Taj Mahal

 There was a young man who went out into the market one day and his eye caught a most beautiful women walking adorned in silk and beads. He was instantly besot with her and wanted to make her his wife. However, this young man was not just anyone but Shah Jahan, son of the fourth Mughal Emperor of India. He went home and told his father that he wanted to marry this woman, at the time he was fourteen years old. His infatuation was Arjumand Banu Begum (her name meaning "beloved ornament of the palace"), fifteen and herself a Persian  Muslim princess. Five years after his declaration it was fulfilled and he gave her the new name of Mumtaz Mahal meaning "Jewel of the Palace." Though Arjumand was not Shah Jahan's first wife, he had two already (his Muslim laws allowed the taking of four wives), she was to become his favourite.

  Thirteen children later their loving relationship came to an end. Pregnant with their fourteenth child, Arjumand went into labor. Neither her or the child survived. Before she passed she requested that Shah Jahan build something in memory of their love. According to another source the story goes that when she passed Shah Jahan sorrow was so much that he was inspired to build something in memory of their love. Still another goes that while Mumtaz was on her deathbed Shah Jahan promised her that he would never remarry and build a grand mausoleum over her grave. Whichever of these stories is or is not the real deal the result was the same, for he built a grand tombstone out of white marble. This grand architectural show of affection took 22 years, thousand of labourers (22,000 to be precise), and a large chuck out of the royal treasury. Yet, it has remained over three and a half hundred year. After it was finished he placed her body in the centre of the structure right under the great dome. 

   The building that he made was not simple memorial (as you can see from the picture above), the methods and materials used were to match their love in rare beauty. The structure  is made of white marble, unusual for the place since many emperors before preferred the red sand stone for building. He choose this for its beauty and purity to make it worthy of his queen. Surrounding the mausoleum (giant tomb stone that no one can miss) there are four minarets or towers. They are actually leaning outward at a two degree angle, this was done for two reasons, one being that if an earthquake happens the towers will fall away from the building since they are leaning out and, so it looks right, if they were correct they would look like they were leaning in. These towers were open until after the hippy era, this closing occurred because couples wishing to die together at a place of love felt the Taj Mahal was 'the place,' a world wonder of love. My tour guide said that 77 people died jumping from the towers. 

Me: Wait, 77?

Tour guide: Confused? 77 does not make an even number?

Me: Not really.

Tour guide: That's because we have a saying here in India . . .(pause for effect) . . . Ladies First!

. . . 

(moment of silence to comprehend the sad, awful, funniness of what was just said)

. . . 

Me: Oh . . . Thats funny . . . 

That was actually quite funny, he was a great tour guide. (Just to note as a disclaimer: not sure if that is a true . . . about the 77 . . . and the ladies first.)

   Back to the glory of love. The building was inlaid with jewels. 

 --History Insert--

   Going to make this short and sweet. So, what first started as the British East India Trading Company, EITC, (same one that tries to get Jack in the Pirates of the Carribean) expanding their power over the area, eventually led to the British Raj. The country was then officially controlled by the British who started adding land until they controlled most of India, directly or through other local rulers. During this time there was what I call a 'silent theft' occurring. It was not like the British government was, as a organisation, going into India and taking jewels, gold, national treasures, etc. from India. It was more like individuals (soldiers, merchants, rich government officials) where taking what they found. This is similar to what happened in Germany under Hitler, where soldiers would confiscate Jewish property or  important works from the countries they invaded and keeps it for their own private use. Since this happened over many year India lost its riches, anything that was practically not a building or an extremely religious artefact was moved off to England and private pockets. 

   When the Taj was found the precious jewel that were originally placed in the walls were plucked out and taken away, leaving a barren white building. The very top of the Taj had what was once a golden finial (an ornament at the end, top, or corner of an object), it was taken way by the British and replaced later with a bronze one (you can see it at the top of the Taj in the picture above, it is really tiny in the picture). They also took all the jewels from both the fake coffin (which is in plain view for all) and the real coffin which a British officer found then they removed a floor tile. One is not allowed to take picture inside the main building aka 'burial chamber,' so you must imaging this for yourself, or actually go visit it, or just Google, your choice. This greatest theft of jewels occurred during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 during which many British soldiers and government officials chiseled out the lapis lazuli and precious stones embedded in the walls. However, a Lord Curzon redeemed this act to a certain extent when, at the end of the 19th century, he commissioned a massive restoration project of the Taj Mahal. It is during this time that the gardens in front of the Taj became a British garden as apposed to what was originally there. It could never be as it was before and the stones that were taken have never been return, yet the beauty of the Taj has withstood these trials of time.

 --End History Insert--

    It is important to point out that the art of enlacing these stones was not some easy task. For the process someone would go along and scrape out the marble in the shape of the object that was to be put in the marble. The next person would then form a precious stone to fit the space. This process is not some I will just complete this in a few hours, but more like this one single flower on the Taj will take an entire day! The precious stones that you see below would have taken days to complete. To shape one stone can take hours depending upon the size. This art has been passed down from generation to generation and is still being practiced to this day. You can see their beauty in the picture below.

   Since the emperor was Muslin and he could not use pictures of people he wrote verses of the Qu'ran around the entry ways of the Taj. All of these verse talked about heaven in some way or another. It led me to say that his mind may have been on his beloved even after she departed from this earth. You can see this writing on the left of the entrance to the tombs.

   The stories end is quite tragic or happy depending upon what part you take. After the Taj Mahal was completed Shah Jahan apparently, based on archeological evidence, wanted to build a Black Taj Mahal right across the river. However, this was not to be. His son overthrew him, but instead of killing him he locked him up in the Agra or Red Fort until his death. The picture below shows his balcony to the left. From this point he was able to spend the rest of his days viewing his beloved just across the way. When he finally went to meet his maker his daughter took his body and placed it next to his beloved Mumtaz Mahal in the Taj Mahal, also because he never was able to finish his mausoleum due to his son. He now lays to the left of his wife (since he was king his coffin should have been in the centre, but this was not the intended burial so they just made his coffin larger than hers). I guess that makes it a happy ending for he was finally able to return to the side of his greatest love . . .  

The End* 

*Of the story, not the post . . . still more to read!

   Because the Taj Mahal is a mosque and for a show of respect when people came to visit they had to take off their shoes when walking into the main white marbled building. This was a traditional sign of respect that people followed, however the idea that one should not take the shoes of others was not.  My tour guide told me that he would wear his most awful shoes so they would be where he took them off once he exited the Taj. He said that his shoes were nicked once so he just found another pair and went home. After the movie Slumdog Millionaire was released the Indian Government allowed people to by shoe covers. You can see mine below. Other wise you dropped your shoes off with some workers as you can see in the second picture.

 I must mention one other side before I leave off the Taj Mahal. As with many things in India what seems to belong to one group may not have started out that way and as with history, the victors get to write it. In India there are many circumstances where a Hindu temple as destroyed and a Mosque was built on top. There are actual places where the Muslim go to pray at the same building where underneath Hindus worship at their temple, since the Hindu temple was not completely destroyed, so both use the location. There is a Hindu claim that this was what happened to the Taj Mahal. Some say that the Taj was built by Hindu's and used until the Mughals took over. They then changed it to fit with their religious beliefs and needs. When I was at the temple I saw a group of Hindu's saying their prayers right outside the Taj in protest, wanting the Taj turned over to them as a temple. 

   On the other end of the spectrum, to the left side of the Taj is a Islamic house of prayer where Muslim men go to practice their beliefs. They are allowed into the Taj for free during this time because it is part of their religious practice. My tour guide, who was Muslim told me that when his cousins come they go with him to prayer and get to see the Taj Mahal for free, and take picture. They cannot go inside the actual building but must remain in the section allowed, the area that would traditional be used for prayer. Though both sides wish to claim the Taj it has remained open to all while trying to respect the religious views of both sides. I must applaud their efforts for that is difficult. Below is the Muslim Mosque use for prayer the entire courtyard would be filled, the Taj would be directly across (which would be to the right of the picture).

It would be behind the trees on the left looking at the picture below.

So . .  much beauty, plundering, and controversy later along with the payment of 750 rupees, just to interject, if you are foreigner, it was not very hard for them to tell that I was one, you must pay extra. If you are Indian it is 20 rupees . . . ya I know, that is a huge difference in pricing . . .  so back to what I was saying. Much beauty, plundering, and controversy later, along with the payment of 750 rupees, I was able to see the magnificence that is known around the world as the Taj Mahal.

The End*

*For real this time