One of the world's most famous buildings the Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz who died in 1631. He had nine other wives, but when Mumtaz died he went into a steep decline, losing his health and will to live. She made him promise as she was dying that he would build a monument to their love. And did he make good on that! The perfect proportions and the exquisite craftsmanship have been described as " a vision, a dream, a poem, a wonder"
I'm a little scpeptical as we approach it, and imagine that these things are often over-hyped. But seeing it is so dazzling that the experience sucks you in. It's even more beautiful than the pictures and the thousands of people milling in the grounds all seem to be in a woozy daze of wonderment. We realize theat the famous (iconic?!) picture of Princess Diana sitting on the marble bench in front of the long water reflection gives us only the view of the Taj itself and neglects the substantial other buildings which make up the whole beautifully symmetric complex. That picture must also be one of the reasons why hundreds of peole at a time line up for the platoon of professional photographers who take endless pictures for them in the same wistful Diana pose.
As Shah Jahan was getting older, his third son, who was very ambitious to be the successor, killed off his two brothers and had his father effectively `'house arrested`' in the palace which, at some distance overlooks the Taj. Shah Jahan spent his last days admiring it from afar.
This story has everything. Heart rending romance, sibling rivalry, intrigue, murder and...great architecture!
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