The Taj is simply a majestic tribute to an exotic beauty!

Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. The English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold has described The Taj as "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones."

It is a romance celebrated in marble and glorified with precious and semi-precious stones and that’s the way to appreciate it!

Who could ever think that an eternal love leading to the saga of infinite bondage can evolve out of a desert like land and would blossom to be the reason to gift our world a poem-in-marble, The Taj!

No image of The Taj, neither on canvass nor on celluloid, can adequately express its conceptual imaginary nor convey the legend, the poetry and the romance that shrouds what Rabindranath Tagore calls "a teardrop on the cheek of time".

India’s Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, referred to the Taj Mahal as a “tear drop on the cheek of time”. 

Bill Clinton once said, `There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who have seen the Taj Mahal and love it and those who have not seen the Taj and love it. I would like people to watch my Taj Mahal and fall in love with it.'  

'Did you ever build a castle in the Air? Here is one, brought down to earth and fixed for the wonder of ages.' -American novelist, Bayard Taylor'

Uttar Pradesh, the Land of The Taj is rich in its cultural heritage and has always been a prominent arena of politics since the ancient times enjoying a close proximity to the National Capital City of New Delhi.

An immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and is one of my universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.

We first saw a glimpse of the Taj when we journeyed the neighbourhood of Agra. And my my, from far it looked tiny and little would anybody expect to have her or his breath taken away by this gem of India! We had just left Vrindavan for Agra and I was truly hoping that the bad experiences that occurred to me in Vrindavan would be washed by the waters of calm Yamuna, the right  bank of which is decked by the Taj.

I must admit, the drive to the Taj is extremely hectic and there's nothing interesting as such about Agra apart from the grand hotels at the backdrop of the usual poor suburbs. But what was intriguing about the living accommodation of people Agra was their sense of community life despite being in such a big city. We were hungry since we had set out early in the morning, stopping only for a small brisk Appalam lunch in a Continental Restaurant (No, it's not the one in the picture; this one was a little Dabba in the suburbs.) and I was worried about staying with an empty stomach. The Taj however, didn't let me complain. It filled up more than just my belly, but my thirst for anything more exquisite in life.

Well, for now, let us fast forward the narration and get to the most awaited part: Experiencing this feeling known as the Taj Mahal..

You always see it in photographs and movies, but trust me it's actually larger than life. I'm not kidding, I had never thought it would that gigantic! We had to take a camel ride before reaching the security post and then to finally reach the main gate of the Taj. 

We were asked to wear shoe covers so as not to dirty the place. Food was strictly prohibited inside and the staff members keenly checked that nobody infringed the rules. Since we were tourists, we received small bottles of water on guying our tickets. Currently, the fees entrance per person is at 400 Mauritian rupees ( Rs 800-Indian) and this January it was upped to Rs 500. Honestly, I felt it was a pretty inexpensive price for everything we were going to experience not to mention that it was a hawkers-free zone and you finally had some peace of mind which is a rather difficult thing to find once you set foot in India!

The Taj Mahal is an enigma in itself; they are so many things that are extremely symbolic. For instance the 11 small domes at the majestic gate that represent the 11 sons the emperor bore. The 101 flooring tiles red and white tiles I believe that represent the number of Indo-Persian architects that worked on the design or even the number of fountains that the pools have! From the designs on the pillars that are similar to those believed to have belonged to Mumtaz's sarees and jewelleries to the optical illusions the walls portray, the Taj is a wonder! The guides here say when you leave, you take the Taj with you in your heart.

Legend has it that during his eight years long ailment and imprisonment, Shah Jahan used to intensly view The Taj lying on the bed through a diamond fixed in the wall in front at a particular angle. WOW!!!

As a tribute to a woman of exotic beauty and as a monument of a love story, which is keeping us engrossed even when we are reading through these pages here, truely an ever-lasting romance of a love not ended as yet, the Taj reveals its subtleties to its beholder!

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 Taj Mahal doesn't just stand like that in those beautifully well-kept Moghul gardens, but it is actually barricaded with a fort. The Darwaza, the majestic main gateway, is a large three-storey red sandstone structure.  It consists of lofty central arch with two-storeyed wings on either side. The walls are inscribed with verses from the Qu'ran in Arabic in black calligraphy. The small domed pavilions on top are Hindu in style and signify royalty. The gate was originally lined with silver, now replaced with copper.





The Bageecha, the ornamental gardens through which the paths lead to the Taj, are separated by two marble canals studded with fountains, lined with cypress trees. The feature to be noted is that the garden is laid out in such a way as to maintain perfect symmetry. The channels through which flowed the waters of the Yamuna, with a perfect reflection of the Taj, used to be stocked with colourful fish and the gardens with beautiful birds.

One thing I never knew about the Taj Mahal before going there was that it is a perfect symmetrical planned building. So much that the two buildings, the mosque and the guest house - I never knew existed- found on the two sides of the tomb are identical! They are built of red sandstone in contrast to the white marble tomb in the centre. Both the buildings have a large platform over the terrace at their front.

The interior of Taj is capable of blinding any goblin with its grand inlay work. 
The Marble, as mentionned by our guide, a young chap named Muhammad, is cut from mountains and you could see how it was a piece of superb 

workmanship. It is highly polished and richly decorated with inlay work. The borders of the frames are inlaid with precious stones representing flowers executed with wonderful perfection. The hues and the shades of the stones used to make the leaves and the flowers appear almost real as they glow like a lamp was actually lighted behind them in the concrete wall.

What's more is that the marble shines, it lights up, it feels alive because of the effect moon light and sunlight have on it! Apparently, details of light reflection have been taken so much in consideration back at the time the Taj was conceived that a virtual imitation of the starry sky can be seen inside during full moons!

Thus, the Taj Mahal takes on different colouring at different times of the day, from a pinkish hue in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden at night when lit by the moon. They say the changing colour resembles the changing mood of females - in particular the Emperor's queen. You can imagine how much in love this king was with with queen; calligraphy on the tomb of Mumtaz identifies and praises her.

I do feel blessed for experiencing the magnificence of this outstanding monument. From awe to delight to sheer ecstasy, my impressions of Taj Mahal depict each and every conceivable feeling. 

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. The Taj is simply a majestic tribute to an exotic beauty!

The Taj Mahal has a mosque in its premises, which is why the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays and only those going for customary prayers are permitted inside the Taj Mahal. Luckily we were there on a Thursday but I truly wish we could have gone there the next day even. The atmosphere is so addictive. It's calm, serene, cool and poetic. 

The makers employed optical trick so that as you move closer to the gate, the Taj keeps getting smaller. It seems to grow bigger as you walk away. Science has it that when objects are seen from far they seem smaller  than when they are seen closer. But the Taj Mahal, when view from the  Gateway , seems smaller when closer and larger when you move far from the gateway. The architecture could not be explained by the scientists even now. 

The foundation of Taj Mahal would have eroded years ago ifYamuna wasn't there.
Taj's foundation is made of timber which is not supposed to be long lasting. The wood should weaken overtime and crumble owing to rot and ruin, but that did not happen because the wood is kept strong and moist by the Yamuna river.

The four minarets of the Taj are tilted slightly outwards so that in case of an earthquake or any other natural disaster, the minars may fall outwards keeping the main tomb safe from any damage. The garden in front of the Taj is called the Charbagh literally translating into four gardens, which is a standard design for any Islamic garden as it depicts the design of Jannat (paradise) as per the Quran. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal & Comelian from Arabia and Diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. Over 1000 elephants and 22000 workers were required to conceptualise it. 

Unfortunately, by the late 19th century, the Taj Mahal had been defaced by the British soldiers who chiseled out precious stones from the walls of the monument just as they did to several other monuments of India. Why else would the Kohinoor still be in England? They did take things away, leaving behind some things that somehow add a historical vibrancy to the place. :)

From an octagonal tower in the Agra Fort across the River Yamuna, Shah Jahan spent his last days as a prisoner of his son and usurper to the empire, Aurangzeb, gazing at the tomb of his beloved Mumtaz, with an another incomplete Taj Mahal of black marble as his wish.

-Mostly everyone knows Shah Jahan (Prince Khurram) , but I truly want to share a little bit of my knowledge of the Mughal genealogy because I believe it makes the whole story even more beautiful. We remember the movie Jodhaa Akbar, right, where Hrithik Roshan portrays Akbar the Great, also known as Prince Jalal ud-din Muhammad? Emperor Akbar is actually the grand father of Shah Jahan, father of Prince Salim who is himself known by the imperial name Jahangir. As Mauritians you must probably have noticed some Mosques bearing his name. All of this is just some Mughal era historiography. I didn't want to bore you, but I'm a huge fan of Mughal Culture. 

Ever wondered what was Shah Jehan's first reaction on beholding the great Taj?

"Should guilty seek asylum here,

Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory."