Happy Valentine’s Day!
What better way to celebrate the holiday of love than to visit a monument of love!
We walked to the Taj Mahal at 7:00 in the morning from our hotel which was only 500 meters away. The first word that came to mind when I saw it was “WOW.” It was stunning! Everything about this wonder of the world is beautiful.
The Taj Mahal is a group of stunning buildings and gorgeous gardens. The mausoleum is usually the first picture that comes to your mind when you say “Taj Mahal”, however, there is more to it. The gardens are beautiful, the grass is neatly trimmed, and the water in the fountain is clear and sparkling. Everything about the Taj Mahal is symmetrical. On one side of the mausoleum is a mosque, while on the other is an identical guest house. (Only buildings facing Mecca can be a mosque).
For those of you who don’t know the story of the Taj, a long time ago, in the year 1628, there was an emperor named Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan, also known as Shah Jahan. He had many wives but loved his third wife, Arjumand Banu Begum (also known as Mumtaz Mahal) the most. They ruled the Mughal empire together for many years until one day, after giving birth to her 14th child, Mumtaz became very sick. Before she died, she asked Shah Jahan to promise her four things:
1. That Shah Jahan would build her a tomb
2. That he should get married again
3. That he would take care of their 14 children
4. That he would visit her tomb every year on the anniversary of her death
Shah Jahan promised to fulfill her wishes but when she died, he was so upset that he went into a depression. In 1631, he ordered about twenty thousand artists, calligraphers, sculptors, craftsmen, and stonecutters from all over the country to build the Taj Mahal as her tomb. The design of the Taj was inspired by Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi. The mausoleum was finished first in 1648 while the rest of the Taj was completed in 1653.
We stopped at the entrance to take some photos for a few minutes and then continued down the path. When we arrived at the mausoleum, we were wowed at how beautiful it was. It is all made out of white marble and has a huge rectangular archway above the doors with writing made out of inlaid black marble. Right under the arch, there is a section with flowers and other designs made out of inlaid yellow marble, jasper, and jade. Did you know that the inlay work was taught to the Mughal artists by Italian craftsmen? I think the inlaid stones are really neat because they have to be perfectly carved out to fit into the marble of the mausoleum.
When we walked inside the mausoleum, we saw a dark room with a small chandelier as the only source of light other than the door. In the middle of the room, there is an octagon shaped screen around the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
Originally, Shah Jahan wanted to build a Taj out of black marble for himself on the other side of the Yamuna river, opposite to his wife’s Taj. Unfortunately, he could not do this because his son locked him up for eight years while he reigned as the emperor.
After visiting the Taj Mahal, we went to the Kalakriti Cultural & Convention Center and watched a Bollywood show about the love story and the Taj. There were a lot of actors and actresses dancing and singing in bright colourful costumes. They also have one of the biggest models of the Taj Mahal as one of their props.
I think the Taj story is one of the greatest, love stories ever… What do you think?
Even after the early morning and the late night show, we still kept marvelling at the Taj Mahal. We even did school work on the rooftop terrace at our hotel which had the best unobstructed view of the Taj.
Hope you enjoyed this Valentine’s day love story!
So far, we have seen three wonders of the world. First the Colosseum, then Petra, and now the Taj! 4 more to go!
Comments
18 responses to “A Perfect Valentine’s Day Love Story”
A HAPPY VALENTINES to the gang. Hope you soon see the remaining four wonders of the world as well.
With lots of love to all
RAVI & ANJU
Hi!
Thanks for the encouragement on seeing the four remaining wonders! 🙂
LOVE…ly post Zoe! You are absolutely right, the Taj Mahal is stunning! Your photographer, by the way, must be a professional because the pictures Truly compliment your post. Being so close to one of the Wonders of the world must have been very special for all of you.
Hi!
I used everybody’s photos… I also think we are professional! 🙂
Being at the wonder of the world was really special… So was doing are work on the rooftop with the Taj in the background! 🙂
What a lovely story. To know that he was so devoted to this wife for so long. Was it one of her sons that imprisoned him? Surely not! Is it an ‘off season’ there as it seemed not too crowded when you were there. They must employ quite a large staff to keep the place so beautiful! You have shared the story very well(again), thank you.
While doing schoolwork must occasionally be a drag, you sure do get to do it in some amazing places!!!!
Hi!
Actually, his own son did imprison him… The Taj was not so crowded because we went at 7:00 in the morning and most people go during the afternoon. I was distracted from my school work by the beauty of the Taj. I agree… We do get to do our school work in some amazing places! 🙂
Happy Valentine’s Day to your family from ours! xoxoxoxoxooxxo
Hi!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! 🙂
What an amazing view from your rooftop! It is such a beautiful building with a great story.
Hi!
You are right, we had an amazing view from our rooftop terrace and the Taj Is STUNNING! 🙂
Hi Zoe,
Loved your blog!!! This was certainly a beautiful story and look at all the love that went into designing and building this “Wonder of the World.” Thanks for making my day with your “perfect love story.” Happy Valentine’s day to all!!!! Love Baba and Papou
Hi!
It is one of the greatest love stories ever… I hope we see the rest of the wonders of the world! 🙂
What a lovely “love” story Zoe and you captured it so well in your blog. Happy Valentine’s day to all of you in India from a snowy Oshawa!
The views from your hotel were spectacular…I wonder where you are now. Love to all, Teta Doreen xoxox
Hi!
Happy Valentine’s day to you in Canada from nice warm India!
We are definitely enjoying the hot weather in India… At 7:00 am, it was a freezing 20 degrees C. Brrrrrrrrr. We are not missing Canadian winter! 🙂
Happy Valentines Day to you all. This is a lovely way to celebrate Valentines Day. Love your posting, Zoe, and of course the photos, just so amazing. To be there and see all the beauty and think of the history has got to be the ultimate celebration on Valentines Day, oh you romantics 🙂 . Love to all and lots of Valentines Hugs.
Hi!
I think it was the best way to celebrate Valentines day! It was warm and we learned about one of the greatest love stories ever. 🙂
Hello Zoe & Mikhaila, it’s the Intermediate students from MLCP.. Hope you are having fun, we miss you very much.
We like your rice recipe and your Valentine’s Day Story.
[…] have now seen 4 Man Made Wonders of the World (The Colosseum, Petra, The Taj Mahal, and The Great Wall of China) and two Natural Wonders of the World (Ha Long Bay and now the […]