The Taj Mahal Guesthouse

The Ancient Rest House in the Taj Mahal Complex

The Taj Mahal Guesthouse, also called 'the Taj Rest House', 'Assembly Hall', 'Mihman Khana', or 'Naqqar Khana', is situated on the eastern side of the Taj and is an imitation of the Taj Mahal Mosque that stands precisely inverse, on the western side of the Taj Mahal. It is trusted that the Guesthouse was worked upon to give a "jawab", which means "answer", as it balances the design symmetry and concordance of the entire structure.

In spite of the fact that the Naqqar Khana is a precise imitation of the mosque, a surety that this structure was never utilized for the purpose of placing petitions to God originates from the way it is dissimilar to the mosque - it doesn't have a Mihrab, an indented walled-in area that demonstrates the heading towards Mecca and the course which the Muslims face to perform their supplications to God or 'Salat', and 'Minbar', which is three steps to a upper level platform, from where the minister delivers his speech.

The whole structure of the Guesthouse bears numerous similitudes to the mosque at the inverse end. Much the same as the mosque, it comprises of red sandstone with marble confronting that gives an enrapturing differentiation of hues. It has one prevailing entryway known as the Iwan with one small scale Iwan on either side of it. It displays three marble covered vaults surmounted by overlaid finials and enhanced with blossom topped apexes and customary lotus configuration. It also depicts four minimal domed booths with marble lacquer.

The finial that we see today was introduced in 1940 and is fourth in progression after a successive repairs and substitutions. The first was supplanted by Captain Joseph Taylor in the year 1810. Also, as it didn't serve as a mosque, the Quranic engravings that are present in the mosque, have been supplanted here, by flower plans and other embellishing designs done on white marble that imbue vivacity to the red sandstone foundation.

In any case, till date, there's a feeling of equivocalness to what reason the Guesthouse served. Apart from acknowledged conviction that it was worked upon to give a symmetrical equalization to the proceedings, speculations from specialists differ, stating that it was utilized to accommodate guests for watching the death commemorations of Mumtaz Mahal, while few speculate that it was utilized as a Guesthouse for travelers who came here by trains. Some state that it was utilized as an assembly hall where devotees would accumulate to make petition to God. In spite of the considerable number of hypotheses that follows its existence, one thing is for sure that the feeling of glory has positively expanded the complex by the symmetrical configuration and indistinguishable twins of remote structures - the Guesthouse being one of them.