Taj Mahal: Beauty of India

Located just outside the city of Agra in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is among the most beautiful architectural masterpieces in the world. A symbol of love and tragedy, the iconic mausoleum was ordered by Shah Jahan, a Mughal ruler, to be built in honour of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal was for her to commemorate their marriage and her death in childbirth. It is said his hair had turned grey overnight following the devastation he felt after her death. A year following her tragic death, he commissioned the most beautiful mausoleum on Earth as a testament of his love for her. Referring to the breath-taking site after it was finished, Shah Jahan said that the Taj Mahal made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.” Tourists from all over the world visit every year to catch a glimpse of the spectacular structure.

The site, on the south-west bank of the River Yamuna just outside Agra, has five main structures which are the Darwaza (main gateway), the Bageecha (garden), the Masjid (mosque), the Naqqar Khana (rest house), and the Rauza (mausoleum), where the tomb is located. The architectural style is the main attraction at the Taj Mahal. It is a unique combination of Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic architecture. Highlights include the black-and-white marble checked floor, the four spectacular minarets at the corners of the mausoleum’s plinth standing, and the surreal middle dome.

Taj Mahal, "the epitome of love", is "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. Ironically, the very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance, also leaves visitors mesmerized and perpetually enthralled.