The Taj Mahal

I was wondering as to what should be the first picture I should put here and then realized it was so simple! There is one monument in India that stands tall among the New 7 Wonders of the world and its none other than the 'Taj Mahal'.

Here is a pic of Taj Mahal clicked by me, when I visited it some time back in 2005.


Taj Mahal, the pinnacle of Mughal architecture, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his queen Mumtaz Mahal. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran to build the monument.

While bricks for internal constructions were locally prepared, white marble for external use in veneering work was obtained from Makrana in Rajasthan. Semi-precious stones for inlay ornamentation were brought from distant regions of India, Ceylon and Afghanistan. Red sandstone of different tints was requisitioned from the neighbouring quarries of Sikri, Dholpur.

It took 17 years for the Taj to be built. Now that's hell of a job ... ain't it? If you are in India, you should not miss visiting the Taj ... not at all!!!



Seen above me and my better half at 'The Taj Mahal'.


Baba