TajMahalAgra

The Taj Mahal is a famous beautiful and exquisite monument of Mughal Architecture in Agra, India. The site has a tragic love history that is often reflected as one of the most deeply discouraging and washing stories. The British Poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, described the Taj Mahal in the most adequate way, ‘The Taj is not just a piece of mere architecture, as other buildings are, but a proud passion of an Emperor’s love wrought in living stones.’ So before you turn the page and decide that it’s just a monument, read on and let the words change your view! Firstly, let’s get to the story of the wonder…

 

  The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan (born in 1592) for his favourite and most beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, also known as Arjumand Banu Begum. One day, Shah Jahan, known as Prince Khurram back then, was walking through a place known as the Meena Bazaar with some court officials when he caught sight of a beautiful girl, Arjumand Banu back then, stooping down hawking silk and making glass beads. It was love at the very first sight. This was roughly during 1607, when Prince Khurram was almost 15. A bit later, the Prince went to his father, the Emperor, and declared to him that he wanted to marry this girl.

 

  Five years later, the request of the Prince was granted and the marriage was solemnized and assured. This was around 1612. Shah Jahan renamed Arjumand to Mumtaz Mahal – meaning ‘Jewel of the Palace’, showing how much he loved her.

 

  Emperor Shah Jahan had other wives but Mumtaz was his favourite and accompanied him everywhere – even in military operations. You think that such a beautiful love story would have a happy ending and elegant confessions but it wasn’t so in this case. After Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal had their 13th child together, another one was on the way. But during the 14th child’s delivery, Mumtaz had complications and she sadly and painfully passed away. This was in the year 1631.

 

  It is believed that Shah Jahan was so deeply depressed and discouraged that overnight, his hair turned grey. While Mumtaz was on her deathbed, Shah Jahan promised Mumtaz that he would never re-marry and that he would build the greatest monument ever above her tomb. And that was exactly what happened. The Emperor started the construction of the Taj Mahal in 1632 and it took 22 long and arduous years with the work and labour of over 22000 workers, sculptors, marble smiths, architects and Persian tradesman to complete the task.

 

  During the construction, the body of Mumtaz was believed to be kept for 10 years in Burhanpur, where she died, transported and kept in the site for another 12 years and then finally put in her final resting place. Although there is no legitimate proof of this, this is the most believed story by many Mughal and Persian historians. It is slightly believed that the body was mummified in the ancient Unani technique to prevent decay and rot of the body.

 

  Eventually, in 1666, 35 years after Mumtaz died, Emperor Shah Jahan also died, having created one of the most beautiful and largest mausoleums in which he was also buried…