A Monument of Love - Taj Mahal

Anybody will be there who don't like to see this, which is one of the world wonders ?? Nooo, of course. How beautiful it is.. I stay looking at the picture for some time whenever I happen to see it, its to hard for me to take my eyes back from this beauty. What do you think of me if I tell, I also like to make one like this for my love??? ha ha.. please don't misunderstand me, ok ??? .. Its a great gift for love, even if she is alive :-)

Its very tough to explain this with words.. Only thing you can do is go and visit it once.. Anyway I will try to tell something about this, and you will have to wait till I visit it once to hear more...

So what should we call it??? "A Monument of Love" ? or "A Tribute to Beauty" or what ?? hmm u decide .... Its in Agra, once the capital of the Mughal Empire during the 16th and early 18th centuries, is one and a half hours by express train from New Delhi(Capital of India).

Taj Mahal stands on the bank of 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, Mumtaz 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. The death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few months.

When Mumtaz was alive, she extracted 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 material was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. It was designed by the Iranian architect Ustad Isa and it is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments are linked to the passion that inspired it. It is a "symbol of eternal love".

As a tribute to a beautiful woman and as a monument for enduring love, the Taj reveals its subtleties when one visits it without being in a hurry. The rectangular base of Taj is in itself symbolic of the different sides from which to view a beautiful woman. The main gate is like a veil to a woman’s face which should be lifted delicately, gently and without haste on the wedding night. In indian tradition the veil is lifted gently to reveal the beauty of the bride. As one stands inside the main gate of Taj, his eyes are directed to an arch which frames the Taj.

hmm thats all for now.. now you see this wonder to know the rest.. so you coming with me ??? :P


http://www.angelfire.com/in/myindia/tajmahal.html
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Taj_Mahal.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal
http://www.liveindia.com/tajmahal/

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