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The Taj Mahal is for many people one of the must-see sights of the world. Located in the northern city of Agra, around 130 miles south of New Delhi, it is the ultimate icon of the country and far more impressive in reality than can be captured by any camera. There are always late holiday deals available should you decide to jet off to India and see it for yourself.
Taking around 22 years, 22,000 labourers and 1,000 elephants to build, the Taj Mahal was a declaration of love on a scale probably not matched since. The story begins in 1607 when the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fell in love with the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal. Married five years later and inseparable for almost two decades (although Shah Jahan had many wives she was definitely his favourite), Mumtaz Mahal died during the birth of their fourteenth child in 1631 leaving Shah Jahan heartbroken. The construction of the Taj Mahal began soon afterwards in order to honour her memory and provide her with a tomb.
Masons, carvers, painters and calligraphers were brought in from every corner of the empire to complete this extraordinary architectural achievement. Taking its inspiration from earlier Persian and Mughal styles, the tomb (the famous central monument which first comes to mind) is made entirely from white marble and built, like the rest of the site, in perfect symmetry. The dome which sits on its top (known as an onion dome because… well, it looks like an onion) stands at 35 metres tall and is the cherry (or onion) on the cake. You may notice that the four minarets which frame the tomb seem to lean outwards very slightly. Your eyes are not deceiving you; they were built titling at a precise 2 degree angle so that in the case of an earthquake they would fall away, rather than into, the tomb.
Although the tomb is the centrepiece of the complex, the hugely intricate and beautiful design work does not end there. Three red sandstone walls encapsulate the area, and the main gateway which separates the gardens from the forecourt provides a spectacular view of the tomb. Its archways were built to mirror the tomb’s exactly, their detailed calligraphy and decoration giving a taster of what is to come. At either side of the tomb lie two more sandstone buildings; on the west a mosque and on the right the jawab (‘answer’), built for the architectural balance and symmetry that Shah Jahan sought so determinedly.
The story doesn’t have an entirely happy ending. Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned in the nearby Agra Fort (another incredible monument to visit). After his death Aurangzeb buried him in the tomb next to Mumtaz Mahal, breaking the Taj Mahal’s perfect symmetry.
Visit early to avoid the big queues; the grounds open at 6am and start to get busy from 9am. There are some very knowledgeable tour guides to take you around, and watching as the sunlight colours the site from yellow to pink is worth the entry price alone.
BIO
Katherine Conlon likes to a get a feel for the history of the places she visits, and seeks out the bits which reveal something about the culture in different areas of the globe. She has travelled in four different continents and is looking forward to exploring the rest.
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