NAME: Taj Mahal

AGE: 350

NATIONALITY: Universal in its significance

CLAIM TO FAME: A monument of Shahjahan’s love for Mumtaz Mahal

THE Taj Mahal has stood tall along the banks of river Yamuna for 350 years now as an elegy in marble that Shahjahan commissioned in memory of his beloved Mumtaz Mahal. On Monday last, hundreds of heart-shaped balloons and white pigeons were released to commemorate the start of a six-month long celebration of the 350th birthday of the world’s most famous monument to love.

As a tomb, it has no match on earth, for mortal remains have never been housed in greater grandeur. Overpowered by grief at Mumtaz Mahal’s death, Shahjahan wanted to perpetuate her memory for immortality and thus decided to build his beloved wife the finest sepulchre ever — a monument of eternal love. This milky white marble monument is one of the most flawless in its design and construction, but due to the effects of pollution, its beauty will not last as long as Shahjahan would have wished. The surface of the once pristine white marble of the monument has turned to yellow over the years because of automobile fumes, smoke from small factories, a large oil refinery near Agra and funeral pyres at a nearby cremation ground. Two years ago, a pack made of brown clay was used to restore some of the original whiteness of the mausoleum.

The building is also stressed because of the huge number of visitors it receives. So many people walking on the same path for years has caused some abrasion on the floor. In order to preserve this 17th century monument, many measures have been taken, among them are: no cultural programmes are allowed within 500 metres of the Taj, artificial lighting is not allowed, visitors are not allowed after sunset and there is restriction taking pictures. The government of Uttar Pradesh is seeking the lifting of the 20-year ban on night-viewing of the Taj Mahal.

The celebrations at the Taj Mahal are thus going to be a low key affair as India’s Supreme Court has disallowed holding of ceremonies at the site. The celebrations, therefore, are happening at the Agra Fort about two kilometres away.

It took 20,000 people more than 22 years to build the Taj at the cost of Rs32 million at the time. Although there is some dispute about when its builders gave it the final touches, the government and the Archaeological Survey of India say it was in 1654 that the work on it was completed. Its master architect was Ustad Isa, one of the most renowned of his time. Expert craftsmen from Delhi, Qannauj, Lahore, and Multan were employed and many renowned Muslim craftsmen from Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara worked on many specialized tasks. It is believed that Shahjahan was so proud and possessive of his grand expression of love that once the construction was complete, the emperor ordered that the hands of the craftsmen be chopped off so that they could never make other building as spectacular as the Taj.

Thus, to some, the Taj Mahal is a symbol of true love, to others it signifies the pride of an emperor and to Indian tourism industry, it is a great source of income. — Ambreen Arshad