Taj Mahal

Wonders of the World

by Giles Tillotson

. with dustjacket, 2008, clean copy

Genres: History, Architecture, India, Travel, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Giles Tillotson is a writer and lecturer on Indian architecture, art and history. A prolific author, he also works in museum and academic management, in higher education and research, in publishing and in travel.

With family roots in Dorset in the UK, he was educated at Trinity College Cambridge, where he read Philosophy, History of Art and Oriental Studies. On completing his PhD, he was elected a Research Fellow at Peterhouse, Cambridge (1986-90). He then taught for fourteen years at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he became Reader in History of Art, and Chair of Art & Archaeology. He is also a Fellow (and former Director) of the Royal Asiatic Society, London.

His areas of special expertise include: the history and architecture of the Rajput courts of Rajasthan, and of the Mughal cities of Delhi and Agra; Indian architecture in the period of British rule and after Independence; and landscape painting in India. He first visited India in 1979 and returned frequently before settling in the country in 2004. He now lives in Gurgaon near Delhi. He is married to the architect and designer Vibhuti Sachdev.

In recent years he has given lectures and informal talks to individual travellers and to visiting groups from institutions including the Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale alumni, Yale School of Architecture, Princeton University, YPO and CEO.

Reviews

[Warwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Robert Irwin's The Alhambra this summer, I was looking forward to trying more from Profile's ‘Wonders of the World’ series, which is edited by the fantastic Mary Beard; excitingly, a trip to Agra not long afterwards offered the chance to do exactly that. This volume takes the same basic approach – a pleasingly sceptical dismissal of many of the hoary guidebook tales, combined with a survey of the building's history, both the history of its construction and the story of how it's been interpreted and appropriated by subsequent cultures and movements.

‘The thing about the Taj,’ people told me before I visited, ‘is that even though everyone talks about how amazing it is, it really is amazing.’ And it still blew me away, even after I was told that. Tillotson is very good on the way no one sees the Taj now without preconceptions – we approach it ‘in awe and trepidation, with our expectations ready to be either shattered or fulfilled’. Part of the reason for the dramatic response is, perhaps, that professional artists now seem to have given up trying to represent it at all, writing it off as the domain of postcards and camera-phones – and indeed one can see their point when you can snap stuff like this on your iPhone:



It's interesting, though, to read Tillotson's account of how many painters tried and failed to capture the experience of being there. For artists, he points out, ‘the Taj presents a special challenge: it arouses their creative instincts whilst warning that any imitation would be feeble’. Early British artists on tour tried to paint it as part of the English picturesque tradition, adding artfully dishevelled (European) trees to the garden; others more or less gave up by relegating the Taj itself to a background element. Photographers have not fared much better, though Tillotson sees the great Punjabi photographer Raghu Rai, whose pictures show the Taj in conjunction with local life, as one notable exception.


Raghu Rai, 1985

Well, perhaps. In any case, Rai is part of a relatively recent tradition: the idea that the Taj is some kind of Indian icon is something that came not from Indians themselves but from visitors.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was eulogised more by Western than by Indian writers and artists. Elevated to the status of national symbol by outsiders, not until about 1900 was it accepted as such by Indians.

And in fact even today, Tillotson points out that the Taj only gets a couple of million Indian visitors a year – compare that to twelve million for something like the Tirupati temple, which most foreigners have barely heard of. Although Tillotson never actually says so, there is definitely a sense that the Taj's image – though not of course the Taj itself – is in some way attached to, or even tarnished by, the image of the British Empire and India-as-colony, or certainly of some narrative of India that was imposed by Europeans. I don't know enough about the subject or the country to comment on the web of associations there, but it seems like an interesting mix, particularly given that the Taj was itself built by ‘outsiders’ (the Mughals, who came from Central Asia).

At any rate, and for whatever reason beyond its evident beauty, the fact is that it has been the iconic monument of India for over a hundred years, and everyone who has some image or narrative of India to sell has to incorporate the Taj into their theories. This has led to some pretty extraordinary contortions by those who dislike the historical facts. Many bewhiskered Brits of the nineteenth century found it impossible to believe that such an exquisite building could have been produced by the natives, and posited the help of Venetian craftsmen. I was also amazed to read of how many Hindu partisans have tried to claim the monument as part of Hindu culture, despite the elementary problems with the suggestion (like the fact that the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum, but Hindus do not bury their dead). Still, the argument has been made repeatedly, by fairly serious historians like Ram Nath (who claimed in print that the Taj ‘is not a monument of Islam’) as well as by a horde of total crackpots like PN Oak – though Oak's ideas about the Taj seem positively rational compared to his suggestion that Christianity is actually ‘Krishna-ity’ and the Vatican comes from a Vedic cult called the Vatika.

All of this is very enjoyable and very enlightening, and Tillotson marshals his sources efficiently to give you a pretty good grounding in the building's context considering that this isn't a long book. I don't know what languages he reads, but I would perhaps have liked some more detail on contemporary Muslim responses to the Taj – are there for instance writers of Urdu or Arabic or Persian who have viewed the Taj as some image of a former glorious empire? If so it would be interesting to know about it. Overall though, this concise, intelligent run-down is highly recommended for anyone planning a visit; planning a visit is even more highly recommended.

[Oct 2015]

[Marc Towersap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an okay book, I thought it would be a little bit different. Having been there, I was a little bit disappointed in it, having heard some of the myths about it, but was hoping there'd be more on the construction and more than dry detail on the politics of the family.

But I do wish I had read this book before I saw it, I would have appreciated it more. I might have looked for the graffiti from the English occupation, and went on the Yamuna river side. I also wish they would have explained why the site is closed on Friday(!!), which I'd guess is due to Friday's being the Muslim variation on Sunday (not a day of rest though, but more a day of worship).

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

17 years to build this extreme architectural perfections...without modern tools...there were and have been enormous evidences that even David the sculpture cannot be done by human hands...simply cannot...

之前常去印度一直很想去看⋯但真的很遠⋯⋯
昨天終於把這本看完
為了愛，把全國人民搞死，餓死
但真的是人類蓋的？
我有很大保留⋯
目錄
導讀　泰姬瑪哈陵：凝固的音樂　漢寶德
簡介　泰姬陵的多變與不變
泰姬瑪哈陵是建築中的女王，同時兼具嬌柔與堂皇之美，受世世代代景仰，是其他齊名建築所無法相提並論的。
第一章　主要人物
慕塔芝和沙賈汗，一個是溫柔專情的妻子，一個是哀痛欲絕的丈夫，透過眼前的泰姬陵，你見證到他們永恆不朽的偉大愛情！
第二章　設計
現在如果皇帝下令你為皇后建造一座陵墓，你要如何在伊斯蘭印度著手設計？你在當地沒有前例可循，因為印度人不會埋葬死人……
第三章　屬於所有人的泰姬陵
「如果讓我對其他建築再有類似感覺的話，則隔日死也無憾。」
第四章　賦予意義
對藝術家來說，泰姬陵是個特別的挑戰。
第五章　擁有泰姬陵
描述印度總督寇松對泰姬陵實際進行的工程，並帶入一些與所有權、處置和剝削有關的討論，讓我們捫心自問：如果泰姬陵位在自己的家鄉，我們會做何反應？
參訪泰姬陵
無論在任何天氣或季節，泰姬陵都讓人印象深刻，的確，如果有雨季的暴風雲做背景，一定相當壯觀。
附圖列表

[Martin Empson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last chapters of the book deal with the historical and cultural legacy of the Taj Mahal. As a new wonder of the world, the building symbolises more that its collected history and culture – which is why there continue to be debates and argument over who should control it and how it should be looked after. The building was originally designed to be self sufficient – raising funds from the fruits grown in its extensive and sumptuous gardens. Now, some eight thousand people a day visit the Taj Mahal – their cash is a major source of revenue, which no doubt creates its own problems and arguments.
Full review: http://resolutereader.blogspot.co.uk/...

[AMIR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book...very informative..also gives a brief account of all the controversies surrounding the monument...it has an exhaustive list of further readings for those who want to read more.
I read the paper back edition which has only B&W photographs, some of which are not very clear

[Anshul · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the wife of Sir George Nugent put it, "...it is really like the most beautiful sèvres china, and deserves to have a glass case made for it."

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book that does a good job, in a short space, of both describing and contextualizing what is easily the world's most famous tomb. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the building's architecture -- I'll be quietly slipping in words like iwan and chhatri in my self-guided tour of the Taj with my BF -- and wish that it had more. Some of the historiography is a bit much (one gets the sense the book is peppered with in-jokes and witty rebukes for the scholarly set) but it's overall a lovely introduction. Can't wait to visit.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good. A quick read that was interesting, informative, and thorough, though a bit dry at times. It was pretty fascinating, and kind of juicy too, to learn about the family history of those for whom the Taj was built. This book is part of a series of concise works about the wonders of the world, but it would have been fun to expand it into a longer piece of literary nonfiction. I may read others in the series.

[Girish Kohli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after visiting the Taj Mahal and I realised that I didnt know so much about the Taj even after visiting.
Giles tillotson dispels myths, informs fans and backs up all this with immense research and evidence.

I have found a whole new Taj after reading this book.

although, I felt the book could have elaborated a little more on the foundation architecture (the wells and all).

[Jaimit Doshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice book. not too educative but enough to learn froma slightly more curious tourist. good read for somone who is about to vist the Taj

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I especially enjoyed the historical background section and the discussion of how a national monument can be both a vehicle for and a manifestation of political agendas.

[Sugan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has a lot of historical facts about the Taj Mahal..I personally liked the black taj plan.

[Jackie ϟ Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book for a graduate seminar research paper, and the discussion of the building and function of the Taj complex was the most helpful.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little history, sometimes goes into strange places though.