A Monument of Love Unrivalled

The magnificent splendour of the Taj Mahal still stands today, one of the wonders of the world, a testimony of a king’s love for his late wife.

                                    We were greeted by this awesome view of the Taj Mahal

 It took Shah Jehan twenty two years to build and complete this white marble mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz. This is cleverly indicated by the 11 miniature domes on top of the gateway, outside and on the inside, making a total of 22.

                                                        Gate to the Taj Mahal Complex
Its splendour still stands intact and the four pillars have been constructed leaning away from the main building so that if there were an earthquake, the pillars would not fall on the building but away from it.

During our visit, the four pillars were encased in scaffolding to facilitate the cleaning of the marble as it was the off-peak season for visitors. Even so, there were throngs of visitors and tourists who were busy snapping photographs and choice views of the marble building were not easy to get.

 Details on the marble facade

The grounds are huge and beautifully looked after. On either side of the Taj Mahal were two identical buildings, one functioning as a royal mosque and the other, a guest house for royal visitors.

Behind flows a river, across which the Shah had hoped to build his own monument in black marble but it was not to be because his son seized power and imprisoned him in another palace.

                                                        Palace where the Shah was imprisoned

However, he could still see his beloved Taj Mahal from his prison.

 Upon his death his body was brought across this river and he was interred next to his beloved wife in the Taj Mahal.