"Let the splendor of the diamond, pearl and ruby vanish like the magic
shimmer of the rainbow. Only let this one teardrop, the Taj Mahal, glisten
spotlessly bright on the cheek of time..."
- Rabindranath Tagore
About the city
Agra is popular for beholding one of the seven wonders of the world-the Taj
Mahal. The architectural brilliance of the mansion, the fort and the palaces
is a clear remainder of the mausoleums of the capital in the 16th and early
17th centuries. Taj Mahal is one of the World Heritage Monuments and
attracts maximum number of tourists from all over the world.
Essence of Love- History
The magnificent marble tomb was built between 1631 and 1653 by Shah Jahan,
the Emperor of Agra.The Taj Mahal was built in memory of his wife Mumtaz,
who died in childbirth. The Taj depicts the eternal love of man for a woman.
Inside are the tombs of the Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shahjahan
created his vision of the world in the form of Taj, not as it is, rather it
should be-peace, harmonious and pure.
Many architects from all over the world have adjudged it as the most
perfect and beautiful of all buildings standing on earth.
The architecture of this tomb is completely Mohammedan. It is said that the
Maharaja of Jaipur sent the marble as a gift to Shah Jahan. It took over
20,000 workmen and 22 years to build the Taj. Experts were brought from all
over the world, including Italy and France.
Mumtaz Mahal
Shahjahan used to built extravagant palaces for her,like, the Khas Mahal in
Agra fort. She daily rose in his confidence and used to give her the royal
seal, Ruhr Uzah. She continually interceded on behalf of petitioners and
gave allowances to widows and orphans. Like many royal ladies enjoyed the
spectacle of men in combat with animals. Mumtaz Mahal died in childbirth in
1630. As she lay on her deathbed, she asked for three promises that she
whispered in Shahjahan ears. One of the promise was to built the monument
that would symbolize the beauty of their love. As a tribute to a beautiful
woman and as a monument to enduring love, the Taj reveals its subtleties at
leisure.
Architecture
The Taj is a glorious lesson in symmetry as it is symmetrical from all
four sides. The Taj is made of white marble and many precious
-semiprecious stones are embedded in the walls. This mughal style of
architecture amalgamates elements of Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic
architecture.
The most outstanding feature of the white marble tomb are black and
white chessboard marble floor, the four tall minarets (each 39 m high)
surrounding the Taj Mahal and the majestic dome.
On the entrance you have, the Quran verses that appears to be uniform,
regardless of their height. The letter spacing has been reorganized to
give such impression to the beholder. The impressive pietra dura artwork
includes geometric elements, plants and flowers, mostly common in
Islamic engravings.
The level of elegance in artwork becomes apparent when one realizes
that a 3 cm ornamental element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.
The Main gateway has 22 domes on it, supposedly to represent the amount
of years it took to build.The inlay work is so fine that no joints can
be seen, even by looking through a magnifying glass.