The Mughal Rulers
The Taj Mahal’s Influences

From a religious perspective Shahjahan did not go as far as Akbar did in attempts to bridge cultural and religious gaps in India. In fact, his concern was uniting the region under Sunni Islam, especially as a protection against the influence of the Safavids in Iran who were Shiite. But as the biggest patron of architecture, one might say that his buildings were a way of metaphorically overcoming cultural and religious differences. His most famous building is the Taj Mahal in Agra. According to M.C. Joshi in Taj Mahal "The Taj marks the culmination of Mughal architecture and expresses a synthesis of various structural traditions" (p. 221). These traditions include Persian and Central Asian as well as Pre-Mughal Indian architecture, although one can even find European motifs in the details. Several of the elements can be attributed to Persian traditions. One such element is the chaharbagh, the four quartered garden, that was placed in front of the actual mausoleum which we call the Taj Mahal.

While most Mughal tombs were placed in the center of the garden (like the Tomb of Humayun) this one was placed at the end with a gatehouse opposite it. This would seem to give this monument an even grander and more majestic quality as one makes their approach to it from quite a distance away and can better appreciate it. Islamic gardens are often called Paradise gardens as they represent man’s interpretation of heaven based on depictions in the Quran. The architects of this monument perhaps took this one step further with the inclusion not only of this garden but of many inscriptions of those Quranic Paradise depictions which ornament the mausoleum. Some historians feel that this entire complex was not just a monument dedicated to Shahjahan’s wife but was meant to be an allegorical representation of the Throne of God and the gardens of Paradise. Other Persian elements include the irregular octagonal plan, the half and double domes, and grand apses and alcoves.
Despite these many singular Persian contributions, the overall structure is said to be Mughal Indian and derived from the Akbari style, which first developed during Akbar’s rule. This is how many of the elements which appear to be Central Asian became part of the Taj Mahal’s design. But more conspicuous than those are the Pre-Islamic Indian elements. Some of these are what you might see on Hindu temples and include chhatris (elements that top towers, usually with a dome), guldastas (flower-like elements), and the use of an inverted lotus to decorate the tops of the structures. A European element that would be much less noticeable would be the popular flowering plant motif that was borrowed from engravings for European herbals.
It may not be so obvious at first sight, especially when that first sight tends to be so overwhelming, but the Taj Mahal represents a fusion of many different cultures. Rather than completely subjugate and eradicate the Pre-Islamic culture of India, early Mughal rulers like Akbar chose instead to assimilate. Although that may not have lasted, those attempts are apparent in the architecture; especially monuments like the Taj Mahal, which today appeals to so many cultures. If that kind of synthesis were as easily accomplished in reality as it is in architecture then the world would be a very different and much more beautiful place.