<P> Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves, so the bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan are laid in a relatively plain, marble faced chamber, beneath the main chamber of the Taj . They are buried in graves on a north - south axis, with faces turned right (west) toward Mecca . Two cenotaphs above mark the graves . Mumtaz's cenotaph is placed at the precise center of the inner chamber . On a rectangular marble base about 1.5 by 2.5 metres is a smaller marble casket . Both base and casket are elaborately inlaid with precious and semiprecious gems . Calligraphic inscriptions on top of the casket recite verses from the Koran and on the sides express the Ninety - Nine beautiful names of Allah . </P> <Dl> <Dt> Main chamber </Dt> </Dl> <P> The inner chamber of the Taj Mahal contains the cenotaphs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan . It is a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship, virtually without precedent or equal . The inner chamber is an octagon . While the design allows for entry from each face, only the south (garden facing) door is used . The interior walls are about 25 metres high, topped by a "false" interior dome decorated with a sun motif . Eight pishtaq arches define the space at ground level . As is typical with the exterior, each lower pishtaq is crowned by a second pishtaq about midway up the wall . The four central upper arches form balconies or viewing areas; each balcony's exterior window has an intricate screen or jali cut from marble . In addition to the light from the balcony screens, light enters through roof openings covered by the chhatris at the corners of the exterior dome . Each of the chamber walls has been highly decorated with dado bas relief, intricate lapidary inlay, and refined calligraphy panels . </P> <P> The hierarchical ordering of the entire complex reaches its crescendo in the chamber . Mumtaz's cenotaph sits at the geometric centre of the building; Jahan was buried at a later date by her side to the west--an arrangement seen in other Mughal tombs of the period such as Itmad - Ud - Daulah . Marble is used exclusively as the base material for increasingly dense, expensive and complex parchin kari floral decoration as one approaches the screen and cenotaphs which are inlaid with semi-precious stones . The use of such inlay work is often reserved in Shah Jahani architecture for spaces associated with the emperor or his immediate family . The ordering of this decoration simultaneously emphasises the cardinal points and the centre of the chamber with dissipating concentric octagons . Such hierarchies appear in both Muslim and Indian culture as important spiritual and atrological themes . The chamber is an abundant evocation of the garden of paradise with representations of flowers, plants and arabesques and the calligraphic inscriptions in both the thuluth and the less formal naskh script, </P>

What metaphor is evoked in the inscriptions and architecture of the taj mahal