The main inner chamber is an octagon with 24-foot (7.

3 m) sides, with the design allowing for entry from each face with the main door facing the
garden to the south. Two tiers of eight pishtaq arches are located along the walls, similar to the exterior.[31] The four central upper arches form balconies
or viewing areas, and each balcony's exterior window has an intricate jali. The inner wall is open along the axes where jali screens are fitted which
transmit light from the exterior to the interior of the main chamber.[32] Except the south side, other three sides consist of an open elongated room flanked
by two square cells covered with decorated ceilings set on the platform. The central room has arched openings on three sides fitted with jalis filled with
panes of glass and a small rectangular window cut into the central jali.[32] The square cells which are reached through separate doors were probably
originally used for visitors and Qur'an reciters as a place to rest. Staircases lead from the ground floor to the roof level, where there are corridors
between the central hall and the two corner rooms in the south with a system of ventilation shafts.[20]

The interior walls are about 25 metres (82 ft) high and are topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif. The inlay work is a lapidary of
precious and semiprecious gemstones.[33] Each chamber wall is highly decorated with dado bas-relief, intricate lapidary inlay and refined calligraphy
panels similar to the design elements seen throughout the exterior of the complex.[34] The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal
and Shah Jahan, while the real ones are in the basement.[22] Perforated marble jalis (mahjar-i mushabbak) border the cenotaphs and are made from
eight marble panels carved through with intricate pierce work inlaid in delicate detail with semi-precious stones. The cenotaphs were originally covered
by a screen made of gold on the occasion of the second anniversary of Mumtaz Mahal's death in 1633, which was later replaced by the marble screen
in 1643.[32]

The false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal (right) and Shah Jahan (left) in the main chamber

The actual sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal (right) and Shah Jahan (left) in the lower level

Situated within the screen in the upper main chamber are the likenesses of the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan with the actual burials done
below in the lower tomb chamber. From the southern main entrance room, a stairway leads to the lower tomb chamber which is rectangular in shape
with walls laid with marble and an undecorated coved ceiling.[32] The cenotaph of Mumtaz is located in the exact center of the chamber on a marble
base of 1.5 by 2.5 metres (4 ft 11 in by 8 ft 2 in). Shah Jahan's cenotaph is situated on a larger base on the western side in an asymmetrical
arrangement. On the top is a traditional sculpture of a small pen box denoting it as a male tomb.[31] The cenotaphs are aligned north-south, with the
head towards the north and the bodies were laid in on their sides with the face turned towards the west, facing Mecca.[32]

Motifs on the screen

Flower decoration

The calligraphy found on the marble cenotaphs in the tomb is particularly detailed and delicate. While the cenotaphs are similar to the ones from the
Mughal era, no other tombs from the era were adorned with such an exquisite decoration.[35] On Mumtaz's sarcophagus on the top, the decoration
consists of natural plum fruits, buds and flower blossoms inlaid with Qur'anic inscriptions with the epitaph reading "The illumined grave of Arjumand
Bano Begam, entided Mumtaz Mahal, who died in the year 1631". The original tomb in the lower level is largely undecorated, with Ninety Nine Names
of God inscribed on the side.[32] The false cenotaph of Shah Jahan has similar decorations and is covered with flowers and other scroll work without any
inscriptions. The epitaph surrounded by red poppy flowers reads "This is the sacred grave of His Most Exalted Majesty, Dweller in Paradise (Firdaus
Ashiyani), Second Lord of the Auspicious. Conjunction (Sahib-i Qiran-i Sani), Shah Jahan, Padshah; may it ever be fragrant! The year 1076 [AD
1666]".[32] The original cenotaph of Shah Jahan is a more simply decorated version with similar red flowers and yellow plants with a more
comprehensive epitaph reading "This is the illumined grave and sacred resting place of the emperor, dignified as Rizwan, residing in Eternity, His
Majesty, having his abode in [the celestial realm of] Illiyun, Dweller in Paradise (Firdaus Ashiyani) [posthumous title of Shah Jahan], the Second Sahib-i
Qiran, Shah Jahan, Padshah Ghazi [Warrior for the Faith]; may it be sanctified and may Paradise become his abode. He travelled from this world to the
banquet hall of eternity on the night of the twenty-sixth of the month of Rajab, in the year one thousand and seventy-six Hijri [31 January AD 1666]".[32]

Garden

Walkways beside the reflecting pool and the gardens

The complex is set around a large 300 m2 (3,200 sq ft) charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden is divided by two main walkways (khiyaban) into four
quadrants with further raised pathways that divide each of the four-quarters into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. The garden is surrounded by a
walkway connecting all the quadrants. Halfway between the tomb and gateway in the centre of the garden is a raised marble water tank with five
fountains and a reflecting pool positioned on a north–south axis to reflect the image of the mausoleum. The elevated marble water tank is called al
Hawd al-Kawthar in reference to the "Tank of Abundance" promised to Muhammad.[36] Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees
and fountains.[37] In the north-western quadrant, is a place that marks the site where Mumtaz Mahal was first buried, before her body was moved to its
final resting place inside the main chamber of the mausoleum.[38]

The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by Babur, the first Mughal emperor and symbolises the Paradise
garden (Jannah) with four rivers flowing from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west, south and east.[39] While most
gardens of the era are rectangular with a tomb or pavilion in the centre, the Taj gardens is unusual in that the main element, the tomb, is located at the
end of the garden. With the discovery of Mahtab Bagh ("Moonlight Garden") on the other side of the Yamuna river, the Archaeological Survey of
India has hypothesised that the Yamuna river itself was incorporated into the garden's design and was meant to be seen as one of the rivers of
Paradise.[40] Similarities in layout and architectural features with the Shalimar Gardens suggest that both gardens may have been designed by the same
architect, Ali Mardan.[41] Early accounts of the garden describe its profusion of vegetation, including abundant roses, daffodils, and fruit trees.[42] As the
Mughal Empire declined, the gardens were not maintained, and when the British Raj assumed management of the gardens, they changed the
landscaping to resemble the formal lawns of London in the 19th century.[43][44]

The water supply for the gardens were derived from the Yamuna River, where a water channel