Taj Mahal (Agra)
Location: On the banks of river Yamuna in
Agra
Year of Construction: 1631-1653
Built By: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
Significance: One of the Seven Wonders of
the World
Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna,
which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great
Red Fort of Agra, the centre of the Mughal empire until they
moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the
fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in the memory of
his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess.
She died while accompanying her husband in Behrampur in a
campaign to crush a rebellion, after giving birth to their
14th child. Her death so crushed the emperor that all his
hair and beard were said to have grown snow white in a few
months.
When Mumtaz Mahal was still 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. It was designed by the Iranian
architect Istad Usa 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.
The dome is made of white marble, but the tomb is set against
an awesome backdrop of the river and it is this background
that works its magic of colours through their reflection and
transforms the view of the Taj. The colours change at different
hours of the day and during different seasons. Like a jewel,
the Taj sparkles in moonlight when the semi-precious stones
inlaid into the white marble on the main mausoleum catch the
glow of the moon. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky
white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These
changes, they say, depict the different moods of woman.
Different people have different views of the Taj but it would
be enough to say that the Taj has a life of its own that leaps
out of marble, provided you understand that it is a monument
of love. As an architectural masterpiece, nothing could be
added or subtracted from it.
Historians say Shahjahan consulted experts from the Middle
East and Europe as he planned his legacy, which took 20,000
people over 22 years to build. Although there is some dispute
about when it was finished, the government and the Archaeological
Survey of India say 1654. The Taj Mahal stands on a marble
platform surrounded by ornamental gardens. White minarets
grace each corner and two smaller red sandstone buildings
balance the postcard-perfect image on the banks of the Yamuna
River. But the surface of the onion-domed monument became
yellow over the years because of automobile fumes, smoke from
small factories, a large oil refinery near Agra and funeral
pyres at a nearby cremation ground.
Two years ago, authorities used a pack made of brown clay
to restore the original whiteness of the mausoleum.
"Pollution is no longer a problem. But the building is
stressed because of the huge number of visitors," said
D. Dayalan, head of the Archaeological Survey of India in
Agra. "Vandalism remains a big threat. The breathing
of the visitors can damage the building. Also, so many people
walking on the same path for years has caused some abrasion
on the floor," he told It may be a monument to love,
but the Taj has seen its share of trials and tribulations.
Last year, the Uttar Pradesh government began work on a shopping
mall on a river bank near the Taj before it was halted following
a row over the plan, which environmentalists said posed a
danger to the monument. When war clouds loomed in 2002, Indian
officials drew up a plan to camouflage the monument, one of
the seven wonders of the world, with olive green cloth to
stop Pakistani jets from spotting it.
Agra by Air
Agra airport is 7 km from the city center and 3 km from Idgah
bus stand. Indian airlines operate daily tourist shuttle flights
to Agra, Khajuraho, Varanasi and back. It only takes 40 minutes
from Delhi to Agra.
Agra by Road
Idgah bus stand is the main bus stand of Agra, from where
one can catch buses for Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri,
etc. Buses for Mathura also leave from Agra Fort bus stand.
Agra by Rail
Agra is well connected by railroad. The main railway station
is the Agra Cantonment station. Agra is well connected by
rail to Delhi, Varanasi and cities of Rajasthan. Trains like
Palace on Wheel, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express are the
best choices if you want to reach Agra from Delhi.
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