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Taj Mahal Legends- Asymmetrical Taj? |
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The Taj Mahal, a graceful architectural structure of India is renowned for its symmetry. From the splendid gardens which follow the Persian “chahar bagh” or the “four garden” layout, to the equidistant minarets that frame the central tomb, to the uniform chattris which display a similar patterned element of a lotus design, the Taj Mahal truly displays its designer’s penchant for symmetry.
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"CharBagh" or "Four garden" layout divided into 16 flowerbeds |
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Considering the above, the placement of Shah Jahan’s cenotaph is bound to raise a few eyebrows. Shah Jahan built the Taj in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal and her cenotaph sits perfectly at the centre of the chamber. Legend of the asymmetric Taj says that the cenotaph of the emperor Shah Jahan was later added to the monument, so it was squeezed next to the empress’ coffin. His cenotaph stands to the left of his wife’s and is a little higher than hers too. This is one of the major flaws which catch the eye in the otherwise perfect Taj. Legend says that Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb added this to the Taj, rather than building a separate mausoleum for the emperor to destroy the faultless design of the Taj Mahal.
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Shah Jahan's cenotaph is placed on the left and is higher |
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It is also said that Aurangzeb being a devout Muslim, did not approve of any kind of ostentation especially at the time of death, as the same was denounced in the Holy Book of Quran. Hence, without bothering about the symmetry of the Taj, he intentionally went on to place his father’s coffin next to his mother. Another legend says that based on Islamic tradition, a husband’s coffin is placed to the right of his wife, with faces towards Mecca. A stanch believer in religion, Aurangzeb went ahead to position his father’s coffin as dictated in the holy Quran, without being considerate about the symmetry of the Taj Mahal.
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Asymmetrically placed Shah Jahan's cenotaph |
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The other flaw in the Taj is that one of the Minarets leans a bit, although this possibly happened over centuries and was not an error of construction. It is also believed that in olden times, tall monuments would often fall, so the builders purposely planned this inclination of the minaret, so if a minaret was to ever collapse, the rest of the building would not get affected.
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