their faces turned right, towards Mecca.
▪ Verses from the Quran are inscribed in calligraphy across many sections of
the Taj Mahal, including the arched entrance to the mausoleum.
TAJ MAHAL : deterioration & damage
▪  Taj Mahal's marble discoloration problem has been caused by insects that
secrete a green substance, which have been attracted by algae from the
Yamuna River.
▪ Concerns for the tomb's structural integrity have been raised because of a
decline in the groundwater level in the Yamuna river basin which is falling at a
rate of around 1.5 m (5 ft) per year.
▪ In 2010, cracks appeared in parts of the tomb, and the minarets which
surround the monument were showing signs of tilting, as the wooden foundation
of the tomb may be rotting due to lack of water. It has been pointed out by
politicians, however, that the minarets are designed to tilt slightly outwards to
prevent them from crashing on top of the tomb in the event of an earthquake.  
▪ Small minarets located at two of the outlying buildings were reported as
damaged by a storm on April 11, 2018. On 31 May 2020 another fierce
thunderstorm caused some damage to the complex.
 TAJ MAHAL : conservation and protection

▪  An area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal is defined as green

buffer zone to protect the monument from pollution.
▪ The Supreme Court of India in December, 1996, delivered a ruling
banning use of coal/coke in industries located in the Taj Trapezium
Zone (TTZ) and switching over to natural gas or relocating them
outside the TTZ.
▪ In May 2018, the Indian Supreme Court had suggested that the
Indian government and the Utter Pradesh state government seek
international help to reverse the  Taj
Mahal's marble discolouration.
THANK