Taj Mahal (palace)

Last updated

Taj Mahal Palace
Taj Mahal, Bhopal.JPG
Taj Mahal (palace)
General information
Town or city Bhopal
Country India
Coordinates 23°15′N77°25′E / 23.250°N 77.417°E / 23.250; 77.417
Construction started1871
Completed1884
Cost30 lakhs
Client Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal

Taj Mahal is a palace built by Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal. It is located beside the Taj-ul-Masajid in Bhopal, India.

Contents

History

The Taj Mahal at Bhopal was built as the Begum's residence, at a cost of 3,000,000. Its construction spanned over a period of 13 years, from 1871 to 1884. [1] It was one of the largest palaces of the world built at that time. [2]

The building was originally named Raj Mahal ("royal palace"). The British Resident at Bhopal, highly impressed with the architecture, suggested that the palace be renamed the Taj Mahal, the Taj Mahal at Agra having been built by the Begum's namesake Shah Jahan. The begum accepted the suggestion and the palace was renamed to Taj Mahal. [3] The Begum is said to have ordered a three-year-long celebration called Jashn-e-Taj Mahal after the completion of the building. [1]

After the partition of India in 1947, Nawab Hamidullah Khan allowed Sindhi refugees to stay in the palace. They stayed in Taj Mahal for around 4 years, before shifting to Bairagarh. The palace suffered some damage during this period. [1] After India's independence, some members of the royal family of Bhopal stayed at the palace, but gradually moved away, as they had no money for the repairs. By 2008, large parts of the palace complex had collapsed. [3]

The palace was declared a state heritage monument by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2005 and the state archaeology department carried out restoration in parts. However, it was de-notified in 2011. Until 2013, the Taj Mahal was under the archives department. In 2014 the monument was handled over to the Madhya Pradesh tourism department. [4]

In 2017, a private builder from Indore, was handed over the property on lease to develop the sprawling 19th century structure into a 120-room heritage hotel. As of 2023 the work is yet to be started. [5]

Architecture

The architecture of Taj Mahal has British, French, Mughal, Arabic and Hindu influences. [1] The palace contains 120 rooms, a hall of mirrors or sheesh mahal and the savon bhadon pavilion, an elaborate fountain like structure that simulated the effect of rain. The main entrance is a seven-storied structure. The palace was part of a complex of buildings along the three lakes that includes the Benazir Palace, which was the begum's summer palace, and the Taj-ul-Masjid Mosque. The palace has been built in the Indo-Saracenic style and is kept cool by the winds blowing in from the lakes. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taj Mahal</span> Marble mausoleum in Agra, India

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agra</span> Metropolis in Uttar Pradesh, India

Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about 230 kilometres (140 mi) south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the fourth-most populous city in Uttar Pradesh and twenty-third most populous city in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mumtaz Mahal</span> Empress consort of the Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1633

Mumtaz Mahal was the empress consort of Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1631 as the chief consort of the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, often cited as one of the Wonders of the World, was commissioned by her husband to act as her tomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burhanpur</span> City in Madhya Pradesh, India

Burhanpur is a historical city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River and 512 kilometres (318 mi) northeast of city of Mumbai, 340 kilometres (211 mi) southwest of the state's capital city of Bhopal. The city is a Municipal Corporation.

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mughal architecture</span> 16th–18th-century Indo-Islamic architecture

Mughal architecture is the type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of earlier Muslim dynasties in India and from Iranian and Central Asian architectural traditions, particularly Timurid architecture. It also further incorporated and syncretized influences from wider Indian architecture, especially during the reign of Akbar. Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character, including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive halls, large vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation; examples of the style can be found in modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nawabs of Bhopal</span> Indian Muslim rulers (1707–1949)

The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of Bhopal, now part of Madhya Pradesh, India. The nawabs first ruled under the Mughal Empire from 1707 to 1737, under the Maratha Empire from 1737 to 1818, then under British rule from 1818 to 1947, and independently thereafter until it was acceded to the Union of India in 1949. The female nawabs of Bhopal held the title Nawab Begum of Bhopal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal</span> Begum of Bhopal (1838–1901)

Shahjahan Begum was the Nawab Begum of Bhopal for two periods: 1844–60, and secondly during 1868–1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhopal State</span> Islamic principality in India (1708–1949)

Bhopal State was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute in a subsidiary alliance with British India from 1818 to 1947, and an independent state from 1947 to 1949. Islamnagar was founded and served as the State's first capital, which was later shifted to the city of Bhopal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhopal district</span> District of Madhya Pradesh in India

Bhopal District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Bhopal serves as its administrative headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibi Ka Maqbara</span> Taj Mahal of Deccan, Aurangabad

The Bibi Ka Maqbara is a tomb located in the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was commissioned in 1660 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's son prince Azam Shah in the memory of his loving mother Dilras Banu Begum. It bears a striking resemblance to the Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of Aurangzeb's mother, Mumtaz Mahal and that is why it is also called the Taj of the Deccan. Aurangzeb was not much interested in architecture though he had commissioned the small, but elegant, Moti Masjid at Delhi. Bibi Ka Maqbara is the second largest structure that Aurangzeb has built, the largest being the Badshahi Mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandav</span> Town in Madhya Pradesh, India

Mandav is a town and a nagar panchayat, near city of Dhar in Dhar district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the governor of Madhya Pradesh. It is located in the capital city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taj-ul-Masajid</span> Mosque in Bhopal, India

The Taj-ul-Masajid or Tāj-ul-Masjid, is a mosque situated in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the largest mosque in India and one of the largest mosques in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehtab Bagh</span> Charbagh garden in Agra, India, opposite the Taj Mahal

Mehtab Bagh is a charbagh complex in Agra, North India. It lies north of the Taj Mahal complex and the Agra Fort on the opposite side of the Yamuna River, in the flood plains. The garden complex, square in shape, measures about 300 by 300 metres and is perfectly aligned with the Taj Mahal on the opposite bank. During the rainy season, the ground becomes partially flooded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamnagar, Bhopal</span> Village in Madhya Pradesh, India

Jagdishpur is a panchayat village in the Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located in the Huzur tehsil and the Phanda block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Uttar Pradesh</span> Overview of the architecture of Uttar Pradesh

The architecture of Uttar Pradesh demonstrates a diverse and eclectic combination of Buddhist, Hindu, Indo-Islamic, and Indo-European architectural styles. Three of its architectural monuments—the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, as well as the township of Fatehpur Sikri founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar—are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The architectural structures in Uttar Pradesh include ancient Buddhist stūpas and vihāras, ancient Buddhist and Hindu monasteries, townships, forts, palaces, temples, mosques, mausoleums, memorials, and other community structures. Uttar Pradesh's architectural structures also include various Hindu temples, Ghats, etc. largely found in ancient cities like Benares (Varanasi), Brindaban (Vrindavan), Mathura, and Prayagraj (Allahabad).

<i>Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments</i> Book by Hekmat E Shirazi

Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments is a book written in Persian by Dr Ali Asghar Hekmat E Shirazi and published in 1956 and 1958 and 2013. New edition contains the Persian texts of more than 200 epigraphical inscriptions found on historical monuments in India, many of which are currently listed as national heritage sites or registered as UNESCO world heritage, published in Persian; an English edition is also being printed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jama Masjid, Mandu</span> Historic mosque in India

Jama Masjid is a historic mosque in Mandu in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Built in Mughal style of architecture, the mosque has been believed to have been built during the reign of Hoshang Shah and completed during the reign of Mahmud Khilji in 1454.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikandar Begum</span> Nawab of Bhopal

Sikander Begum, was the Nawab of Bhopal from 1860 until her death in 1868. Although she was initially appointed regent of her nine-year old daughter Shah Jahan Begum in 1844, she was recognized as nawab in 1860. During the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, Sikandar's pro-British stance made her a Knight Grand Commander. In 1863, she was the first Indian ruler to perform Hajj. Sikandar enacted many reforms in the state, including the creation of a mint, a secretariat, a parliament and a modern judiciary.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Narendra Modi (12 December 2010). "Eighth wonder? Bhopal too has a Taj Mahal!". Deccan Herald . Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  2. "The other Taj Mahal in Bhopal needs to be preserved". News Track India. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Hope floats for Bhopal's very own Taj Mahal". DNA. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  4. 1 2 "The Other Taj Mahal". The Indian Express. 5 October 2012.
  5. "Taj Mahal in Bhopal Built by Sultan Shah Jahan to Be Converted Into Heritage Hotel, Confirms MP's Tourism Department | 🏖️ LatestLY". LatestLY. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2023.