|
The fantastic building Taj Mahal at Agra in northern India is known to
be a monument to one of the world's most beautiful love stories. The Indian prince Shah Jahan (governed 1628-58) had a favorite wife that was named Mumatz Mahal. She was a merry wife as she was deeply in love with her husband. They got married in 1612 and since then they have never spent a single day apart from each other... Mumatz Mahal gave birth to 14 children before she died in 1630. Shaha Jahan mourned his beloved wife so much that his hair turned all grey in only a few months and he began to dress himself in simple clothes instead of royal outfits. In order to build a monument to his wife, he hired a Persian architect, named Ustad Shill, from Mumatz Mahal The Taj Mahal began to be build around 1632. Each day, 20.000 men from France, Italy, Turkey and Persia worked building this monument Taj Mahal was built in white marble that reflects sunlight and moonlight and internally the construction has coloured marble and gems. The monument is built in indoislamic style but with details which show great European Renaissance influence. The monument was finished in 1639 but they kept on building adjacents buildings and decorating the whole structure until 1647. The entire building took 15 years to be finished. The story tells that Shah Jahan also planned to build himself a mausoleum which would be settled on the other side of the river Jumna. A bridge between the two mausoleums would join the loving couple through eternal life but Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's son, put an end to his father's plans and locked him up in Fort of Agra (aprox 2 km from Taj Mahal) and there the prince stayed until his death... Under the big cupole stands Mumatz Mahals jewel decorated sarcophagus and beside it the prince's own, smaller, sarcophagus. |
