THE TAJ MAHAL - A STORY WELL TOLD

As I walk down the road that leads towards the greatest tribute to love, history ever witnessed I find myself overwhelmed by the sheer genius of what stands in front of me. The Taj Mahal in all its glory is without doubt the most priced possession of India. When you think of what this great country has to offer in terms of cultural heritage, monumental bliss, historical wealth among others it's hard to miss the Taj Mahal. Built in the seventeenth century, this Moghul masterpiece has a story to say. A story that has been repeated through history time and again, but fails to lose the magic that creates a longing in any traveler who sets foot in this country.


A bountiful has been written about this masterpiece over the years giving you the minute details of what this beautiful work of art is all about. Built in white marble it is truly as the great emperor Shah Jahan who conceived the idea of building it called it, "Heaven on Earth ". This breathtaking double domed structure stands on a raised platform, as if taking pride in its existence. And why not, the Taj Mahal with it's swollen central dome rising to a height of 21 ft, surrounded by additional domed chambers, complete with minarets and a design that makes it an irregular octagon, embedded into which is the interlocking arabesque concept which allows the elements stand independent, blending into the mother structure, is purely an architectural wonder. Its beauty is beyond measure and trying to describe it would only be futile. But I find it hard to stop myself from voicing out in admiration as I stand before this marvelous structure wondering what the feeling would be like that could evoke such passion in a man to drive him to build such a lovely work of art. The Taj truly is not just a work of skilled hands and hardworking laborers who broke their backs for more than twenty years to build it. It is undoubtedly the vision of a man who loved his wife with all his heart.


This amazing love story began when a beautiful Persian princess Arjumand Bano got married to Prince Khurram, who later went on to be known as Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan was the one who gave Arjumand Bano the name of Mumtaz Mahal which literally translates to mean the chosen of the palace. Shah Jahan loved his wife dearly and her beauty was rumored to be par excellence. As all love stories this story too took to a tragic end when Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child. It is said that Shah Jahan was so heartbroken that he refused to come out of mourning for years. However amidst all this the vision of building a monument so beautiful that the world would witness his love for his wife for ever took root in Shah Jahan's mind. If the stories are to be believed, Shah Jahan summoned the then famous architect Ustad Isa all the way from Persia to turn his vision into reality. Ustad Isa along with his trusted junior Ustad Ahmad began working on the humongous task put forth them by the banks of the river Yamuna where Mumtaz Mahal was last laid to rest. It took more than twenty thousand laborers and 22 years for this massive, phenomenal, out-of-this-world structure to come alive and stand in all it's grandeur before Shah Jahan. It did not end here. The Taj Mahal was adorned with Persian carpets and precious and semi precious stones from all over the world. These stones to date bejewel the Taj Mahal and I see them blinking at me as the light dances on them, as if smiling at the look of wonder on my face as I walk by them, trying to take in thousand years of history in my stride. Legend has it that once Shah Jahan set eyes on the wonder that he had dreamt of for his beloved wife he was so enthralled by it that he ordered the right hand of the architect amputated so that never again a structure of such beauty be built anywhere in the world, sealing the Taj Mahal's place in the wonders of history forever. Legend also has it that Shah Jahan envisioned a similar structure on the banks of the river Yamuna but in black marble. But before he could start on it he was deposed by his son Aurangazeb.


Today the Taj Mahal is among the wonders of the world. Tourists flock to see this work of love from all over the world. Besides its architectural richness which includes the verses of the Qu'ran etched on the walls of this snow-white structure, there is something about the Taj Mahal that stirs in you a sense of sadness, elation, pride in having witnessed this epic of love and wonder as to how they managed to build it all at once. As I walk by the replicas of the tombs of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan, the real ones being in the basement of the Taj Mahal, I find myself wondering who among them was luckier. The man who fell so deeply in love with this woman that he took to charity and serving the poor after having known that it made her happy or the woman who loved this man with her whole heart such that she could change his ways and make him a better emperor, whose love, even after her death, could inspire him to build such a phenomenal, pure structure as a tribute to her, the very same structure that the world knows as the greatest depiction of love in history. The Taj Mahal by itself is a mystery that holds a lot of secrets, secrets that have been running as rumors for years now or secrets that went untold.


The Taj Mahal knows it all and you may even feel that it has something to say to you. But as I gaze at it, at its beautiful best bathed in the moonlight with the sparkling river beside it to keep it company I realize in spite of all the legends, the Taj Mahal is a story well told.