Taj Mahal, The Symbol of Love

Taj Mahal-The symbol of love. Uttar Pradesh is the heartland of Hinduism and Hindi, dominating the nation in culture, religion, language and politics. Its main city, Agra, once the Mughal capital, is home to the Taj Mahal – The symbol of love. Along with Delhi, 204 km northwest, and Jaipur in Rajasthan, Agra is the third top of the Golden Triangle, India’s most popular itinerary for Taj Mahal visit. Taj Mahal is the most famous and important in its huge monuments. Described by Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore as “a teardrop on the face of eternity”, the Taj Mahal is certainly the zenith of Mughal architecture. Volumes have been written on its perfection, and its image decorates countless glossy brochures and guidebooks; nonetheless, the reality never fails to overwhelm all who see it, and few words can do it justice.

During your Taj Mahal visit, you will see that through its layout follows a distinctly Islamic theme, representing Paradise, it is above all monuments to romantic love. Taj Mahal is regarded by most modern visitors on his/her tour to Taj Mahal as the symbol of eternal love. ShahJahan built the Taj to enshrine the body of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child in 1631. The emperor was devastated by her death, and set out to create an supreme monument to her memory- Its name, “Taj Mahal “is simply a shortened, informal version of Mumtaz Mahal’s palace title. Construction by a workforce of some 20,000 men from all over Asia commenced in 1632 and took over twenty years, not being completed until 1653. Marble was brought from Makrana , near Ajmer in Rajasthan, and semi-precious stones for decoration were carried to Agra from Persia, Russia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China and the Indian ocean. When the emperor ShahJahan died in January 1666, his body was carried across the river Yamuna to lie alongside his beloved wife in his peerless tomb.

The magic of the monument is strangely undiminished by the crowd of tourists who visit during their Taj Mahal package tour, as small and insignificant as ants in the face of the immense mausoleum. It is said that the Taj Mahal is at its most charming in the relative quiet of early morning, shrouded in the mist and bathed with a soft red glow. As its vast marble surfaces fall into a shadow or reflect the sun, its color changes, from soft grey and yellow to pearly cream and dazzling white. This play of light is an important decorative device, symbolically implying the presence of Allah, who is never represented in the physical form. The Taj is especially beautiful after dark, when the moonlight sparkles on the façade; it is open to visitors except its normal visiting time, in two half hour slots ( 8.30 – 9 pm and 9 – 9.30 pm, but not Fridays or during Ramjan ) on the night of the full moon, two days preceding and two days following it. Tickets have to be purchased a day in advance for it. Night visitors are not allowed to move freely around the site but are confined to a viewing platform.