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Nawab Shah Jahan Begum, Bhopals 11th ruler was a connoisseur of
art and architecture. The
Taj Mahal of Bhopal was built as the Begums residence, at a cost
of Rs. 30 lakh . Its
construction spanned over a period of 13 years, from 1871 to
1884, It was one of the largest
palaces of the world built at that time.
The building was originally named Raj Mahal (The Royal Palace).
The British residents of
Bhopal, highly impressed with the architecture, suggested that
the palace be renamed the Taj
Mahal. The begum accepted the suggestion and the palace was
renamed to Taj Mahal. The
begum is said to have ordered a three-year long celebration
called Jashn-e-Taj Mahal after
the completion of the building.
After Indias independence, some members of the royal family of
Bhopal stayed at the palace,
but gradually moved away, as they had no money for the repairs.
By 2008, large parts of the
palace complex had collapsed.
ARCHITECTUREThe architecture of Taj Mahal has British, French,
Mughal, Arabic and Hindu influences. The
palaces contain 120 rooms-all different from one another in
colour scheme and decoration
and eight large halls, a hall of mirrors or sheesh mahal, the
saavan bhadoon pavilion, an
elaborate fountain like structure that simulated the effect of
rain. The main entrance is
seven- storied structure. The large entrance of this six storied
building and the main lobby are
huge and spacious in order to accommodate horse driven carriages
inside the palace. The
saawan bhaadon pavilion in the main courtyard of the palace is
an attempted remake of asimilar pavilion in the Shalimar Bagh in
Kashmir. Here, artificial nozzles with underground
water supply were mounted inside walls for spraying cold water
in hot summer afternoons.
The palace was a part of a complex of buildings along the three
lakes that included the Benazir
palace, which was begums summer palace, and the taj-ul masjid.
The palace has been built in
the indo-saracenic style and is kept cool by the winds blowing
in from the lakes.
The renovation work of the Taj Mahal would be undertaken soon to
restore the lost
grandeur of this great monument Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister
Laxmikant Sharma saidafter a visit to nawabi era monument here.
Today large parts of the heritage complex have collapsed. Its
ceiling near the entrance has
buckled and the huge garden with a complex of palace and covered
walkways has
disintegrated. As a result, one can easily see the narrow bricks
peering out of wherever the
plaster has peeled off or the walls have caved in.
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Back of every creation,
supporting it like an arch is
faith. Enthusiasm is nothing, itcomes and goes. But belief,
once rooted, does miracles.
Keep moving and you willfind doors awaiting you, doors
of opportunity, waiting to be
unfolded. For there lie things
known and unknown in this
universe and in between lie
these doors.
