A DAUGHTER’S HOMAGE:
THE MAUSOLEUM OF I’TIMAD-UD-DAULAH
SUBRATO MITRA
Agra is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in India. Undoubtedly iconic Taj Mahal is the
reason. Taj Mahal is the magnet that attracts millions to the historic city.
But Agra is much more than the Taj Mahal. The sprawling Red Fort, Mausoleum of
Akbar (Sikandara), Rambagh, Dayalbagh and the Mausoleum of I’timād-ud-Daulah
too are popular tourist attractions, but many skips the last one as it is
somewhat out of way. If you have been to Agra and not visited the Mausoleum of
I’timād-ud-Daulah (इत्माद-उद-दौला का मकबरा), your visit to the historic city is surely incomplete. This
truly epochal tomb, like Taj Mahal, too is a symbol of love—a daughter’s homage
to his father.
Though not as well-known
as the celebrated Taj Mahal, the Mausoleum of I’timad-ud-Daulah can be
considered as one of the undisputed masterpieces of 17th-century Mughal
architecture. Also known as the ‘Baby Taj’ or the ‘Jewel Box’, this elegant
structure exemplifies a fresh interpretation of the building art of Jahangir’s
period.
Ms.
Amina Okada, the curator of Indian collections at the Musée National des Arts
Asiatiques-Guimet, Paris, considers the Mausoleum of I’timad-ud-Daulah a
precursor to the Taj Mahal, for which it serves as a small-scale prototype. In
her opinion, the mausoleum provides insight into architectural and decorative
styles that were popular under the reign of the Mughals.
British historian Ernest Binfield
Havell also agrees, ‘‘In construction it marks the transition from the style of
Akbar to that of Shah Jahan; from the Jahangiri Mahal to the Dîwan-i-khas, the
Mûti Masjid, and the Taj. The towers at the four corners might be the first
suggestion of the detached minarets of the Taj. The Hindu feeling which is so
characteristic of most of Akbar’s buildings is here only shown in the roof of
the central chamber over the tomb; in pure Saracenic architecture a tomb is
always covered by a dome.….….This change in style greatly influenced the
architecture of the whole of the north of India, Hindu and Jain as well as
Muhammadan.’’
The mausoleum was commissioned
by Emperor Jahangir’s wife Nūr Jahān (नूरजहाँ) for her father Mirzā Ghiyās Beg (मिर्ज़ा ग्यासबेग). Nur Jahan was an
intelligent and multi-faceted personality. Historian Gavin Hambly noted,
‘‘Jahangir’s wife, Nur Jahan, was an excellent conversationalist, a fine judge
of Persian poetry and a poet herself. Her accomplishments made her an irresistible
companion for the emperor. Nur Jahan was a patron of painting and architecture
whose interests also extended to the decoration of rooms as well as the
designing of ornaments, brocades, rugs and dresses.’’ It is natural that she
wished to have an outstanding final resting place for her father.
Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was an
important official in emperor’s court and was bestowed with the title
of ‘I’timād-ud-Daulah’ (pillar of the state). Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was
also the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl (originally named Arjūmand Bāno,
daughter of Asaf Khān), the wife of the emperor Shāh Jahān. Interestingly
the foundation of the building was laid by Mirza Ghiyas Beg himself before his
death. Mirzā died in 1622.
The mausoleum, built
between 1622 and 1628, represents a transition between the architectural
phases. Stylistically, this is the most innovative 17th century Mughal
building and marks the transition from the robust, red sandstone architecture
of Akbar era to the sensuous refinement of Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal. Many
historians consider the mausoleum as the prototype on which more famous Taj
Mahal was later built.
The I’timād-ud-Daulah’s
mausoleum is located on the right bank of the Yamuna river, 4 km from the
Taj Mahal. The mausoleum itself covers about 23m², and is built on a base about
50m². It is set on a platform about one meter high. The main building is
flanked with four hexagonal towers, about 13m tall, one on each corner. The
main structure can be accessed through two of the four large gateways built
into its enclosure walls. The main entrance was through the eastern gate while
the western one, in actuality a waterfront barahdari (pavilion), offered
riverside access to the tomb garden; the structures in the east and west walls
were built as false gateways, for the sake of symmetry. Another unique feature
of the mausoleum is its rectangular dome, very similar to that used in Akbar’s
tomb at Sikandra. Such domes are also visible in many structures present at the
Fatehpur Sikri complex. Usual Persian style domes (as used in Humayun’s tomb
and the Taj Mahal) are onion shaped and commonly found in Mughal era
structures. The entire complex is
perfectly symmetrical; the only asymmetrical element is that the cenotaphs of
Nūr Jahān’s parents (Mirza Ghiyas Beg and Asmat Begam) have been set
side-by-side, a formation later replicated in the Tāj Mahal. Many of her
relatives are also buried in the mausoleum.
This was the first Mughal
structure built completely with marble. All walls are made of white marble and
beautifully encrusted with decorations of floral, geometric and animate motifs.
Colourful semi-precious stones such as cornelian, jasper, topaz, lapis lazuli, onyx etc. were extensively used to create
perfectly proportional motifs. This is the first example in India where in
influence of pietra dura or pietre dure—called
‘pacchikari’ (पच्चीकारी)—can be seen. Pietra dura is an Italian
technique and means decorative inlay of highly polished colored stones on white
marble to create images. Many different colored stones were used, along with
semi-precious, and some even precious stones. This art-technique first appeared
in Rome in the 16th century, and reached its full maturity in Florence. When
Italian artisans visited the court of Jahangir, their mission was to find and
procure precious/semi-precious stones from India. Some of these visiting
artisans stayed back in India and inspired the architectural transformation
here, though some historians don’t agree to this general perception.
Ernest Binfield Havell in
his book ‘A Handbook to Agra and the Taj, Sikandra, Fatehpur-Sikri, and the
Neighbourhood’ (1904) writes: ‘‘Many authorities have connected the marked difference
between I’timad-ud-Daulah’s tomb and Akbar’s buildings to Italian influence,
only on the ground that Jahangir is known to have been partial to Europeans,
and allowed them free access to his palace. There is not, however, a trace of
Italian art in any detail of the building; there is not a form or decorative
idea which had not been used in India or in Central Asia for centuries. The use
of marble inlaid work on so extensive a scale was a novelty, but it was only an
imitation, or adaptation, of the splendid tile-mosaic and painted tile-work
which were the commonest kinds of decoration employed in Persia: Wazir Khan’s
mosque at Lahore, built in Jahangir’s time, is a fine Indian example of the
latter.’’
Havell further writes, ‘‘The
art of inlaying stone had been practiced in India for many years before this
building; but here, for the first time, do we find the inlayers making attempts
at direct imitation of Persian pottery decoration. All the familiar motifs of
Persian art, the tree of life and other floral types, the cypress tree, the
flower-vases, fruits, wine-cups, and rose-water vessels are here reproduced
exactly as they are found in Persian mosaic tiles. In Shah Jahan’s palace and
in the Taj they went a step further, and imitated the more naturalistic
treatment of Persian fresco painting and other pictorial art; but there is
never the slightest suggestion of European design in the decoration of these
buildings……..It is quite possible that some Italians may have shown the native
inlayers specimens of Florentine pietra dura, and suggested to them
this naturalistic treatment, but if Italians or other Europeans had been
engaged to instruct or supervise in the decoration of these buildings they
would certainly have left some traces of their handiwork.’’
Once inside the mausoleum,
one can watch the soft light coming in through finely perforated marble-screens
(jālī, जाली) with complex geometric lattice work carved out of a single slab
of marble. These delicate marble-screens are fitted on walls of inner chamber
as windows. This seems an inspiration from the Dargah of Salim Chisti located
at Fatehpur Sikri, where such marble-screens were introduced during emperor
Akbar’s time. Inside walls of the mausoleum are finely decorated, somewhat
similar—but much more elaborate and aesthetically beautiful—to that of the Taj
Mahal.
In ‘The Art and
Architecture of Islam : 1250-1800’ historians Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan
M. Bloom note that the tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah was the first Indian structure
in which white marble replaces red sandstone as the ground for polychrome pietra
dura inlay. Blair and Bloom mentioned the structure as a ‘modest’ one,
though praised the same for its delicate but exuberant decoration and warm
tonality. Here the traditional technique of inlay has changed.
Orthodox geometric designs and arabesques are now combined with
representational motifs of drinking cups, vases with flowers, cypress trees and
visual descriptions of Paradise from the Holy Quran.
Many beautiful structures
were built under Mughals, but his exquisitely beautiful ‘bejeweled marble box’
is unique in its own way. Here the inlaid patterns are as delicate as
embroidery. The dense gilding and paintwork represent typical Persian motifs,
such as the wine-vase and the dish and cup, apart from polychrome geometric
ornamentation, far more delicately decorative and beautiful than that of Taj.
It is also the first all-marble structure in India, setting a trend for white
marble buildings.
Historian Percy Brown
wrote, ‘‘There is no other building like it in the entire range of
Mughal architecture, the delicacy of treatment, and the chaste quantity of
its decoration placing it in a class by itself whether regarded as an architectural
composition of matchless refinement, as an example of applied art displaying
rare craftsmanship, or as an artistic symbol of passionate filial devotion, the
tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah expresses in every part of it, the high aesthetic
ideals that prevailed among the Mughals at the time.”
Unlike
other monuments, here you’ll find less walking and less crowd. Intricate details of the
architecture, fine lattice work and the brilliant inlay work will mesmerize
you. Don’t miss it when you in Agra.
Further reading:
https://rediscoveryproject.com/2016/04/29/agra-beyond-the-taj/
https://www.wmf.org/blog/tomb-i%E2%80%99timad-ud-daulah-restoring-spirit-authentic-mughal-char-bagh/
http://www.dharma3d.org/index.php/projects/india/itmad-ud-daulah-tomb/
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