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Taj
Mahal
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Taj Mahal was built by order of Shah Jahan, a
Great Mughal emperor and the descendant of Tamerlan, in memory of his wife
Mumtaz Mahal. In our cynical times it's hard to believe in feelings strong
enough to withstand 17 years of marriage
and 13 children. But it's a fact - all
legends and stories of that time tell us one thing: when they first met, Shah Jahan was enchanted by his chosen one, so from that moment on he didn't pay
attention to his other wives. When Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth of their
fourteenth baby in 1631, Shah aborted his war campaign, returned home and
dedicated the rest of his life to building the mausoleum.
Twenty thousand workers had been building the monument for more than twenty
years. Beside local experts, foreign architects - Venetian and Frenchman - were
invited to participate in the development. Combined efforts gave birth to
five-dome building, which was 74 meters high on the platform with 4 minarets in
the corners. The walls are faced with polished semitransparent marble, brought
to the site from a 300 kilometers distance. It looks white in the bright
daylight, pink during sunset, and silver in the moonlight. Furthermore, walls
are decorated with turquoise, agate, malachite, carnelian and other gemstones
delivered from many countries including Russia.
The grand building of Taj Mahal is surrounded by park. Water canals divide the
park into square sections. The wide canal with fountains runs from the main
gate. When the fountains are silent one can see a magic reflection of Taj Mahal
in the water...
While the construction was in progress, Shah Jahan had an idea to create the
same monument for himself on the opposite shore of Jamuna River that runs right
behind the mausoleum. It would be made of black marble and connected with his
wife's mausoleum by an openwork bridge. Unfortunately, this beautiful dream did
not come true. In order to maintain a clear view of the most spectacular
mausoleum in the world, it was prohibited to erect more than 4-storey buildings
in 3 kilometers radius.
However, many years of grief and obsession with building the mausoleum prevented
Shah Jahan from attending to his country's needs. As a result, he was overthrown
by his own son (son of the woman to whom he dedicated the mausoleum) and spent
the rest of his days in jail. The legend says that, as some cruel joke, his jail
windows were facing Taj Mahal, the monument to his loved one whose untimely
death led to his demise.
Taj Mahal is not just one of the most famous India landmarks. It is a rare
monument, which needs to be seen and also to be felt. This is a story of love
artistically preserved in stone, and it affects everyone who sees it.
Virtual tour:
Taj Mahal
( Courtesy:
http://www.airpano.com/ )
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