It has been described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love. An Indian poet called it “a teardrop on the face of eternity.” Rudyard Kipling wrote that it is “the embodiment of all things pure.” As national icons go not even Russia’s Kremlin nor the Eiffel Tower is as easily identifiable as the Taj Mahal.
Ever the romantic, Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a memorial for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631. It took some 20,000 workers from all over Central Asia and artisans from as far away as Italy no one knows how many years to complete. After his death Herr Shah's remains were buried with his Frau's in the tomb. Today the Taj Mahal is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and receives five million visitors a year.
A quiet moment
The white marble glows in the early morning sunlight, the only backdrop is the hazy sky. With its perfect proportions and symmetry, pietra dura scrollwork, semi-precious stone inlays and meticulous landscaping, the Taj Mahal exudes a sense of peace and serenity even with the daily hordes of visitors. Even the floor tiles around the monument are set in an intricately pleasing pattern.
Patterns
And even though the Taj Mahal deserves to be one of the Seven Wonders, I won’t retract my comments on the Jain Temples at Mount Abu. The Taj is majestic on a grand scale; Mt. Abu exceeds it in detail.
