![]() The secular/commercial space ends in the jilaukhana/ forecort of the tomb. Some were involved in construction of Red Fort in Delhi some in the tomb itself for inlay work continued longer. That their hands were cut is another myth. The commercial part of the tomb complex was the Taj Ganj where the descendants of the artisans and craftsmen still live. Of course, the emperor was deeply devoted to his empress and that love shines through but it was also a deeply sacred space. Today they have been separated and thus we only see the love angle. The mausoleum complex was divided into two parts: one was the religious and the other secular and commercial. Let us now examine the Rauza or Taj Mahal as it was envisaged for the deliverance of a beloved wife. Shariat laws were followed for acquiring of property and due compensation was given to Raja Jai Singh the owner of the property in 1631. The word Taj Mahal is a corruption of the name of Mumtaz Mahal and the local name Taj Bibi ka Rauza and it stuck. Paradisical tombs weren’t unknown to Shah Jahan since Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi and Itmad-ud Daula tomb in Agra itself were built on paradisical themes set in Charbagh gardens.Ī huge white marble mausoleum was planned which was called Rauza-e Munawwara The Illumined Tomb) and even Rauza-e Mutahaira (The Purified Tomb). When Shah Jahan ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal it was in accordance to the chronogram taken out by Bebadal Khan, Jaaye-i-Mumtaz Mahal jannat bad (May the abode of Mumtaz Mahal be paradise).” Some mausoleums could be simple with just an enclosure around them like Princess Jahanara and some as elaborate as her mother’s in Agra. Taking this as the cue, elaborate mausoleums were built over simple mud graves, housed underground in the edifice. The body is buried but it is the soul that is important for on the Day of Resurrection it will be called for judgment. Though simple, unmarked graves are indicated, many did build memorials with a cenotaph on top as a replica of the grave.Īs the soul needs prayers for an easy journey into the hereafter, mosques were built next to it for prayers and recitation of the Quran, which could be consecrated for deliverance of the dead person’s soul. The grave is perpendicular to the direction of the Qibla so that the body, placed in the grave lying on its right side, faces the Qibla. The first of the funerary rituals is the ceremonial bath (ghusl) followed by the shrouding of the body in a simple white cloth (kafan), funeral prayers and then the lowering in the grave. It is preferable that burial should ideally be done within 24 hours of death. Islamic laws are very specific regarding the rituals before burial, the burial itself and the grave. ![]()
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