Taj Mahal’s Optical Illusions

The Taj Mahal complex is replete with captivating optical illusions. To begin with, the pinnacle on top of the main dome of the mausoleum appears from the ground to be of a short height. In reality, it is about thirty feet high but does not appear to be so tall owing to its location at a great height on the monument. When one stands in front of the marble walls of the Taj admiring the calligraphy work, the alphabets before his eyes look the same size as the ones nearly twenty-five meters high on the wall. This was a result of the calligrapher, Amanat Khan’s incredible understanding of angles and proportions which helped him to gradually increase the size of the letters so that throughout the height of the wall, the letters appear of the same size to our eyes. 

The four minarets that surround the Taj Mahal have three floors each where the third one is the tallest and the second, the shortest. This makes all three storeys appear of the same proportion. Moreover, those minarets appear to be erect but are actually slightly tilted outwards. This was a precaution for a calamity like an earthquake where if the minarets happen to fall, they would not end up on the actual mausoleum but would fall outwards. 

As we approach the Taj, walking through its sandstone gateway, it appears to be going away from us while if we start walking away from it, it appears to be moving towards us. Taj Mahal’s height, with its pinnacle and platform, is more than Qutub Minar, the tallest brick minaret in the world. It may not appear so as the Taj Mahal’s great width prevents it from looking like a very tall structure. 

Are you sure that the Taj has only one main dome? The bulbous structure weighs about 13,000 tonnes and is sitting like a crown on the tomb without the support of giant pillars for so many years. This has been achieved by the construction of not one but two domes, one inside the other. This dual construction prevented the mausoleum’s interiors from being pressurized by the overlying heavy dome. 

Excerpted from ‘A Royal Legacy- Mughal Life & Culture from Babur to Shah Jahan’ by Sanaya Kashalkar.