<P> The favoured form of both Mughal garden pavilions and mausolea (seen as a funerary form of pavilion) was the hasht bihisht which translates from Persian as' eight paradises' . These were a square or rectangular planned buildings with a central domed chamber surrounded by eight elements . Later developments of the hasht bihisht divided the square at 45 degree angles to create a more radial plan which often also includes chamfered corners; examples of which can be found in Todar Mal's Baradari at Fatehpur Sikri and Humayun's Tomb . Each element of the plan is reflected in the elevations with iwans and with the corner rooms expressed through smaller arched niches . Often such structures are topped with chhatris (small pillared pavilions) at each corner . The eight divisions and frequent octagonal forms of such structures represent the eight levels of paradise for Muslims . The paradigm however was not confined solely to Islamic antecedents . The Chinese magic square was employed for numerous purposes including crop rotation and also finds a Muslim expression in the wafq of their mathematicians . Ninefold schemes find particular resonance in the Indian mandalas, the cosmic maps of Hinduism and Buddhism . </P> <P> In addition to Humayun's tomb, the more closely contemporary Tomb of Itmad - Ud - Daulah marked a new era of Mughal architecture . It was built by the empress Nur Jehan for her father from 1622--1625 AD (1031--1034 AH) and is small in comparison to many other Mughal - era tombs . So exquisite is the execution of its surface treatments, it is often described as a jewel box . The garden layout, hierarchical use of white marble and sandstone, Parchin kari inlay designs and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal . The cenotaph of Nur Jehan's father is laid, off centre, to the west of her mother . This break in symmetry was repeated in the Taj where Mumtaz was interred in the geometric centre of the complex and Jahan is laid to her side . These close similarities with the tomb of Mumtaz have earned it the sobriquet - The Baby Taj . </P> <P> Minarets did not become a common feature of Mughal architecture until the 17th century, particularly under the patronage of Shah Jahan . A few precedents exist in the 20 years before the construction of the Taj in the Tomb of Akbar and the Tomb of Jahangir . Their increasing use was influenced by developments elsewhere in the Islamic world, particularly in Ottoman and Timurid architecture and is seen as suggestive of an increasing religious orthodoxy of the Mughal dynasty . </P> <P> Under the reign of Shah Jahan, the symbolic content of Mughal architecture reached a peak . The Taj Mahal complex was conceived as a replica on earth of the house of the departed in paradise (inspired by a verse by the imperial goldsmith and poet Bibadal Khan . This theme, common in most Mughal funerary architecture, permeates the entire complex and informs the detailed design of all the elements . A number of secondary principles also inform the design, of which hierarchy is the most dominant . A deliberate interplay is established between the building's elements, its surface decoration, materials, geometric planning and its acoustics . This interplay extends from what can be experienced directly with the senses, into religious, intellectual, mathematical and poetic ideas . The constantly changing sunlight reflected from the Taj's translucent marble is not a happy accident, it had a deliberate metaphoric role associated with the presence of god as light . </P>

The taj mahal was built with influence from what two cultures