Masterpiece under process

It was a challenging task, for which Artist had to take into consideration the following points:

• Making it in such a way that it can be dismantled and reassembled within very short time.
• Using the technique of inlay and veneering method in Black Taj as it is used in white Taj Mahal.
• Overcome the hindrances, there was a ban on carrying the stand of the camera within Taj campus, without stand it was very difficult to have photograph, which will be useful for scaling.
• He was going to use natural material (ebony wood) upon which filler/paint cannot be used.

The construction of the black taj mahal started in Aug 2001

Planning the Project

Complete Planning on paper was necessary. This part was equally tough and took lot of brainstorming, analysis, photography, development of scales. Finally each and every part was drawn on paper, with minutest details of artistry. The toughest part was designing of Arabic calligraphy. This itself took around 16 month

1. Base of red sand stone-has a lot of geometrical inlay with white marble. Here we have used teak as base wood on which veneering of Padauk and inlay is done. (Padauk is natural colored red wood and a substitute for red sand stone. White Maple is a well-known wood, which is being used as a substitute of white marble.) Status: Completed
2. Platform of Black marble- it has inlay lining, fine engraving and other artistry on its wall. Ebony wood as black marble and Maple is used to make this part. (Ebony is a perfect substitute for black marble. The grain which is visible on a piece of 1 ft. x 1 ft. of black marble is almost the same grains that can be seen on a piece of 2 inch x 2 inch ebony wood.Status: Completed
3. Main octagonal structure-it has four large gates. The entire wall of this part is decorated with floral/geometrical design and calligraphy with inlay of different colours. Carving, fine screen on the doors/windows and other type of artistry is also used. Upon ebony we have used wood of different colors and other filling materials for inlay work. The screens are made with absolute perfection and the calligraphy does not change even by a single dot. Status: construction underway
4. Dome and Minaret-this part is really tough! On a circumferential dome, Creating the tile type effect is not easy. And the same process has to be implemented on minarets. Inlays, carvings, and screens are also made to exact specifications. The technique of inlay and veneering method used in the Black Taj Mahal is the same as that used for the white Taj Mahal. Status: Work yet to start