What's Inside the Taj Mahal? Cenotaphs, Not Pillars

The Taj Mahal's main chamber contains no structural pillars. Instead, it features:

• A large octagonal room with four arched niches
• Two cenotaphs (false tombs) of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, made of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (pietra dura)
• Intricately carved marble walls with floral motifs and Quranic calligraphy
• Perforated marble screens (jali) filtering light

The actual graves lie in a lower crypt, closed to the public. The interior exemplifies Mughal mastery of symmetry, light, and stonecraft.