Sunday, August 16, 2015

Think about in a full moon night,  you are sitting on the bank of a river , in front of a highland. And on the surface of this ascent , a white jewel is shining.  And it is reverting itself in the mirror of the water. Possibly you are considering it as the most romantic fantasy. But this is not dreamy. The river , we are talking about is Yamuna and the white jewel is the wonderful “Taj Mahal“.  The incomparable , peerless and unparalleled Taj Mahal !

Taj Mahal, the greatest Mausoleum of Love is an elegy in white marble which is in truth the most phenomenal burial place ever constructed by any Romeo for his Juliet. Taj Mahal was constructed by the Mughal Emperor , Shahab u Din Muhammad Shahjahan, who was the fifth emperor of the then wonderful Mughal empire of India.  Shahjahan was also popular with the name of the “Engineer Emperor” and his period was the most glorious period for Mughal architecture. He constructed a lot of exceptional structures but the most breathtaking of all of them is surely the Taj Mahal.

In 1631 , Shahjahan lost his most beloved wife the Empress Mumtaz Mahal ” Arjumand Banu Begum ” for the duration of the birth of their fourteenth child.  She was the most trustworthy companion of the Emperor Shahjehan who remained with his husband for the duration of all of her life. Mumtaz Mahal was Emperor’s true adore and she was also the mother of Aurangzeb Alamgir who was the successor of the Emperor Shahjehan. The death of the Empress was the most dejected incident in the life of the Emperor Shahjahan. At that time , he decided to make the tomb of his valentine as the most sophisticated final resting location in the globe.


Taj Mahal. The Greatest Mausoleum of Love

The building of Taj Mahal was started in 1632. The location was selected in  the center of the historic city of Agra on a higher increasing point, right on the bank of the river Yamuna. Agra which is also recognized as  Akbarabad is a city of Uttar Pardesh which is the biggest state of India. The city enjoyed its highest significance in the course of the reigns of the Mughal Emperors and it also remained as the capital  the of Mughal Empire till 1649. The city has witnessed a lot  of construction activities by the Mughals and certainly, the erection of the legendary Taj Mahal.

Fantastic view of the white marbled Taj Mahal , Agra
Amazing view of the white marbled Taj Mahal , Agra

There are a lot of controversies about the designer of the Taj Mahal, but many information suggest that the architectural design which was primarily based on interlocking arabesque was prepared by Ustad Isa Afandi, who was the renowned Persian Architect of that times. The whole selected piece of land was leveled 50 m above the bank of Yamuna river. Ahead of the erection of the tomb location , a lot of wells have been dug and right after that all of them have been filled with stones and rubbles. The most delicate portion of the building was the developing of the major dome and four smaller domes. The top of these fabulous onion shaped domes have been decorated in lotus style and these were embellished with standard Persian patterns. The diameter of the major dome is 80 feet higher. To repair the valuable marble stones a 15 km ramp was constructed to transport the material. Much more than 22,000 workforce was applied for the building of Taj Mahal. The circumference of the tomb is 30 meters and the height of the four splendid minarets of the tomb was kept 35 meters. The erection of these amazing minarets had been executed in away that they were built  slightly away from the principal foundation in order to keep away from total collapse of the main constructing.


The Interior hall of Taj Mahal. Image Coutesy : Paisley Curtain

The inside of the tomb consists of a single central octagonal area surrounded by four other rectangular rooms on the side and four octangular rooms on the 4 corners. The interior decoration of the major chamber was also carried out in excellent manner. Great decoration perform comprising of the fixation of the precious gemstones and the amazing calligraphic work reflects the supreme sovereign taste of the Emperor Shahjehan. The burial chamber is situated right beneath the central chamber and consists of the actual graves of the Empress Mumtaz Mahal and the Emperor  Shahjahan covered by two cenotaphs.


The amazing Gateway of Taj Mahal. Photo : Ula Ch-L

An exceptional monument of Taj Mahal is its distinguished Gateway. It was prepared in such a way to prevent any glimpse of the tomb from outdoors. But as soon as you get inside the doorway , the beautiful view of the Taj Mahal astonishes the visitor. The Gateway of Taj Mahal was completetd in 1648 and it is 30 meter high. Similarly the garden of Taj Mahal is yet another great function of this excellent mausoleum. When you enter from the Gateway , you’ll feel the lush green domination of Taj Gardens in the entire complex. At the time of the building , Taj Gardens were divided in a total quantity of 64 beds out of which 16 had been only for flowers. 400 plants like cypress and fruit trees had been planted to maintain the symmetry.


A painted illustration of the Mughal Couple with their final resting locations

It took a period of nearly 20 years for the construction of this brilliant memorial of adore. Taj Mahal would had remained a fantastic symbol of gratification and a sense of delight for the Emperor Shahjehan after its completion. But when his personal son Aurangzeb Alamgir imprisoned him in the Agra Fort in 1657, when a civil war began in India. Shahjehan utilized to view Taj Mahal from his private chamber , mourning for his destiny and beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal and he died for the duration of this captivity of eight years. Shahjehean was buried in Taj Mahal besides his beloved Mumtaz Mahal and hence this wonderful love story which passed by way of a lot of tragic phases ended in the meeting of the souls with each and every other forever.

These days, Taj Mahal, the greatest Mausoleum of Really like is a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. It is also 1 of the seven Wonders of the Planet which attracts three to four million visitors annually. A proper conservation method is adopted by the Indian Government to safeguard this exclusive beauty of the planet. Whole surrounding location is declared a full Buffer Zone to stop the great Taj Mahal from the environmental threats and pollution.

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