India
Agra
UP
producer
www.kashand.com
www.kashand.com
info@kashand.com
Website
Year
2006
Type of Material
Stone Inlaid with semi precious stones
Area
m2 / sq feet
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Pietra Dura Tabletops, Countertops and Furniture
www.kashand.com
Description
The art of inlay work (also called pietra dura) played an important role in not only shaping but also in enlivening the structures erected by the Mughals in India. This is evident in its most dominant form in the incomparable Taj Mahal. The crown of Mughal architectural activity, the Taj Mahal, constructed between 1630 and 1653 by a workforce of more than twenty thousand, is said to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. One of the most beautiful specimens of mankind's cultural heritage, this monument of love was the vision of the fifth Mughal Emperor in India, Shah Jahan. His tribute to his beloved wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, has been embodied in the pure white marble structure of the Taj Mahal.
So enormous was the vision of the Emperor that it took 20,000 highly skilled master craftsmen 22 years to realize his dream. During these years most of the master artisans had chosen Agra, India as their second home, as Agra was the capital city of the Mughals. Since then this exquisite art has been an integral part of the cultural heritage of Agra, and has been kept alive by the descendants of these great artisans who gave the world the mesmerizing Taj Mahal under Kashand.com’s patronage. So particular has the clan been about keeping the art limited to only a small number of people that they have not even taught it to their sisters and daughters, lest they pass it on to their husbands. We at Kashand.com endeavor to relive the Taj experience with our skilled craftsmen. Being descendents of the very artisans who shaped and decorated the Taj, these artisans shape and drape our marble products in the very same style, using the very same decorative accessories, the semi-precious stones.
Fine pieces of semi-precious stones embedded on marble surface, a technique known as Pietra Dura, have beautified the Taj Mahal. The decorative value that they have added to the mammoth structure is as if Shah Jahan has decorated his deceased wife in bridal make-up. Inlay work, particularly on marble, where it takes the name of Pietra Dura, generates a lot of debate as far as its origin is concerned. The most accepted version is that the form is Italian in origin but the accomplished Indian craftsmen adapted it to their needs, gave it an indigenous touch and used the technique to carve out traditional Indian motifs that are today the crown of Indian art.
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