Cross-Cultural Comparisons between the Mughal Tomb Garden of Taj Mahal in Agra (India) and the Dry Landscape Garden of the Ryoan-Ji Zen Monastery in Kyoto (Japan)

A comparative analysis of the Taj Mahal's Mughal tomb garden and Kyoto's Ryoan-ji dry landscape garden reveals striking similarities in how Islam and Zen Buddhism shape their cultural meanings. Both gardens, despite differing historical contexts, confirm rather than transform other layers of meaning, highlighting a shared approach to religious symbolism. The study employs diachronic analysis to trace the accumulation of meanings over time and synchronic structural comparisons to examine themes like inside-outside relationships and nature-culture dynamics. This cross-cultural perspective offers new insights into the enduring significance of gardens as both natural and cultural constructs.

Minnema, L. (2019). Cross-Cultural Comparisons between the Mughal Tomb Garden of Taj Mahal in Agra (India) and the Dry Landscape Garden of the Ryoan-Ji Zen Monastery in Kyoto (Japan). Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 23(3), 197–229. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685357-02302005