Henry Saint Clair Fredericks Quotes
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Its designers drew inspiration from three related traditions: the architecture of the Mughals' central Asian homeland; the buildings erected by earlier Muslim rulers of India, especially in the Delhi region; and the much older architectural expertise of India itself.
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Europeans could not believe that anything so beautiful could have been designed by a non-European. Europeans of the time considered the people of India uncivilized. They recognized that it was a magnificent building. So they thought it couldn’t have been designed by an Indian.
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It is a complex of buildings; a mosque, a guest house, an enormous entrance gate, four minaret towers and the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan’s wife. It is laid out in a rectangular grid on 42 acres along the Yamuna River, with water fountains and gardens and reflecting pools.
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Shah Jahan, who provedan emperor to be shorter than a lover,who turned a grave into a templewho gave his beloved a place of Godand converted love into a prayer.
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Wagon loads of colorful gemstones arrived from all parts of Asia and Europe. Its story is one of great passion and sorrow. Shah Jahan built it as a tomb for his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, whose beauty inspired many royal poets. He chose to express his grief through architecture. It is a testament to his undying love.
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No single person designed the whole Taj Mahal complex. The buildings were the work of many people – architects, engineers, artists, calligraphers, and Shah Jahan himself.
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It is a special case because it illustrates both intention to represent a Paradise on earth and reception of its message. While it is unique in scale and dimension, it also exemplifies the special place that gardens held for the Mughal dynasty.
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There was a major restoration programme initiated by Lord Curzon. His efforts at the Taj Mahal have had a mixed reception. They are often judged to be largely benign, and they even received complimentary accolades from Jawaharlal Nehru. Post-colonial critics of the Raj have predictably been less willing to exonerate this exemplar of aristocracy.
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We had admired the presidential palace and parliament houses, paused beside the striking India Gate, inspected the 16th Century Humayun's Tomb-a forerunner to the Taj Mahal-and cruised past scores of international embassies.
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Taj has been described as having been designed by giants and finished by jewellers.