Inside, away from the glitter of sun on white marble, the Taj Mahal conveys a softer mood. As the light filters in through the lacy grillwork of the doors and windows, the focal point of the Taj is revealed. A pierced marble screen six feet tall surrounds the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and her husband, Shah Jahan. The cenotaph of the empress (at left in the picture below) is at the exact center of the Taj's interior; it is laid out in perfect symmetry with the entrances, directly beneath the central dome. Shah Jahan had planned to build a similar mausoleum for himself, this one of black marble, across the Jumna River, the two to be linked by a silver bridge. But the emperor never realized his plan and he was buried next to his wife.
The cenotaphs themselves are richly decorated with inlays of semiprecious stones—jasper, lapis, bloodstone-done with such precision that breaks between the stones can barely be seen with a magnifying glass. One flower, only an inch square, has 60 different inlays, which feel to the touch like one smooth surface.
THE ENTRY TO THE CRYPT IS down a single flight of stairs, in a hall near the main entrance.
THE BURIAL CRYPT (right) is beneath the cenotaphs on the main floor. When Muslim rulers were in power, the crypt was opened once a year, and then only Muslims could enter; today it is accessible to everyone.
World History
