Visit the Taj Mahal

The beauty of the Taj Mahal - no other structure in the world provides such an instant image in the mind as the Taj Mahal. Its incredible beauty places it firmly on the top of anyone’s list of the most awe-inspiring places on the planet.

This Indian tribute to love, is admired the world over as a symbol of a mans love for a woman, embodied in the stunningly beautiful Mausoleum. This is one of the seven wonders of the modern world that was once described as the ‘the only place where heaven and the earth actually meet.’

The mausoleum was built by Shah Jahan to honour his wife Mumtaz Mahal who died in childbirth in 1631. The Taj Mahal is located in the city of Agra on the edge of the River Yamuna, around four hours drive from India’s busting city of Delhi.

Shah Jahan was absolutely determined and single-minded in the thought that no one would ever forget his beloved wife. He decided to create a stunning building as a monument to love and bereavement, which would remind the world of his wife for time immemorial.

He was so determined that the structure would be marveled at by anyone who set eyes upon it that he spent years studying hundreds of designs by architects from across the region. Eventually he chose a design by an artist with no architectural experience, Isfan Diya Rumi, from Persia.

This architectural dream is constructed almost entirely of marble and semi precious stones that are not found locally, and had to be imported from Italy and China.  The construction of the ‘Mausoleum of Mamtaj Mahal,’ took over 20,000 skilled artisans, 22 years to complete.

The panels around the four entrances are etched with inscriptions from the Quran. These words appear to the eye to remain the same size even though they reach a height of 100 feet, this is just an illusion brought on by the indigenous use of perspective making the words larger as they get higher.

The whole building seems to be an optical illusion, seeming disproportionately small at a distance, and then as you approach the mausoleum it seems to grow very quickly to magnificent proportions.

The huge dome especially, seems to grow as if being inflated, as you get nearer. Only once you stand directly in front of the building and look up do you finally comprehend its magnificence, rising 200 feet into the sky. The four minarets, found in each corner of the monument stand in excess of 100 feet tall, giving the mausoleum its classic elegance, which continues to captivate the world.

The structure was eventually completed in 1653 at a cost of 30 million rupees. It employed some staggering architecture. Although the marble structure is extremely heavy. It is built on a foundation of wooden logs, but it has stood for over three and a half centuries because the way the individual blocks are placed together. To make the building always force the pressure of the weight, outwards and downwards, securing the structure like one gigantic arch.

Nearly as stunning as the building itself, are the splendid gardens, fountains and water channels that surround the mausoleum.  The gardens themselves probably became the centre of world attention when Princess Diana was famously photographed sitting in contemplation looking towards the Taj Mahal.

Many millions of visitors from across the world have made the trip just to stand before this beautiful edifice. Once described as , ‘a teardrop on the cheek of time’, its stunning beauty combined with its, born out of love, reason for being there,  make it a beautiful magnet for those who are romantic at heart.