Conclusion

Fig 7 – The grand Mausoleum.

The design of the Taj Mahal is truly magnificently carried out. Such contrasting and distinctive architectural features have been juxtaposed in an incredibly harmonious manner. That in itself is the greatest achievement that Shah Jahan can credit the designers for.

The essential forms and plans have been derived from earlier Muslim rulers in India who followed the Islamic style of architecture. The overall design evidently has a Timurid inflection that it gracefully portrays. This is not only in the case of the Taj Mahal, but also several other prominent buildings constructed by the Mughals. The execution of the design and process of construction of the Taj Mahal involved engaging the local Indian expertise and skills, which added a tinge of Indian architecture which existed in the region for ages.24

The reign of Shah Jahan emerges as the time when the visual arts were most consistently and

24 Tillotson, “The Design”, 61.