Few if any structures in the world are capable of conjuring such an aura of beauty and mystery as does India's Taj Mahal. The structure is considered a brilliant example of Mughal architecture, which successfully merges aspects of Persian, Islamic and Indian design. This graceful building, constructed from 1631-1654, is located in northern India in the city of Agra. It is famous the world over, but how many people know what inspired its construction? In fact, a moving love story lies behind the creation of this magnificent edifice.
The words Taj Mahal literally mean "crown of buildings." Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it as a tomb to honor the memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Their marriage was a mutually fulfilling one. Even though the king had polygamous privileges, his focus was consistently on Mumtaz whom he considered both a supreme companion and trusted adviser. She frequently accompanied him on his journeys throughout the Mughal Empire. Poets often wrote of her kindness, grace, and beauty, even while she was still alive. When Mumtaz died giving birth to the couple's fourteenth child, the emperor was overcome with grief. Legends recount that his hair went gray in one night. He began construction of the Taj Mahal one year later.
The sight of the Taj Mahal, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, never disappoints visitors who flock there annually. The awe-inspiring main gate is 151 x 117 feet and climbs to a height of 100 feet. The monument is built on a raised platform with a 24.5 meter high inner dome of 17.7 meter diameter. Four graceful minarets adorn each corner of the structure.
The Taj Mahal complex includes extensive gardens, a mosque, and fountains. To create the marble edifice, materials were gathered from all over India and beyond. Translucent marble came from Rajasthan and jasper from the Punjab. Jade was brought in from China, and Tibet provided crystal and turquoise, while Afghanistan contributed lapis lazuli. These and other materials were inlaid in the beautiful structure, but much of the decoration has been plundered over the centuries.
A splendid marble dome, called an onion dome, is the building's pinnacle. A lotus decorates the dome, and topping the dome is an intricate carved decoration, or finial. Finials also crown the structure's smaller domes. The Taj Mahal is elaborately decorated with carvings, calligraphy, motifs, and inlays. Passages of calligraphy inscribed on the walls muse on the mysteries of life and death. Every design element contributes to the tranquil, harmonious feeling the building gives visitors.
Eventually, Shah Jahan would also rest beside his wife. Other tombs in the structure include those of the Shah's other wives and a beloved servant. Shah Jahan and Mumtaj Mahal's white marble tombs rest on a square platform that can be accessed through an arched doorway with large domes.
The Taj Mahal, which cost millions of dollars to construct by today's standards, will endure over the centuries, primarily as a symbol of lasting love, but secondarily as a testament to the wealth, authority and influence of a powerful Mughal ruler.
