The Taj complex looks if it would correspond allegorically to a cosmological model of the gardens of Paradise on <u>The </u><u>Day of Resurrection </u>for example, the mausoleum stands like the throne of judgment at the far end of the grounds --(besides following the traditional placement which would have been in the center of a four-part garden)-- the forty-two acres of ground are divided by four canals of water, which represents the four rivers of Paradise that is described in Koran-- red sandstone walls topped off with gazebos, galleries and towers which mark the borders of Paradise.
The Great Stupa at Sanchi is one of the oldest stone structures in India and was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha.
