The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. Built in the 17th century, it is often considered a monument of love, because of the story behind it. Taj Mahal is a house for the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, built out of love by her husband, Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor. It is a 42-acre complex which includes a mosque and a guest house, set in formal gardens. It is arguably the most beautiful building in the world.
But there are some ugly truths about the building and the love story, that are not known by many:
1. Shah Jahan was married 7 times. Mumtaz was his 4th wife.
2. Mumtaz Mahal was married to another man. Shah Jahan killed the husband so that he could marry her.
3. Mumtaz Mahal was killed while delivering her 14th child.
4. Shah Jahan married Mumtaz Mahal's sister after her death.
5. There is a small hole on the ceiling of the main hall, an act of sabotage by an artisan after finding out about Shah Jahan's plan to amputate all the artisans' arms after the construction of Taj Mahal was completed. So the Taj Mahal is not flawless after all.
Sources: Postober, Scoopwhoop
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| With my roommates |
Shah Jahan spent 32 million rupees to build Taj Mahal. Today that amount would be close to USD 1,000,000,000. It receives about 12,000 visitors every day. It would be wise to visit early in the morning, at the break of dawn if possible. Because the hostel where I stayed was only 10 minutes away from the Taj, that was easy enough. My roommates and I agreed to have some breakfast and set out at 6 am. However when we got there, there were already hundreds of visitors inside. I had stupidly brought a book with me, and it got confiscated at the security, presumably because it had the word "God" on it. Some of the visitors had really dressed up for the occasion, donning colorful saris and shawls. I was in a T-shirt I slept in the night before, and hadn't even showered.
The building was beautiful, all white marble with intricate carvings, and it changed color depending on the light. The interior was not as impressive. You can enrich your experience and learn more about the architectural facts if you rent the audio guide (which I didn't), or if you do some online research beforehand (which I also didn't). Perhaps because of this, or because I simply don't have an eye for art, I think Taj Mahal is a building that is rather overrated and over-romanticized. Nevertheless, I'm proud for having made it to this iconic site.
