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In
1612, Arjumand Banu Begam, a Muslim Persian
princess better known by her other name,
Mumtaz Mahal was married to Shah
Jahan (then Prince Khurram), the fifth
Mughal emperor. Mumtaz, the emperor's second
wife, was her husband's comrade and
counselor. An inseparable companion on all
his journeys and military expeditions, she
inspired the emperor to do acts of charity
and benevolence towards the weak and the
needy.
Mumtaz bore 14 children, and when she died
during childbirth in 1631, Shah Jahan was so
heartbroken that all his hair and beard were
said to have turned snow-white in a few
months! Overpowered by grief, Shah Jahan
decided to immortalize the memory of his
beloved wife by building the finest
sepulcher ever - a monument of eternal
love. Herein lies the genesis of the Taj
Mahal.
The construction documents show that its
master architect was Ustad Ahmed Lahori,
the renowned Islamic architect of his time.
The much-celebrated saga of royal love was
brought to life by dexterous and skilled
artisans from places as far away as Delhi,
Kannauj, Lahore, Multan, Baghdad, Shiraz and
Bukhara.
Construction began in 1631, and over
20,000 workmen and master craftsmen
worked laboriously for 22 years to
give shape to the emperor's passionate
dream! The material was brought in from all
over India and central Asia and it took a
fleet of 1,000 elephants to transport it to
the site. The complex was finally completed
in 1653 at a cost of 32 Million
Rupees (approx USD 68000) on the banks
of river Yamuna in Agra, the capital of the
Mughal monarchs.
But the beauty of Taj Mahal is also tainted
by the gory fact that the hands of some of
the master craftsmen were amputated... to
ensure that the perfection of the Taj could
never be repeated ever again! |
