PROJECT MANAGEMENT - BY DEEPAK SIR

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - BY PROF. DEEPAK GUPTA- ABDUL GHANIS.Y.B.B.A

As A ProjectSOME BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT TAJ MAHALTheTaj Mahal meaning Crown of Palaces is a white marblemausoleumlocated at the banks of Yamuna River inAgra,Uttar Pradesh,India. It was built byMughalemperor Shah Jahanin memory of his third wife,Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu). The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example ofMughal architecture, a style that combines elements fromIslamic,Persian,Ottoman, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. While the whitedomedmarblemausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 A.D and was completed around 1653 A.D, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision.Lahauriis generally considered to be the principal designer.

ORIGIN OF TAJ MAHAL

In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during theMughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, aPersianprincess, died during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632.The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 (17yrs.) and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished 5 years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these words:Should guilty seek asylum here,Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,All his past sins are to be washed away.The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.In this world this edifice has been made;To display thereby the creator's glory

CONSTRUCTION & INTERMENT

A site was chosen on the banks of the Yamuna River on the southern edgeof Agra and purchased from Raja Jai Singhin exchange for four mansions in the city. The site, "from the point of view of loftiness and pleasantness appeared to be worthy of the burial of that one who dwells in paradise".In January 1632 AD, Mumtaz's body was moved with great ceremony from Burhanpur to Agra.

FoundationsThe foundations represented the biggest technical challenge to be overcome by the Mughal builders. In order to support the considerable load resulting from the mausoleum, the sands of the riverbank needed to be stabilised. To this end, wells were sunk and then cased in timber and finally filled with rubble, iron and mortar essentially acting asaugured piles.MaterialsThe Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India andAsia. The buildings are constructed with walls of brick and rubble. Some of the walls of the mausoleum are several metres thick.Tthe sandstone was quarried 28 miles (45km) away nearFatehpur Sikri.The whitemarblewas brought 250 miles (400km) from quarries belonging to Raja Jai Singh inMakrana,Rajasthan. TheJasperwas sourced from thePunjaband theJadeand crystal from China. Theturquoisewas fromTibetand theLapis lazulifromAfghanistan, while thesapphire came fromSri Lankaand thecarnelianfromArabia. In all, 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.ARCHITECTS & CRAFTSMENThe construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, andUstad Ahmad Lahauri. Lahauriis generally considered to be the principal designer.A labour force of twenty thousand workers was recruited across northern India. Sculptors fromBukhara, calligraphers fromSyria and Persia, inlayers fromsouthern India, stonecutters fromBaluchistan, a specialist in building turrets, another who carved only marble flowers were part of the thirty-seven men who formed the creative unit.

Ustad Ahmad LahauriSome of the builders involved in construction of Taj Mahal are:

Ismail Afandi (a.k.a. Ismail Khan) of the Ottoman EmpireDesigner of the main Dome.Ustad Isa, born either inShiraz,Ottoman Empireor Agra credited with a key role in the architectural design and main dome.'Puru' from Benarus, Persia has been mentioned as a Supervising Architect.Qazim Khan, a native ofLahore cast the solid Gold Finial.Chiranjilal, a lapidary from Delhi the Chief Sculptor andMosaicist.Amanat Khan from Shiraz, Iran the Chief Calligrapher.Muhammad Hanif a Supervisor of Masons.Mir Abdul Karim and Mukkarimat Khan of Shiraz Handled finances and management of daily production.

COMPONENTS OF THE COMPLEXThe focus and climax of the Taj Mahal complex is the symmetrical white marble tomb; a cubic building with chamfered corners, with arched recesses known aspishtaqs. It is topped by a large dome and several pillared, roofed chhatris. In plan, it has a near perfect symmetry about 4 axes. It comprises 4 floors; the lower basement storey containing the tombs of Jahan and Mumtaz, the entrance storey containing identical cenotaphs of the tombs below in a much more elaborate chamber, an ambulatory storey and a roof terrace.

DARK HISTORY OF TAJ MAHAL

Abdul Hamid Lahauri, the author of theBadshahnama, the official history of Shah Jahan's reign, states - Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his sonAurangzeband put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the mausoleum next to his wife.By the late 19th century, parts of the buildings had fallen badly into disrepair. During the time of theIndian rebellion of 1857, the Taj Mahal was defaced by British soldiers and government officials, who chiselled out precious stones andlapis lazulifrom its walls.At the end of the 19th century, British viceroyLord Curzonordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908.He also commissioned the large lamp in the interior chamber, modelled after one in aCairomosque. During this time the garden was remodelled with British-style lawns that are still inplace today.

UNUSUAL FACTS ABOUT TAJ MAHAL

The full height of the Taj Mahal is171 metres (561 feet).The Taj Mahal covers an area of 42 acres in total.The cost of construction of the Taj Mahal was around Rs. 320 million.Around 22,000 people worked day and night for 22 years to complete construction of the Taj Mahal.Taj Mahal appears pink in the morning, white in the day and changes its color to golden in the moon light, it is the symbol of true love.The pillars surrounding Taj Mahal are slightly tilted outwards so that in the event of an earthquake they will fall away from the tomb.An identical Taj Mahal was supposed to be built in black marble instead of white. The base of it can still be seen across the river.Emperor ordered to chop off the hands of the workers who had constructed the Taj Mahal so no one could make anything like it.

STEPS TAKEN BY GOVT. TO PRESERVE TAJ MAHAL

The government and city authorities have taken measures to protect Indias greatest sight.

Pollution stations around Agra monitor air quality around the clock. Car traffic has been banned within 2 kilometers of the monument. Electric and battery driven cars and buses take tourists to the site. A natural gas pipeline is also in discussion. Factories and industries around Agra are to be persuaded to change to cleaner forms of energy.Govt. has ordered that no aeroplane or factory should be their near Tajmahal at a radius of 20 kms.Archaeological survey of India has put a fibre sheet on the structure of Tajmahal to prevent the effects of acid rains.

REPLICASBIBI KA MAQBARA- AURANGABAD

TAJ MAHAL-BANGLADESH

TRIPOLI SHRINE TEMPLE-MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN