As a teenager I read voraciously many a novel set in India, thus the Taj Mahal was one of the top places I wanted to see when I compiled my first bucket list. Visiting on a misty day in January did not disappoint. This marble mausoleum is definitely one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favourite wife who died when giving birth to their 14th child, the Taj Mahal is situated in an area of 42 acres. My first glimpse of this beautiful building was through the main gateway and, even if the sun wasn’t shining that much, the Taj did.
Symmetry was an important factor when creating this iconic structure and the Taj Mahal is a feat of geometric engineering. It is perfectly symmetrical, with a mosque to its left facing east and an identical building called a jawab or ‘gathering place’ to its right. The gardens surrounding the glistening white mausoleum are perfectly symmetrical and the canal in front is directly in front of the tomb in which the maharani is buried. In turn it is directly beneath the dome, her husband’s to her right.
He was going to build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal in black marble on the opposite bank of the River Yamuna for himself, but this never came to pass. Standing overlooking the river behind the mausoleum I could only imagine what it would have looked like, the two structures existing in perfect harmony, a testament to the love of a devoted couple in the seventeenth century.
The marble sarcophagi within are not the real ones, they are in the basement, but are facsimiles elaborately decorated with motifs of intertwining flowers in hues of red, yellow, green and inlaid with semi-precious stones.
The outer walls of the Taj Mahal are inscribed with verses from the Qur-an and wonderful geometric patterns, all perfectly aligned, but the four towers at the corners of the main resting place are not upright. They may appear vertical to the less observant visitor, but they are leaning very slightly outwards. This was purposefully done so if the towers fell in an earthquake they would fall away from the tombs.
Not far from the Taj Mahal is the Red Fort located on the banks of the Yamuna River and it is as red as the Taj Mahal is white. Constructed from sandstone in the sixteenth century it is where the rulers of the Mughal dynasty lived with their wives and numerous concubines.
I learned that concubines were aged between 16 and 35, and when they “retired” many returned to their home place. It was highly likely the women would have children and I was told the boys would join the army, but the girls stay with their mothers. Being wealthy and beautiful the women were treated well by their home folk, some even marrying in their twilight years.
Once housing almost 500 buildings within its walls, now only around thirty survive, but even on a rather damp morning the architecture is impressive, with fabulous arches, intricately carved with filigree like designs, and the gardens are beautifully landscaped.
One particular room is made of small pieces of mirror reminding me of the opulence of the palace at Versailles in France. Other areas shine brightly being constructed of marble, patterns of flora decorating the walls and ceilings.
When I returned to London I learned there was an exhibition in the Victoria and Albert Museum (running until May 2025) entitled The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence. Of course I had to go and was delighted to find depictions of the Taj Mahal as well as artefacts that were sourced from various locations in India.
It came as no surprise that the rug-like carpets, intricately woven with depictions of flowers, were huge and I could easily imagine these on the floors of the ladies quarters in the Red Fort. Equally I could visualise the screens hanging down from hooks in the ceiling sheltering the women from the sun whilst drinking a little wine poured via a jug into beautifully crafted bowls.
After a magnificent day in Agra at the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal I was only too happy to sit back, reflect on the magnificence I’d seen and enjoy a glass of red wine myself.
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Yes wonderful part of the world
Its such a statement to love that it survives and even flourishes in todays society.
The whole building has been cleaned for the first time and only a few years ago covered in scaffolding, it was washed simply with mild detergent, and the only real damage done to the building was British troops picking the gold and gems out of the wall. The pot shots at the building are still visible