The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is a symbol of Love,
The love of a king for his queen.

Lovers die, but love shall not and death shall have no dominion... Variously defined as ‘A materialized Vision of Loveliness’, ‘A Dream in Marble’, ‘A Noble Tribute to the Immortal Tear Drop on Wonder of the World’, the Taj Mahal is representative of the glorious Mughal age and is a unique gift of the medieval period to the people of India.

In the year 1607 when a prince of the royal Mughal household strolled down the Meena Bazaar, accompanied by a string of fawning courtiers, he caught a glimpse of a girl hawking silk and glass beads. Five years and a wife later (in those days princes did not marry for love alone) the regal 20-yr-old went to wed his 19-yr-old bride. It was a fairytale union from the start, one that withstood court intrigues, battles for succession and finally, the grand coronation. And when she died on the 19th year of their marriage, he etched her story in stone. The Taj Mahal is the living symbol of the monumental passion of Shah Jahan and Arjumand Bano. Which other love story has so grand a memorial?

The Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building of the world, is made of white marble, in the loving memory of the then Empress of India Arjumand Bano Begum. She was the grand daughter of Mirza Giyas Beg - who was later known as Itmad-Ud-Daulah and who was the father of Noor Jahan, the wife of Prince Salim (Jahangir).

The Name of her father was Khwaja Abul Hassan Entitled as Yamin-ud-Daulah. Asaf Khan was real brother of Noor Jahan and was the Prime Minister of Jahangir's Court. She was Persian by blood and was born on 6th April 1893 A D (14 Rajab 1001).

Agra, The Chosen City for Taj Mahal

Agra was the chosen city of the Mughal Emperors during the early years. It was here that the founder of the Dynasty, Babur, laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of the River Yamuna. Here, Akbar, his grandson, raised the towering ramparts of the great Red Fort. Within its walls, Jahangir built rose-red palaces, courts and gardens. Shahjahan embellished it with marbled mosques, palaces and pavilions of gem-inlaid white marble. Agra is globally renown as the city of the Taj Mahal, a monument of love and imagination, that represents India to the world.

History of Taj Mahal India

The origin of the name the "Taj Mahal" is not clear. Court histories from Shanjahan's reign only call it the Rauza (tomb) of Mumtaj Mahal. It is generally believed that "Taj Mahal" (usually translated as either "Crown Palace" or "Crown of the Palace") is an abbreviated version of her name, Mumtaj Mahal (Exalted One of the Palace).

The Taj Mahal is a deserving resting palace for an Emperor's Empress. It stands on the banks of the river Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal Emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaj Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child.

MUMTAJ MAHAL - "Build me a Taj"

As Mumtaj Mahal lay dying, she asked four promises from the emperor: first, that he build the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. He kept the first and second promises. Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 22 years. Twenty Thousand people were deployed to work on it. The principal architect was the Iranian architect Is tad U.S.A.; it is possible that the pietra dura work was coordinated by an Italian artist.

TAJ MAHAL - Wonder of the World

To people the world over, the Taj Mahal, Mausoleum of Mughal Emperor Shanjahan's chief wife, Mumtaj Mahal, is synonymous with India. Its curving, gently swelling dome and the square base upon which its rests so lightly is a familiar image from hundreds of brochures and travel books. The Taj is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular buildings of the world. Renowned for its architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty, it counts among man's proudest creations and is invariably included in the list of the world's foremost wonders. As a tomb, it has no match upon earth, for mortal remains have never been housed in greater grandeur.