The
Persian style garden
The lush green garden expands from the main gateway to the plinth, over which
stands the tomb. The garden in essense is based on symmetry and geometrical
measurements. The Persian style garden has a close link with paradise, since
Quran describes paradise as a beautiful garden.
Water garden
Through the centre of the garden runs the two marble canals with fountains and
lined with cypress trees (symbolising death). This divides the garden into four
equal squares(Islam considers four to be a holy number), evoking the image of
Islamic paradise that has rivers of water, milk, wine and honey flow. The stone
paved pathways further subdivides each flower bed into 4, making total of 16
flower beds. The mausoleum, unlike most mughal mausoleums, stands majestically
at the north end just above the river and not at the central location. At the
centre of the garden, in the mid of the tomb and the gateway, is a raised marble
lotus shaped tank with a cusped and trefoiled border. The tank has been arranged
to provide a clear view of Taj in its water from any point in the garden. The
view looks amazing with the reflection of Taj amidst the green cyprus trees
.
Water devices and irrigation mechanism
Water in the canals was drawn from the river using purs, a system of drawing
water manually from river using bucket and ropes. For irrigation the water
from the overflowing canals was used. The north-south canals had its water
inlet through fountains and east-west canal had its water inlet through an
interconnection with north-south canal.