Taj Mahal is a symbol of Love,
The love of a king for his queen.
Here lovers meet by moonlit nights,
Lovers- Unsung! Unseen!
-By Syed Mohammad Asrar-ul-Haq
Sheer poetry in marble!!
Majesty and magnificence, unrivalled. Love redefined. The Taj
Mahal, the one and only one of its kind across the world. The
monumental labour of love of a great ruler for his beloved queen.
The ultimate realisation of Emperor Shahjahan's dream. One of the
wonders of the world. From 1631 A.D., it took 22 years in the
making. An estimated 20,000 people worked to complete the enchanting
mausoleum, on the banks of the Yamuna in Agra.
Better known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and
structured in white marble, the pristine purity of the Taj draws
visitors from every corner of the globe. Its untouched beauty leaves
visitors in amazement. The vision of the Taj is like experiencing
the slow unfolding of a raga. By moonlight, by sunrise and sunset,
the Taj is a flawless monument. Its every facet unimpeachable, as it
turns its face to the changing courses of the sessions and to the
hours of the day and night.
The unique mughal style combines elements of Persian, Central
Asian, and Islamic architecture. Most impressive are the black and
white chessboard marble floor, the four tall minarets (40 m high) at
the corners of the structure, and the majestic dome in the middle.
On closer look, the lettering of the Quran verses around the
archways appears to be uniform, regardless of their height. The
lettering spacing and density has been customized to give this
impression to the beholder. Other illusionary effects have been
accounted for in the geometry of the tomb and the tall minarets. The
impressive pietra dura artwork includes geometric elements, plants
and flowers, mostly common in Islamic architecture. The level of
sophistication in artwork becomes obvious when one realizes that a 3
cm decorative element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.
Facts about Taj Mahal
» The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century by Shahjahan-
the fifth Mughal emperor, in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz
Mahal.
» Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 22 years.
» Twenty thousand people were deployed to work on it.
» The material was brought in from all over India and central
Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the
site.
One of the most beautiful structural compositions in the world, the
Taj was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
The famous Taj Mahal monument focused world attention on pollution
concerns when studies found that the industrial emissions around the
vicinity were causing the monument’s marble to deteriorate at a
extremely fast rate. Public outcry forced the closure of several
nearby foundries and refineries, which to date have in most cases
been reopened with the companies promising to find methods to reduce
the pollution output. But, still tightened standards have prompted
many industries to install pollution reduction facilities, but
enforcement lags way behind as in everything else in India. A huge
backlog of litigation in India’s courts blunts the legal
instrument’s effectiveness.
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