Taj Mahal
In
1612,Arjumand Benu Begum, a Muslim Persian Princess better
known by her other name. Mumtaz
Mahal was married to Shah
Jahan(then Prince Khurram)The fifth Mughal emperor. Mumtz
the emperor’s second wife,was her husband’s comrade and
counselor. An inseparable companion on all his journeys
and military expeditions she inspired the emperor to do
acts of charity and benevolence towards the week and the
needy
Mumtaz bore 14 children, and when she died
during childbirth in 1631, Shah Jahan was so heartbroken
that all his hair and beard were said to have turned snow-
white in a few months! Overpowered by grief, Shah Jahan
decided to immortalize the memory of his beloved wife by
building the finest sepulcher ever - a monument of eternal
love. Herein lies the genesis of the Taj Mahal. The
construction documents show that its master
architect was
Ustad Ahmed Lahori, the renowned Islamic architect of his
time. The much-celebrated saga of royal love was brought to
life by dexterous and skilled artisans from places as far
away as Delhi, Kannauj, Lahore, Multan, Baghdad, Shiraz
and Bukhara.
Construction began in 1631, and over
20,000 workmen and master
craftsmen worked laboriously for
22 years to give shape to the emperor's passionate dream!
The material was brought in from all over India and central
Asia and it took a fleet of 1,000 elephants to transport it
to the site. The complex was finally completed in 1653 at a
cost of 32 Million Rupees (approx USD 68000) on the banks
of river Yamuna in Agra, the capital of the Mughal
monarchs. But the beauty of Taj Mahal is also tainted by
the gory fact that the hands of some of the master
craftsmen were amputated... to ensure that the perfection
of the Taj could never be repeated ever again!