To wrap up our visit to India, we traveled to Agra in Uttar Pradesh, which is the home of the Taj Mahal. Visiting the
Taj Mahal is of course one of the great rights of passage for any traveler in India. It was indeed beautiful, but the accompanying stories and craftsmanship were equally interesting. Commissioned by the Mugal leader Shah Jahan for his second and favorite wife, Arjumand Banu or Mumtaz Mahal ("The Chosen One of the Palace"). After her death giving birth to their 14th child, Shah Jahan spent the next 20 years building this mausoleum for his wife's tomb. When you see the Taj Mahal from afar, its exoticism is redolent of many images of Indian/Persian architecture. However, once you are able to see the reliefs and gemstone inlay, painstakingly consistent throughout the complex, the Taj truly does earn its name as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Our guide told us that Shah Jahan asked his principal architect if he could build something more grand and beautiful than the Taj Mahal. When the architect replied that he could indeed build something better, Shah Jahan had his hands cut off. Another story claims that the workers, most of whom were brought from Persia, had their tongues cut out to prevent the secrets of the mausoleum from being shared. While there is no evidence to substantiate these stories, it isn't surprising that these legends have sprung up in the midst of a fanstasical love story and architectural wonder.
 |
| My favorite shot of the Taj Mahal. |
 |
| The Great Gate entrance to the Taj Mahal Complex. The calligraphic verse going around the floral inlay is from the Q'uran and says "O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him and He at peace with you." |
 |
| Striking symmetry in this photo that resonates with the detailed attention to aesthetic uniformity present in all areas of the mausoleum. |
 |
| Me on the "Princess Diana seat" that was a major attraction for the tourists. We literally had to run to sit down on it before someone else grabbed it. |
 |
| The hand-crafted, white marble relief dados (lower wall) of vegetation are intricate and lifelike. |
 |
An example of parchin kari (inlay work) in the Taj Mahal. Many of these were inlaid with precious or semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli, carnelian, agate and garnet.
|
