DISCOVER THE TAJ (3)
When you entered the mausoleum of Taj Mahal did your guide abruptly break into a shout?
Taj attendants habitually call out to demonstrate the remarkable acoustics of the dome. (This fails usually as the air is raucous with other visitors.) When designing Taj Mahal as Mumtaz’s home in paradise, Shah Jahan put all elements to the task. Inside the mausoleum even sound had to evoke eternity.
“The dome of the tomb chamber holds a tone for almost half a minute as the musician Paul Horn demonstrated in a night session with his flute on 25 April 1968.” Ebba Koch
The best way to experience the acoustics is to be the first person to enter the mausoleum at the start of the day - after the air has lain still through the night, like Mehrunisa does in The Taj Conspiracy. You can speak normally and hear your echo multiple times over. What a delight!
At any other time, I’d urge you to refrain from experimenting with shouting - in any case you’ll be competing with other visitors putting their vocal chords to devastating effect. Remember, the mausoleum is a sacred place.
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