Taj Mahal Gardens

TAJ MAHAL GARDENS

(GARDEN OF PARADISE) Source: www.google.com

Abstract

The great Mughals built tombs within gardens constructed in the image of the promised paradise mentioned in “The Quran”. During their emperor’s lives, these gardens were used as pleasure grounds, then after death they became entrances to paradise. By this, the realms of heaven and earth were connected.

Many famous and great buildings like the Taj Mahal have their myths and legends. The Taj also seems to have more fiction than scholarly research and facts. This raises a lot of curiosity and questions on the original vison of Shah Jahan building the Taj Mahal. Is the Taj, only a symbol of love? An emperor’s desire of dominance over nature and reality? Is it a way to

But in the case of the Taj Gardens, the geometry was more complex and exquisite. Both the mausoleum and the garden have fourfold symmetry about their own central axes. The mausoleum ensembles two axes of symmetry as it stands upon a rectangular platform where the minarets are shifted to the corners. The central axis creates a bilaterally symmetrical composition of the entire gardens. It also forms the axis of movement from the entry to the reflective pool, the mausoleum, and eventually the view of the river Yamuna. The conspicuous avoidance of not walking quite on the axis, but to the sides of the water and the stairs leading up to the terrace going off to the sides gives added importance to the axis. The mausoleum is reflected in the pool and so is brought back, inverted to the heart of the garden from which it had been removed, which brings back the symmetry to the

Sura 76 specifies that they shall “recline upon couches” and shall see “neither sun nor bitter cold.” Sura 47 describes “rivers of water unstalling” plus rivers of wine, of milk, and of honey. Sura 55 tells of gardens, green pastures, palm trees, and pomegranates, and of “houris, cloistered in cool pavilions.”

A paradise according to Islamic beliefs, consists of four rivers: one of water, one of milk, one of honey and one of wine. The Charbagh system has been originated from these Quranic reflections of the paradise garden. This garden strongly portrays these Quranic abstract meaning of paradise through its lush green gardens, fauna, flower and fruit bearing trees, fountains and water channels. The idea of connection with Allah and praying for a better after life influences the Mughal garden designs.