how did the state use art, architecture, and culture to its advantage?
The Taj Mahal is India’s greatest architectural feat of all time. Built during the Mughal Empire, the Taj Mahal, standing just under 600 feet tall and costing almost 40 million rupees (approximately 1.2 billion current US dollars.) While the Taj Mahal may be at its core a mausoleum for the wife of Shah Jahan, for the Mughal Empire it was a symbol of beauty, opulence, wealth and religion. It was a pristine reflection of Mughal Indian architecture. It was built surrounded by a Mosque on one side, a garden on another and a Jam’at Khanah (Government meeting hall) on the other. It gracefully connected one of the greatest buildings of all time with the religion, arts, and government of Mughal India. The Taj Mahal took over 10 years to create, being built entirely from polished white marble intricately carved and inlays with precious gems and metals, it was a reflection of Indian craftsmanship during the period. Overall the Taj Mahal is one of the most astounding building ever constructed, and it represents the Mughal Empire flawlessly
Intricate Carvings on the Taj Mahal
Plan of the taj mahal
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Taj_site_plan_2.PNGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Close_up_of_carving_at_the_Taj_Mahal,_Agra,_Uttar_Pradesh,_India.jpg