The Moonlight Garden: New Discoveries at the Taj Mahal (Asian Art & Culture) [Paperback]

Elizabeth B. Moynihan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Asian Art & Culture | Publication Date: March 2001

For 350 years, the Taj Mahal in Agra has reigned luminous and splendid as perhaps the most admired monument in the world. Visitors who gazed across the Yamuna River from the Taj pavilions have viewed what appears to be little more than farmers' fields and barren ground. But historical references as well as paintings from the time of Shahjahan (r. 1628-58) reveal that it was once densely covered by rectangular walled enclosures and lush vegetation. The Mughal emperor Babur built gardens here as a way of evoking the characteristic delights of the homeland he had abandoned when he moved from Central Asia into India in 1526. Eventually, as the Mughal Empire grew more powerful, the riverbank became lined with gardens belonging not only to the imperial family but also to important nobles. This definitive volume describes the discoveries of an international project documenting the surface remains of a long-abandoned Mughal garden, spectacularly located directly across the river from the Taj Mahal. The book is illustrated with new photographs of the Taj Mahal and the garden - now identified as the Mahtab Bagh, or Moonlight Garden - as well as with paintings from Shahjahan's era. Modelled after the Persian concept of earthly paradise, the pleasure gardens of 17th-century Mughal emperors exhibited elaborate renditions of cut-stone architecture, water chutes, standing pools, flowing fountains, and plantings intended to stimulate the senses. Well-ordered oases in an otherwise hot, dusty, and chaotic environment, these gardens were places of respite and enjoyment. The authors show that in plan, proportion, and directional alignment, the Moonlight Garden is indeed an integral part of the design of the gardens at the Taj Mahal, presenting an expansive new interpretation of one of the most famous buildings in the world. Elizabeth B. Moynihan is the author of "Paradise as a Garden in Persia and Mughal India". Other contributors include David L. Lentz, John M. Fritz, George Michell, and James L. Wescoat Jr.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" ... an important source of information for both historians and art historians and especially researchers working on medieval Indian history."--Landscape History, Vol 23, 2001 "This concise but eminently readable account of the investigation is accompanied by coloured photographs, a few reproductions chosen from Mughal miniatures, and an excellent folded plan of both gardens."--Curtis's Botanical Magazine 18, 4, 2001

About the Author

Elizabeth B. Moynihan is the author of Paradise as a Garden in Persia and Mughal India. Other contributors include David L. Lentz, John M. Fritz, George Michell, and James L. Wescoat Jr.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295980346
• ISBN-13: 978-0295980348
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of course, a Pleasure Garden!, April 20, 2005

By 

Sandra Wilson (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Moonlight Garden: New Discoveries at the Taj Mahal (Asian Art & Culture) (Paperback)

I was intrigued with the new Taj Mahal discoveries focused upon in this book. The Moonlight Garden shows that the land across the Jumna River from the Taj had been an integral part of the famous mausoleum's overall design. This book is factual and fully illusrated with photographs, drawings, and Mughal miniature paintings to help with explanations. Very helpful to me for my writing.