Currents November 2019 Nov 2019 _Currents web | Page 10

10
November 2019
Currents
Globetrotter
By: Max Edwards
The Great Gate of the Taj Mahal
India’s foremost icon, the Taj Mahal, resides
within a 55.5-acre complex on the
south bank of the Yamuna river,
near the city of Agra. The site,
comprising
mausoleums,
a
mosque, and gardens, merges
mathematical precision with the
poetry of design. The effect of It
all? An exultation of the senses.
Because visitors are preoccupied
with their impressions of the Taj
Mahal Mausoleum, other sites are
apt to receive less scrutiny.
The Great Gate [see photo],
known as Darwaza-i rauza, is
worthy of attention. It serves as a
passage from the secular world to
the spiritual realm, providing
ingress to the Paradise Garden
beyond its walls.
As befits Mughal architecture,
the Great Gate’s building is sym-
metrically imposing, measuring
135 feet by 111.5 feet, with a
height of 75.5 feet. Octagonal tur-
rets provide a fortress-like
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