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On the Modular Design of Mughal Riverfront Funerary Gardens

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Recalling Eero Saarinen 1910–2010

Part of the book series: Nexus Network Journal ((NNJ))

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Abstract

The modular designs of two significant funerary gardens of the Mughal period, the Humayun’s tomb and Taj Mahal complexes, have been analyzed. The inherent symmetry in the designs is made evident through an analysis of the dimensions in terms of units mentioned in the Arthasastra, in particular the dhanus (D) measuring 108 angulams and vitasti (V) measuring 12 angulams, with each angulam taken as 1.763 cm. The low percentage of errors between predicted and actual dimensions has confirmed, for the first time, that the modular designs of these Mughal funerary gardens were based on Arthasastra units. A novel mathematical canon to analyze the dimensions of Mughal architecture has been set forth.

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Kim Williams J. M. Rees

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Balasubramaniam, R. (2010). On the Modular Design of Mughal Riverfront Funerary Gardens. In: Williams, K., Rees, J.M. (eds) Recalling Eero Saarinen 1910–2010. Nexus Network Journal. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0346-0520-5_8

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