Taj Mahal: the Cultural Influences on Religious Spaces of Power in India and China.
Cultural perspectives are pertinent to today’s society, particular through the topic of religious power. This is evident when indulging in the fascinating architecture of the South Asian and East Asian countries. This essay will focus on two particular Asian cultural perspectives: The Indian and Chinese- specifically exploring the spatial qualities of places of worship. The purpose is to effectively identify how these societies use such monumental Architecture to reflect their religions throughout time and gain knowledge regarding the effects these religious buildings had on the world.
Throughout time India has been notably influential in the world of architecture with it’s use of religion to demonstrate powerful monuments throughout time. One of the most significant pieces of architecture that has been produced by India is the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum complex appointed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 to house the remains of his most beloved wife- Mumtaz Mahal after she passed away while giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631.
The Taj Mahal was constructed over a 20-year period and was designed by Architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The design of the structure itself was the Mughal style of architecture and Inspired by particular Timurid and Mughal buildings such as the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, Samarkand), Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb ('Baby Taj', Agra), and the Jama Masjid in Delhi which are all typically a range of Persian, Ottoman Turkish, and Indian Architecture. It is believed that the emperor had the intention of building a second mausoleum across the river and the two would be connected together by a bridge to house his own pair of remains- this was to represent the connection he had to his beloved. Unfortunately, this was never accomplished due to his third son overthrowing him and taking all the power for himself. Shah ended up spending the rest of his life under house arrest staring out at his wife’s tomb, he then died in 1666 and was buried next to his wife.
The Taj Mahal’s construction was pivotal in the making of India’s history as it not only represents an era of Muslim rule but also acted as a testimony to over 20,000 laborers who sacrificed in order to contribute to the construction. Another prime example of this style of architecture in India is the Tomb of Humayun in Delhi. This was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, standing at a height of 47 meters it was commissioned by Emperor Humayun’s wife (Hamida Banu Begum) in 1565 AD after her husband died 11 years earlier and was completed in 1572. Architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyath designed the tomb a century before the Taj Mahal and is notably one of the Mughal architectural monuments that helped shape the Taj Mahal. Throughout the 17th and 19th century, the gardens surrounding the tomb became progressively filled with tombs of Humayun’s descendants and his entourage. In respect to the history of architecture, the building is incredibly unique as it is the connection between where Humayun’s ancestor Tamerlane is buried and the mausoleum in which his grandson Shah Jahan was buried.
The placement of those iconic minarets are not just for aesthetics but these minarets also have a strategic purpose. In the event of a collapse, everything would fall away from the tomb. To protect the crypt of Mumtaz Mahal, the chief architect tilted those minarets very slightly so that they fall away from the rest of the Taj Mahal.
One of the most significant examples of Chinese architecture is the Qing tombs in Beijing from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The tombs are arranged in the traditional order of most senior and most distinguished in the center, with tombs for five emperors, four empresses, five imperial concubines, and a princess. Emperor Shunzhi’s tomb- Xiaoling, was centered as he was China’s first emperor during the Qing Dynasty (1638-1661), the other tombs were fanned across from east to west in the order of each person occupied in the family hierarchy. The empresses and concubines were buried alongside their husbands, this is a clear demonstration of the master-subject relationship they had in life. With the wives connected to the tombs of their husbands and the husbands connected to that of Emperor Shunshi’s, the entirety of the Qing tombs was formed branch-like, connecting and demonstrating relationships between the rulers and heirs. The Qing tombs were built to honor the emperors, empresses, and concubines of the Qing Dynasty. 15 rulers were buried on this site, and all of their tombs had one main idea in common with the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor- power.
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the qin dynasty and unified china, he ruled for 35 years and is famed for some of the most immaculate designs, including the beginning of the Great Wall. Qin Shi Huang took to the throne when he was only 13, he spent his whole life running from assassins and conquering the other states in order to unify China, until he entered middle age.
The emperor was so afraid of death he became obsessed with finding ways to defeat it- including his quest to find the elixir of life. He ordered his many court doctors and alchemists to mix potion after potion. As a last resort, Qin Shi Huang had ordered for a mighty tomb to be built for himself in 215BCE. His plans for the tomb were to reflect his life on earth- rivers of mercury, cross-bow traps, replicas of the emperors' palaces, and at least 8,000 clay soldiers. The Terracotta Army was to guard Qin Shi Huang in the afterworld and rumor has it- conquer heaven as he had on earth.
When comparing the Indian and Chinese cultural impacts on architecture on the world, it can be noted throughout the mentioned examples of both religious styles, that the Chinese culture really impacted their styles of architecture. This was because of their hope to continue living luxurious lives in the afterlife and their need to satisfy their lust for power, like being buried with clay armies to help you overthrow the heavens. This was opposed by India, who rather, used architecture and wealth to express their love for their beloved. India also expressed their heritage and wealth through the use of paintings and jewel-encrusted buildings, in example to this twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were used throughout the Taj Mahal in order for the emperor to express his love for Mumtaz Mahal. The stones were all of which sourced from Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, and some parts of India. The other materials were in the same boat- being sourced from all over India and Asia. It is said that over a thousand elephants were used to transport the materials needed for the construction of the grand palace. The most prominent example of the materials sourced for the taj mahal in other locations would be marble. The translucent white marble was bought from an urban city in Rajasthan called Makrana, but that wasn’t even the material that was sourced from the furthest location. Both the jade and the crystal were brought into Delhi from China. This demonstrates the level of commitment Shah Jahan showed in the process of building the mausoleum for his favorite wife.
Chinese and Indian architecture regarding mausoleums is very similar in respect to the reasoning behind such immense works. The Taj Mahal, Tomb of Humayun, the Qing tombs, and the tomb of Qin Shi Huang are all some of the most monumental examples of Indian and Chinese structures and although they possess similarities in the reason behind them, they also show incredible uniqueness when comparing the design aspects. Exploring the cultural aspects of each of these buildings individually, it is obvious that the architecture is built out of love. Every jewel, minaret, and the dome is perfectly placed in order the honor the beloved in the most perfect way achievable. Both cultures reflect not only religions but love, power, and sacrifice.
The history of architecture and society itself is crucial to existence. In order to progress and make further developments in technology, built environments, and the social and physical aspects of human lives, we must first delve into the depths of the past. Diving into the history of architecture, future architects much like anyone on their first day at work, are able to better understand what is required of them in order to do what is needed in the world.
