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Visiting the Taj Mahal
From the list of locations to visit, I chose to visit the Taj Mahal. I have seen pictures of it, which are beautiful, but I do not know much about it. I do not know any of the history, or any real detail about the inside of it. I have always been curious about it. This was the perfect opportunity to gain some knowledge about it, from the comfort of my desk.
Site: https://www.taj-mahal.net/newtaj/index.html
History
The only prior knowledge I had of this is that it was India. There is a description of the history at the bottom of the screen when you reach the site. It explains that in 1631, the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, had this built in the memory of his favorite wife. He promised her he would “erect a monument to match her beauty.” I would say he succeeded in doing so after taking the virtual tour.
The Tour
I really like the setup of the virtual tour. It is not just a view from the actual location that you can move around in. It does have that but also much more. There is a map of the layout of the Taj Mahal with checkpoints that you can click on. When clicking these, it can read out a description of it, and you can look around the location as if you were standing there.
Another neat feature they have is a set of pictures/videos that appear depending on which checkpoint you click. These attachments include different views, more information, or fun facts.
There is plenty to go through about the Taj Mahal, that it would be much better if you visited the tour yourself on the website, but I will point out some of my favorite spots.
The pool in the middle of the garden really stood out to me. It is called “The Celestial Pool of Abundance.” After listening to the description, this is where two water channels intersect and divide the garden into 4 sections. There is a bench right next to it, which must be amazing to sit at. In the reflection of the pool, you can see the Taj Mahal itself.
In one of the attachments below, there is a video about the image of Princess Diana sitting on that white bench in front of the pool. That image is iconic now. Princess Diana is still a famous person to this day. Anything she has done is always remembered.
The next point I really liked is titled “On the Chhaka (Plinth) – by a Minaret.” The short description of this is so powerful: “The Taj Mahal has been described as; having been designed by giants and finished by jewelers….” I believe that is very suiting of the Taj Mahal. The task of building this was certainly not an easy one. It took a lot of man power, or maybe needing the help from giants, as described in the statement. The actual look of it is amazing, which the ending of the statement describes. The color and details in the building is very majestic.
There is a video at the bottom that goes into detail about the actual stone and marble of the Taj Mahal. It explains many details about it. The main material used is red sandstone. There are 2 major reasons for this choice.
- The red hue of the material is associated with imperial tents
- There was a large amount of it locally, which made it easy to gather.
The main color you see from images of the Taj Mahal is white. The marble used is used all over the main mausoleum, which is the main attraction. In the Islamic world, white symbolizes mourning. Now, knowing that this was built in memory of Shah Jahan’s wife, it is very fitting.
The “Paradise Gardens” is a great place to stop at. The inside of the Taj Mahal and the structure itself is amazing, but it should not take away from the nature of the outside. The grass, plants, and trees are very well-kept and look perfect. I could only imagine walking down the paths. The description of the checkpoint is very poetic. The ending of the statement goes well with a screenshot I took: “eternal is its fruit, and eternal is its shade.”
This really just speaks to the beauty of the trees and plants. The “fruit” means that it will always be well-kept and thriving. Fruit will always be able to be grown no matter what. The same goes for the “shade” The trees will always be alive and healthy with leaves to shield the sun away. It will be perfect to walk down.
There is still much more to the tour that I did not go into detail about. It is something you would have to visit yourself. Actually going to India to visit this would be ideal. You can only take in so much from a computer screen. This virtual tour makes me feel the need to go for myself one day in the future.
Vatican Museums: A Virtual Tour
The Vatican is not only a home for the followers of the Roman Catholic church, it is also home to several historical Italian Renaissance pieces. It is within the frescos and statues of this holy building where artists conceptualized the complex ideals of this time period. Despite its location, these works best represent the interest in humanism founded in the High Renaissance, an understanding and appreciation of the needs and achievements of humans rather than just a divine power. Artists were commissioned to create works and paint on the walls of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, famously including Raphael and Michelangelo. Now these idealized, Greek-inspired forms are open to the public to see, but not everyone will have the opportunity to walk into a room and be consumed by the artist of some of the greatest Renaissance. However, the age of virtual reality and 360 degree cameras have solved this problem! Now with Musei Vaticani you can take a virtual tour of 14/26 museums within the Vatican in a 360 degree interactive tour and whatever you cannot see virtually, you can enjoy in a video from the same place!
What Can You See in These Virtual Museums?
- Raphael’s Rooms
- Visit the four rooms of Raphael, painted from floor to ceiling in his fresco paintings. Even take a look at one of his most better known pieces, The School of Athens. Get up close, without the risk of chipping the old pigment, and examine how Raphael is able to capture the complexity of the High Renaissance by depicting some of the greatest philosophers, mathematicians, historians, theologists, and writers of his time and the consideration of the living and the spiritual.
- The Sistine Chapel / Sistine Halls
- Engulf yourself in the ceiling high frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Several works by several artists commissioned by the Popes of the era. The work in the chapel is meant to commemorate significant religious figures and events.You can even view the famous Sistine ceiling painted by Michelangelo where he illustrated 9 stories of the Genesis including The Creation of Adam.
- New Wing
- The New Wing displayed sculptures that were originally taken by Napoleon and in an effort to honor the artists and historical significance of these pieces, the entire wing was decorated with traditional tiles, architecture, and reliefs similar to those of the time period when these works were created. A majority of the statues present in the wing are replicas of Greek statues, who were big inspirations to Italians of the era, and emperors.
- Pio Clementino Museum
- These halls are filled with ancient and classical collections of sculptures that were excavated, collected and or donated to the museum in an effort to restore and protect antique works of art of Italy. The halls are embellished with Neoclassical decorations overseen by several artists whose works are already displayed throughout the Vatican, including Michelangelo.
- Salone Sistino
- I could not find information on their website or much online about what is within the Salone Sistino, but to my understanding it is or was a library and possibly at one point the Pope’s private study that has been in and out of the public eye for several decades now. The virtual tour oddly did not load properly for me. Let me know if it worked for you in the comments below!
- Profane Museum
- A collection of several items whether their origins are unknown, are from before the Roman era, or are not about religious topics. Essentially, this museum is about anything other than religion that is found to be important enough to conserve,
- Pauline Halls
- Pauline Halls is a chapel where the last two painted ever created by Michelangelo stand. The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, two frescos on opposite walls from each other.
- Chiaramonti Museum
- This site is home to several Roman antiques like many of the other museums, but this museum is home to several busts used for funerals and as commissions of royalty, soldiers, and the wealthy.
- Hall of the Papyri
- Unlike other areas of the Vatican, this hall displayers terracotta works and decorations which suggest ancient Egyptian influence by artists from the 1700’s.
- Niccoline Chapel
- A hall full of several frescos of religious figures and murals with heavy depictions of the humanism philosophy.
- Gallery of Urban VIII
- This chapel within the Vatican includes frescoes that depict the Stories of the Passion of Chirst commissioned to be painted by Italian artist Alessandro Vaiani and possibly alongside him was his daughter. Also includes paintings where the bases of the walls were made with leather, not as common of a practice at this time.
- Alexandrine Hall
- Again I could not find much information on the works and decorations in this hall, but I assume they are extensions of other rooms within the Vatican and are covered with frescoes by some of the several artists that have laid their hands on the walls of the Vatican.
- Room of the Chiaroscuri
- Another room with Raphael’s touch, this room depicts several statues of Apostles and Saints whose appearances were clearly heavily Greek influenced, as expected. These paintings would be touched up by other artists in the 1500’s.
Overall, I think this is an amazing website and for the most part the virtual tours and videos are great quality and provide basic information about every collection that is viewable. You can even order tickets for guided virtual tools, so if that interests you make sure to click any of the links in this blog to get to the website and start your tour of the Vatican. I hope you will like it as much as I did!
Thank you for reading!
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