The imposing red sandstone terrace, called kursi, or throne, supporting a smaller marble terrace and the Taj Mahal upon it, is best seen from the Mehtab Bagh, the Moonlight Garden on the opposite bank of the Yamuna river.
The riverfront terrace is 8.7 m high and 300 m long, and is framed by two octagonal towers. Two doors at each end of the terrace, beyond the towers, gave access to the Taj Mahal from the river.
Elaborate decorations in relief of vases of flowers and plants, with white marble inlaid, decorate the sequence of arches towards the river.
From the arches, once open, light and fresh air reached the inner rooms arranged in a line and connected by passages and a narrow corridor.
Elaborate decorations in relief of vases of flowers and plants, with white marble inlaid, decorate the sequence of arches towards the river.
From the arches, once open, light and fresh air reached the inner rooms arranged in a line and connected by passages and a narrow corridor.
Photos:
TravelinaGarden, Agra, August 2010
Unknown artist, The Taj Mahal from the River, 1818
Watercolor, pen and black and grey ink, and gouache over graphite on paper
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
TravelinaGarden, Agra, August 2010
Unknown artist, The Taj Mahal from the River, 1818
Watercolor, pen and black and grey ink, and gouache over graphite on paper
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
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