Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/365

 CHAP. X. TAJ MAHALL. TAJ MAHALL. It is a pleasure to turn from this destroyed and desecrated palace to the Taj Mahall, which even more, perhaps, than the palace, was always the chef-d'oeuvre of Shah Jahan's reign (Woodcut No. 432). It, too, has been fortunate in attracting the attention of the English, who have paid sedulous attention to it for some time past, and keep it now, with its gardens, in a perfect state of substantial repair. No building in India has been so often drawn and photo- graphed as this, or more frequently described ; but, with all this, it is almost impossible to convey an idea of it to those who have not seen it, not only because of its extreme delicacy, and beauty of material employed in its construction, but from the complexity of its design. If the Taj were only the tomb itself, it might be described, but the platform on which it stands, with its tall minarets, is a work of art in itself. Beyond this are the two wings, one of which is a mosque, which anywhere else would be considered an important building. This group of buildings forms one side of a garden court 880 ft. square ; and beyond this again an outer court, of the same width but only half the depth. This is entered by three gateways of its own, and contains in the centre of its inner wall the great gateway of the garden court, a worthy pendant to the Taj itself. 1 Beautiful as it is in itself, the Taj would lose half its charm if it stood alone. It is the combination of so many beauties, and the perfect manner in which each is subordinated to the other, that makes up a whole which the world cannot match, and which never fails to impress even those who are most indifferent to the effects produced by architectural objects in general. The plan and section (Woodcuts Nos. 433,434) explain suffi- ciently the general arrangement and structural peculiarities of the tomb or principal building of the group. The raised platform on which it stands is 18 ft. high, faced with white marble, and exactly 313 ft. square. At each corner of this terrace stands a minaret 133 ft. in height, and of the most exquisite proportions, more beautiful, perhaps, than any other in India. In the centre of this marble platform stands the mausoleum, a square of 186 ft, with the corners cut off to the extent of 33 ft. 9 in., the facade rising 92 ft. 3 in. from the platform. The centre of this is of the palace walls in the event of any sudden rising of the citizens. The engineers, it would seem, per- ceived that by gutting the palace they could provide at no trouble or expense a wall round their barrack-yard, and for this or some such wretched motive of economy the palace was sacrificed ! 1 A plan of this garden, with the Taj and all the surrounding buildings, will be found in the 'Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,' vol. vii. p. 42.