Indian Heritage and Culture
- World famous iconic mausoleum
- Greatest testament to love
- Architectural masterpiece
The Taj Mahal, a Mughal mausoleum is India's tourist emblem, built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631. The Taj rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace on which rests the famous marble dome flanked by four tapering minarets. Within the dome lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen. So exquisite is the workmanship that the Taj has been described as "having been designed by giants and finished by jewellers". The only asymmetrical object in the Taj is the casket of the emperor which was built beside the queen's as an afterthought. The emperor was removed from office by his son and imprisoned in the Great Red Fort for eight years but was buried in the Taj. During his imprisonment, he had a view of the Taj. An image of the Islamic garden paradise the Taj Mahal is a showcase for the refined aesthetic that reached its height during Shah Jahan's reign. [a1] The Jewel of Muslim art in India, the colo[a2] rs of the Taj change at different hours of the day and during different seasons. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These changes, they say, depict the different moods of woman. This architectural masterpiece is a must for any visitor to India.
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