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[[File:Taj_Mahal_2012.jpg|right|thumb|It is one of the [[w:New Seven Wonders of the World|New Seven Wonders of the World]]]]
The '''[[w:Taj Mahal|Taj Mahal]]''' (/ˈtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl/ often /ˈtɑːʒ/;, from [[W:Persian language|Persian]] and [[w:Arabic language|Arabic]], "crown of palaces", pronounced [ˈt̪aːdʒ mɛˈɦɛl]; also "the Taj") is a [[w:White|white]] [[w:Marble|marble]] [[w:Mausoleum|mausoleum]] located in [[w:Agra|Agra]], [[w:Uttar Pradesh|Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]. It was built by [[w:Mughal emperor|Mughal emperor]] [[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]] in [[memory]] of his third wife, [[w:Mumtaz Mahal|Mumtaz Mahal]]. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of [[Muslim]] [[art]] in India and one of the universally [[admire]]d masterpieces of the [[world]]'s [[w:Heritage|heritage]]. It is one of the [[w:New Seven Wonders of the World|New Seven Wonders of the World]].
==Quotes==
[[File:Taj_Mahal-11.jpg|right|thumb|Not a piece of [[architecture]], as other buildings are, but the proud [[passions]] of an emperor’s [[love]] wrought in living stones.]]
*Not a piece of [[architecture]], as other buildings are, but the proud [[passions]] of an emperor’s [[love]] wrought in living stones.
**[[Edwin Arnold]] in: Shefali Patel ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=qcJsG3SY4s4C&pg=PT246 A Penchant for Love]'', iUniverse, 2006, p.246
*Along with the masses of [[labourers]] flocking to [[w:Agra|Agra]] once news of its [Taj Mahal] inception spread, [[materials]] for the [[construction]] had also begun arriving; [[red]] [[w:Sand stone|sand stone]] from local quarries in [[w:Fatehpur Sikri|Fatehpur Sikri]] and [[w:Marble|marble]] dug from the hills of far-off [[w:Makrana|Makrana]] in [[w:Rajasthan|Rajasthan]]. In order to transport the marble, a ten-mile long ramp of tampered [[earth]] was built through Agra on which an unending parade of thousand [[w:Elephants|elephants]] and [[w:Bullock carts|bullock carts]] continually dragged the blocks of marble to the building site.
**[[w:Jim Ford|Jim Ford]] in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=oN1DDLUkarkC&pg=PA442 Don't Worry, Be Happy: Beijing to Bombay with a Backpack]'', Troubador Publishing Ltd, 2006, p.442.
*One can [[imagine]] having a procedural rule that anything ambiguous should be treated as the Taj Mahal unless we see that it is labelled "[[fog]]"...The motorist replies: "What sort of rule is this? Surely the best guarantee I can have that the fog is fog is if I fail to see the sign saying 'fog' because of the fog."
**[[Michael Frayn]] in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=GqFlAAAAMAAJ Collected Columns]'', Methuen, 2007, p.134
*Different people have different views of the Taj but it would be enough to say that it has a [[life]] of its own that leaps out of marble, provided you understand that it is a monument of [[love]]. As an architectural masterpiece, nothing could be added or substracted from it.
**Bina Gupta in: ''[http://binaguptapoetry.com/shrine-of-love-taj-mahal-386.htm Shrine Of Love- Taj Mahal]'', binaguptapoetry.com
[[File:TajMahalbyAmalMongia.jpg|right|thumb|Post card image - ...I am one of the declared seven wonders of the world<br>Global admirers are amazed as my [[beauty]] is unfurled<br>Like unveiling of a blushing bride under many covers<br>My beauty too unfolds in layers beckoning in whispers...]]
*'''[[w:Shrine|Shrine]] of [[Love]] -Taj Mahal''' <br>I am the [[tear]] drop of a grieving lover<br>A magnificent declaration of his [[ardor]]<br>A marble [[symphony]] by maestro carvers<br>A [[magnum opus]], an [[aria]] by [[Wagner]] to savor<br>I am the tomb royal of departed [[w:Mumtaz Mahal|Mumtaz Mahal]]<br> I change many hues like her moods that dapple<br>I am homage to Shah’s Queen that held him in thrall<br>My exquisite inlaid work in crafting do my visitors enthrall<br>I am one of the declared seven wonders of the world<br>Global admirers are amazed as my [[beauty]] is unfurled<br>Like unveiling of a blushing bride under many covers<br>My beauty too unfolds in layers beckoning in whispers<br>I am the legendary love epic’s [[poetry]] in marble, a tomb immortal<br>Lovers exchange vows before me with [[faces]] [[lit]] like [[candles]]<br>Yet for all my magnificence and breathtaking [[glory]]<br>I am tainted by amputated limbs of craftsmen, a fact gory<br>I am [[w:Pièce de résistance|piece de resistance]], an [[epitome]] of architectural magnificence<br>For centuries I am a [[benevolent]] provider to many folks in [[silence]]<br>As visitors stand n behold me in awe they forget my real significance<br>I am a symbol of [[death]], a tomb signifying all [[life]] ends as it is [[transient]] <br> I am the tear drop of a grieving lover<br>A magnificent declaration of his ardor<br>A marble symphony by maestro carvers<br>A magnum opus, an aria by Wagner to savor.
**Bina Gupta in:"Shrine Of Love- Taj Mahal"
*When you do [[music concerts]] at Taj Mahal and the [[Acropolis]], you have to be careful about your [[performance]] being appropriate with the place that surrounds you. It has to be appropriate to the [[culture]] - it should fit the building behind you, the [[environment]] you are playing it in and the culture of that place.
**[[w:Yanni|Yianis Hrysomallis]] in:''[http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/ultimate-yanni-1.918541 Ultimate Yanni]'', Gulfnews.com
[[File:El_Taj_Mahal-Agra_India0023.JPG|right|thumb|...The sight of this mansion creates [[sorrow]]ing [[sighs]]; <br> And the [[sun]] and the [[moon]] shed [[tears]] from their [[eyes]]. <br>In this [[world]] this edifice [Taj Mahal] has been made; <br>To display thereby the [[creator]]'s [[glory]]. - [[w:Shah Jahan|Emperor Shah Jahan]].]]
*Should guilty seek [[w:Asylum|asylum]] here,<br>Like one [[pardon]]ed, he becomes free from [[sin]]. <br> Should a sinner make his way to this [[w:Mansion|mansion]], <br>All his past sins are to be washed away. <br> The sight of this mansion creates [[sorrow]]ing [[sighs]]; <br> And the [[sun]] and the [[moon]] shed [[tears]] from their [[eyes]]. <br>In this [[world]] this edifice [Taj Mahal] has been made; <br>To display thereby the [[creator]]'s [[glory]].
**[[w:Shah Jahan|Emperor Shah Jahan]] in: [Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1970). Muslim Rule In India. p. 200] and David Carroll, Newsweek, inc. Book Division ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=kgkUX5kkCr0C&redir_esc=y The Taj Mahal]'', Newsweek, 1973
*Yeah, I can understand that. All the splendor of the Taj Mahal, without the inconvenience and expense of traveling to India.
**[[Stephenie Meyer]] in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=bEjboR018YYC&pg=PT109 Eclipse]'', Hachette UK, 26 February 2009, p.109
*It was built up by the [[w:Mughal Emperor|Mughal Emperor]] [[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]], who wanted his beloved wife to be remembered by one and all, with help of architectural geniuses like [[w:Ustad Isa|Ustad Isa]], Isa Mohammad Effendi and [[w:Puru|Puru]] of [[Persia]]. ''The result that came across was a fine piece of [[w:Mughal architecture|Mughal architecture]], fused with [[w:Persian architecture|Persian]], [[w;Islamic architecture|Islamic]], and [[w:Indian architecture|Indian architectural]] [[styles]]; or is believed so by many.''
**Taj Mahal Organization in: ''[http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/legends/italian-architect.html Italian Architect of Taj Mahal Myth]'',tajmahal.org.
*Every drop of [[rain]] that falls in [[w:Sahara Desert|Sahara Desert]] says it all It's a [[miracle]]. All [[God]]'s [[creation]]s great and small, the [[w:Golden Gate Bridge|Golden Gate]] and the Taj Mahal That's a miracle. [[w:In vitro fertilisation|Test tube babies]] being [[born]], [[mothers]], [[fathers]] [[dead]] and gone It's a miracle.
**Walter Pennacchietti in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=YMAMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 La sottile linea rosa]'', Lulu.com, p.18.
*She ran off with my plunge router guide. How am I supposed to [[build]] that [[w:Scale model|scale model]] of the Taj Mahal out of [[w:Prunus|cherry wood]] without my plunge router guide?
**[[Carmen Sandiego]] in: ''[http://www.tv.com/shows/where-in-the-world-is-carmen-sandiego/the-great-train-slobbery-122948/ The Great Train Slobbery]'', CBS Interactive Inc., 15 December 1992
[[File:Humayun-tomb.jpg|thumb|right|...inspected the 16th Century [[w:Humayun's Tomb|Humayun's Tomb]]--a forerunner to the Taj Mahal--and cruised past scores of international embassies... - Harry Shattuck.]]
[[File:Taj_Mahal_5.jpg|right|thumb|The most impressive in the Taj Mahal complex next to the tomb, is the main gate which stands majestically in the centre of the southern wall of the forecourt. The gate is flanked on the north front by double arcade galleries. The [[garden]] in front of the galleries is subdivided into four quarters by two main walk-ways and each quarters in turn subdivided by the narrower cross-axial walkways, on the Timurid-Persian scheme of the walled in garden. The enclosure walls on the east and west have a pavilion at the centre.]]
[[File:Taj_site_plan.png|right|thumb|It is a perfect symmetrical planned building, with an emphasis of bilateral symmetry along a central axis on which the main features are placed. The [[building]] [[material]] used is brick-in-lime mortar veneered with red sandstone and marble and inlay work of precious/semi precious stones.]]
*It is good to recall that three centuries ago, around the year 1660, two of the greatest monuments of [[w:Modern history|modern history]] were erected, one in the West and one in the East; [[w:St. Paul's Cathedral|St. Paul's Cathedral]] in [[London]] and the Taj Mahal in [[w:Agra|Agra]]. Between them, the two symbolize, perhaps better than words can describe, the comparative level of [[w:Architectural technology|architectural technology]], the comparative level of [[w:Craftsmanship|craftsmanship]] and the comparative level of [[affluence]] and [[sophistication]] the two [[cultures]] had attained at that [[epoch]] of [[history]]. But about the same time there was also created—and this time only in the West—a third monument, a monument still greater in its eventual import for humanity. This was [[w:Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica|Newton's Principia]], published in 1687. [[Newton]]'s work had no counterpart in the [[India]] of the [[w:Mughals|Mughals]]. I would like to describe the fate of the technology which built the Taj Mahal when it came into contact with the [[culture]] and technology [[symbolize]]d by the Principia of Newton.
**[[Abdus Salam]] in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=084erO4KJCUC&pg=PA5 Ideals and Realities: Selected Essays of Abdus Salam]'', World Scientific, 1989, p.5
*Taj has been described as having been designed by giants and finished by jewellers.
**Renu Saran in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=P1dlAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT10 Wonders of the World]'' , Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd, 22 April 2014, p.10
*As a [[tribute]] to a [[beautiful]] [[woman]] and as a [[monument]] of enduring [[love]], it reveals its subtleties when one visits it without being in a hurry. Its ctangular base is in itself a [[symbolic]] of the different sides from which to view a beautiful woman. The main gate is like a [[veil]] to a woman’s [[face]] which should be lifted delicately, gently and without haste on the wedding night. In [[w:Indian tradition|Indian tradition]], the veil is lifted gently to reveal the beauty of the [[bride]]. As one stands inside the main gate of it, his [[eyes]] are directed to an [[arch]] which frames the Taj.
**Renu Saran in: “Wonders of the World”, p.10
*We had admired the presidential palace and parliament houses, paused beside the striking [[w:India Gate|India Gate]], inspected the 16th Century [[w:Humayun's Tomb|Humayun's Tomb]]--a forerunner to the Taj Mahal--and cruised past scores of international embassies.
**Harry Shattuck in: ''[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-05-14/travel/0605130011_1_new-delhi-india-gate-17th-century-red-fort The old and the new of Delhi]'', Houston Chronicle, 14 May 2006
*It is a celebration of woman built in marble and that’s the way to appreciate it.
**Susant Pal in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=n-3HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 Imbibed In Faith]'', Partridge Publishing, 2014, p.104
*The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These changes, they say, depict the moods of woman.
**Susant Pal in: "Imbibed In Faith" P.104
*''It rises above the banks of the river like a solitary [[tear]] suspended on the cheek of time.''
**[[Rabindranath Tagore]] in: Dini Von Mueffling ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=h3qIO51QsKsC The 50 Most Romantic Things Ever Done]'', N.A. Talese, 1997, p.50
*Alternate version: A [[tear]] drop on the cheek of [[eternity]].
**[[Rabindranath Tagore]] in:"Imbibed In Faith" P.104
*An immense [[w:Mausoleum|mausoleum]] of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, i'''t is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.'''
**[[w: Unesco|Unesco]] in:''[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252 Taj Mahal]'', unesco.org
*'''It is considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture.''' Its recognised architectonic [[beauty]] has a [[rhythm]]ic combination of solids and voids, [[concave]] and [[convex]] and [[light]] [[shadow]]; such as [[arches]] and [[domes]] further increases the [[aesthetic]] aspect. The colour combination of lush green scape reddish pathway and blue [[sky]] over it show cases the monument in ever changing tints and moods. The relief work in marble and inlay with precious and semi precious stones make it a monument apart.
**[[w: Unesco|Unesco]] in: "Taj Mahal"
*The most impressive in the Taj Mahal complex next to the tomb, is the main gate which stands majestically in the centre of the southern wall of the forecourt. The gate is flanked on the north front by double arcade galleries. The [[garden]] in front of the galleries is subdivided into four quarters by two main walk-ways and each quarters in turn subdivided by the narrower cross-axial walkways, on the Timurid-Persian scheme of the walled in garden. The enclosure walls on the east and west have a pavilion at the centre.
**[[w: Unesco|Unesco]] in: "Taj Mahal"
*'''It is a perfect symmetrical planned building, with an emphasis of bilateral symmetry along a central axis on which the main features are placed.''' The [[building]] [[material]] used is brick-in-lime mortar veneered with red sandstone and marble and inlay work of precious/semi precious stones.
**[[w: Unesco|Unesco]] in: "Taj Mahal"
*Although an important amount of repairs and [[conservation]] works have been carried out right from the [[w:British raj|British period in India]] these have not compromised to the original qualities of the buildings.
**[[w: Unesco|Unesco]] in: "Taj Mahal"
=== The Taj Mahal ===
[[File:Taj_Mahal,_Agra,_Uttar_Pradesh,_India_2005.jpg|right|thumb|700px|Panoramic view - It is a complex of buildings; a [[w:Mosque|mosque]], a guest house, an enormous [[w:Entrance gate|entrance gate]], four [[w:Minaret|minaret]] [[w:Towers|towers]] and the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan’s wife. It is laid out in a rectangular [[grid]] on 42 acres along the [[w:Yamuna River|Yamuna River]], with water fountains and gardens and reflecting pools.]]
<small>Lesley A. DuTemple in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=J--NBIJ55AMC&printsec=frontcover The Taj Mahal]'',Twenty-First Century Books, 1 January 2003</small>
*[[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]], the fifth emperor of the [[w:Mughal Empire|Mughal Empire]], commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal as a [[tomb]] for his beloved wife.
** p.4
*It is in [[w:Agra|Agra]], a city in India, which was part of the Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century. A Monument To Love, India's Taj Mahal is a beautiful example of a great building feat. With the exception of its [[Gardens|gardens]], it is exactly as it was designed in 1631.
**In: p.6
*It is a complex of buildings; a [[w:Mosque|mosque]], a guest house, an enormous [[w:Entrance gate|entrance gate]], four [[w:Minaret|minaret]] [[w:Towers|towers]] and the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, [[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]]’s wife. It is laid out in a rectangular [[w:Grid|grid]] on 42 acres along the [[w:Yamuna River|Yamuna River]], with water fountains and gardens and reflecting pools.
**In: p.6
*Wagon loads of colorful [[gemstones]] arrived from all parts of [[Asia]] and [[Europe]]. Its [[story]] is one of great [[passion]] and [[sorrow]]. Shah Jahan built it as a tomb for his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, whose beauty inspired many royal [[poets]]. He chose to express his grief through [[architecture]]. It is a testament to his undying [[love]].
**In: p.7
*'''The mystery surrounding it does not dim its [[beauty]]. It has been called one of the wonders of the world.''' In modern times millions of visitors journey to India every year to see the tomb, its grounds and the buildings around it. Sixty thousand people visit the site every day, making it one of the popular tourist attractions in the [[world]]. They find an extraordinary white marble building, shimmering like a jewel on the banks of the Yamuna River – the famous Taj Mahal, tangible evidence of a love story that has endured for centuries.
**In: p.7
*No single person designed the whole Taj Mahal complex. The buildings were the work of many people – [[architects]], [[engineers]], [[artists]], [[calligraphers]], and Shah Jahan himself.
**In: P.23
*'''[[Europeans]] could not believe that anything so [[beautiful]] could have been designed by a non-European.''' Europeans of the time considered the [[w:Indian people|people of India]] [[w:uncivilized|uncivilized]]. They recognized that it was a magnificent building. So they thought it couldn’t have been designed by an [[Indian]].
**On the question as to who built the Taj Mahal, whether it was Austin de Bordeaux, a Frenchman or Geronimo Veroneo who were both in the Mughal court at the time quoted in: P.23
[[File:TajAndMinaret.jpg|right|thumb|Base, dome and minaret - The [[w;Tomb|tomb]] sits on a large marble [[Platform|platform]], called a [[w:Plinth|plinth]]. At each corner of this platform is a [[w:Minaret|minaret]].]]
*The building is a domed structure made of white marble [[w:Inlay|inlaid]] with colourful [[gemstones]] in the shapes of flowers. Passage from the [[Quran]] are inlaid in black marble.
**In: P.23
*The [[w:Tomb|tomb]] sits on a large marble [[w:Platform|platform]], called a [[w:Plinth|plinth]]. At each corner of this platform is a [[w:Minaret|minaret]] (a tall, narrow tower from which a [[Muslim]] calls the devout to [[prayer]]). It is this building which is called the Taj Mahal, although the name often refers to the whole complex.
**In: p.25
*[[w:Mughal|Mughal]] [[court]] records refer to Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb as the illuminate tomb, probably because of the [[beautiful]] [[decorations]] and passages from the [[Quran]] inlaid in the marble. (“Illuminated” refers to [[lustrous]] decoration and marble reflects light well). As the years passed, though, the tomb and surrounding complex came to be called the Taj Mahal. Historians aren’t really sure why, but most likely the name is an abbreviation of “Mumtaz Mahal”.
**In: P.25-26
*'''It is a spectacular example of [[w:Mughal architecture|Mughal architecture]], blends Islamic, Hindu, and Persian styles.'''
**In: P.26
*Many of the architectural features found in it were first tried out in other buildings, such as the [[w:Tombs|tombs]] of the emperors [[w:Humayun|Humayun]] and [[w:Emperor Akbar|Akbar]].
**in: P.27
===It Never Disappoints; The Taj Mahal has the sort of majestic beauty that catches you unawares===
<small>Bill Coles in: ''[http://web.archive.org/web/20080605030415/http://meaindia.nic.in/bestoftheweb/2006/02/25bw01.htm It Never Disappoints; The Taj Mahal has the sort of majestic beauty that catches you unawares]'', The Wall Street Journal, 25 February 2006, the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.</small>
*'''It is, like the [[w:Mona Lisa|Mona Lisa]], one of those masterpieces with which you will be outstandingly familiar long before you ever get to see it'''...it does not disappoint. It does not disappoint the first time you see it, nor the third time, nor even the 30th time...
[[File:Taj_Mahal_Sunset_Edit1.jpg|right|thumb|Its [[appearance]] is constantly changing. It might sound strange to say this of an [[inanimate]] [[building]], but every time you see the Taj, it looks different. The color of its white marble changes throughout the day, from the waxy yellow at dawn through to the pastel blue-gray of a [[w:Full Moon|full moon]].]]
*Its [[appearance]] is constantly changing. It might sound strange to say this of an [[inanimate]] [[building]], but every time you see the Taj, it looks different. The color of its white marble changes throughout the day, from the waxy yellow at dawn through to the pastel blue-gray of a [[w:Full Moon|full moon]].
*It is, according to almost every guidebook, the [[world]]'s "greatest monument to [[love]].
[[File:Tombs-in-crypt.jpg|right|thumb|... the Taj was long ago plundered of its loot, and all that remains in the [[w:Crypt|crypt]] are the ornate marble tombs of [[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]] and his [[w:Mumtaz Mahal|Mumtaz]].]]
*After the main building had been completed, the most lavish detail was added. [[w:Jade:Jade]] and [[w:Crystal|crystal]] were shipped in from [[China]], [[w:Lapis lazuli|lapis lazuli]] from [[Afghanistan]]. And [[w:Coral|coral]] and [[w:Mother-of-pearl|mother-of-pearl]] were garnered from the [[w:Indian Ocean|Indian Ocean]]. The tomb itself had [[gold]] [[lamps]] and a door of solid [[w;Jasper|jasper]], and was guarded by gates of [[silver]]. Sadly, the Taj was long ago plundered of its loot, and all that remains in the [[w:Crypt|crypt]] are the ornate marble tombs of [[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]] and his [[w:Mumtaz Mahal|Mumtaz]].
*Shah Jahan was said to have been so delighted with the end result that he had the architect beheaded, the better to ensure that no other building would ever rival the Taj. Even to this day, the emperor's wish would appear to have come true...later on in his [[life]], he planned to build a black Taj for himself on the other side of the [[w:Yamuna River|Yamuna]]. It was to have been every bit as magnificent as the white Taj, and the two were to have been connected with a [[w;Bridge|bridge]] of solid [[silver]].
*If the [[light]] is right, you can squint at the Taj and see the specter of its black twin on the other side of the Yamuna -- and it is then that you truly marvel not just at the Taj, but at the wonder of what might have been.
===Taj Mahal===
[[Image:Shahjahan on globe, mid 17th century.jpg|right|thumb|[[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan]], who commissioned the Taj Mahal]]
[[Image:Mumtaz Mahal.jpg|right|thumb|Artistic depiction of [[w:Mumtaz Mahal|Mumtaz Mahal]].]]
<small>[[w:Giles Tillotson|Giles Tillotson]] in: ''[http://books.google.co.in/books?id=0xU8RR07yGsC&printsec=frontcover Taj Mahal]'', Profile Books, 1 October 2010</small>
*It is the [[queen]] of [[architecture]]. Other buildings may be as famous, but no other is so consistently admired for a [[beauty]] that is seen as both [[w:Feminine|feminine]] and [[w:Regal|regal]]. Many people feel that to class Taj Mahal as architecture is a mistake: it is both too personal and too [[w:Magnificent|magnificent]].
**In: p.1
*To too many [[people]] in [[India]] it suggests not only a building but a blend of [[tea]]. It is also cry of admiration as Wah Taj!, indicative of [[w:Mughal|Mughal]] [[w:Sophistication|sophistication]] and [[elegance]]...There are several appropriations to the building name to brand names such as of hotels, tea, [[w:Saffron|saffron]], and bars of [[w:Soap|soap]] and so forth.
**In; P.2
*It is a [[w:Tomb|tomb]], most famous of the Mughals, whose empire flourished in India between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, enshrining the remains of the fifth emperor of the [[w:Mughal Dynasty|dynasty]], [[w:Shah Jahan|Shah Jehan| and those of his second wife [[w;Mumtaz Mahal|Mumtaz Mahal]]. She died before him and construction of the complex began immediately.
**In: p.3
*'''The [[building]]’s [[beauty is a [[metaphor]] for hers [Mumtaz Mahal] and is thus contemplated as feminine. It is builder's feeling for the woman interred within. What else but passion, they ask, could have inspired something so perfect?'''
**In: P.4
*The idea of Taj as an [[expression]] of [[love]] has made it a favorite [[destination]] for [[w:Honeymooners|honeymooners]]... observing the [[ritual]] of getting [[photograph]] taken while seated on a marble bench as a backdrop. Such [[images]] are so widely circulated that [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]] had to appear in this pose alone on a royal tour of India shortly before the break-up of her marriage with [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]], to convey to the [[world]] her [[sense]] of [[loneliness]] and [[loss]].
**The bench was a later addition, about 100 years ago, quoted in: p.4
*'''So grand a structure cannot be purely and simply a tomb.'''
**[[Wayne Begley]] commenting on the ideological agenda of Taj Mahal, quoted in: p.6
*As a [[symbol]] of [[love]] it does not quite work for her, since its overwhelming [[beauty]] demands a [[passive]] [[response]] that is irritating to the [[adventurous''.
**[[Ebba Koch]] in: p.6
*Its secondary career has been as a [[symbol]] of [[India]]. The prize piece of [[w:Indian heritage|Indian heritage]], it is seen to embody the country’s celebrated [[history]] and [[civilization]]...Elevated to the national symbol by outsiders, not until about 1900 was it accepted as such by [[Indians]].
**In: P.6
*Early [[Indian]] visitors to the Taj, who came either as [[pilgrims]] or [[sightseers]], were far outnumbered by those going elsewhere. And this continues. Today it is seen by two million Indians per year. The [[w:Tirupati temple|Tirupati temple]] in [[w:South India|southern India]], meanwhile welcomes nearly twelve million pilgrims per year. Yet it is the Taj that is recognized as the symbol of India.
**In: p.6
*'''The other seeming oddity of its role as a national symbol is that it has achieved this status for Indians in spite of it being Islamic.'''
**In: P.6
*The year 2005 was declared as the buildings 350th anniversary, and in September of that year, a crowd of people collectively offered at the building a [[w:Shawl|shawl]] measuring 100 m in length....as a standard [[gesture]] of congratulations meted out to persons but offering a shawl at a tomb is a [[religious]] [[rite]] in [[Islam]]. To avoid any misunderstanding the members of this crowd were at pains to point out that they represented many different religions and theirs was a ‘secular shawl’. Reverence for the Taj was thereby removed from any specifically ‘Islamic’ context and a common ownership was declared.
**In: P.7-8
*No one it seems is willing to play by the [[rules]]. The original builders overlooked [[orthodoxy]] ([[Islam]]ic), and modern devotees overlook unwanted [[historical]] associations, both in order to [[shape]] the Taj according to their own [[desire]]s.
**In: p.8
*One of the first to do [including Taj under the Seven Wonders of the world] so was the French physician [[w:François Bernier|François Bernier]], who was present in India at the time of its construction and averred: 'this monument deserves much more to be numbered among the wonders of the world than the [[w:Pyramids of Egypt|pyramids of Egypt]]’, which he described by comparison as ‘unshapen masses and heaps of stone’. The Taj has achieved inclusion among the [[w:New Seven Wonders of the World|New Seven Wonders of the World]], the subject of a worldwide popular internet vote organized by the Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber.
**In: P.11
*There was a major restoration programme initiated by [[w:Lord Curzon|Lord Curzon]]. His efforts at the Taj Mahal have had a mixed reception. They are often judged to be largely [[benign]], and they even received complimentary accolades from [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Post-colonial critics of the Raj have predictably been less willing to exonerate this exemplar of [[aristocracy]].
**In: p.14
*...how [[w:Mughal|Mughal]] is the name Taj Mahal anyway? It is usually said that the name derives from Mumtaz Mahal, the title given to the empress which means ‘select of the palace.’ There is room for doubt about this; ‘taj’ need not be abbreviation of ‘mumtaz’ since it is itself a perfectly good Persian word meaning ‘[[w:Crown|crown]]’. It is also worth noting that the building is not called Taj Mahal in the contemporary Mughal sources. [[w:Abdul Hamid Lahori|Abdul Hamid Lahauri]], the author of [[w:Padshahnama|Padshahnama]], the official [[history]] of Shah Jahan’s reign calls it ''rauza-i munawwara'', meaning the illumined or [[illustrious]] tomb (where ''rauza'' implies specifically a tomb in a [[garden]].
**In: P.14
[[File:Taj_Mahal_finial-1.jpg|right|thumb|...Crowning this dome of heavenly rank, the circumference of whose outer girth is 110 yards, there has been affixed a golden [[w:Filial|filial]] 11 yards high, glittering like the [[sun]], with its summit rising to a total height of 107 yards above the ground. - [[w:Abdul Hamid Lahauri Abdul Hamid Lahauri]].]]
*Above the inner domes, which is radiant like the [[hearts]] of [[angels]], has been raised another heaven-touching, [[w:Guava|guava]]-[[shape]]d [[w:Dome|dome]], to discover the minute [[mathematical]] degrees of which would confound even the [[celestial]] geometrician. Crowning this dome of heavenly rank, the circumference of whose outer girth is 110 yards, there has been affixed a golden [[w:Filial|filial]] 11 yards high, glittering like the [[sun]], with its summit rising to a total height of 107 yards above the ground.
**[[w:Abdul Hamid Lahauri|Abdul Hamid Lahauri]] in Padshanama quoted in: p.86
[[File:Taj_Mahal_8.jpg|right|thumb|At the corner of the white marble platform, which is 23 yards above the level of the ground, stand four [[w:Minarets|minarets]], also of marble, with interior staircases and capped by [[w:Cupola|cupola]]s, which are 7 cubits in diameter and rise to a total of 32 cubits from the pavement of the said platform to the filial, appearing as it were, like ladders reaching towards the [[heavens]]. - [[w:Abdul Hamid Lahauri Abdul Hamid Lahauri]].]]
*At the corner of the white marble platform, which is 23 yards above the level of the ground, stand four [[w:Minarets|minarets]], also of marble, with interior staircases and capped by [[w:Cupola|cupola]]s, which are 7 cubits in diameter and rise to a total of 32 cubits from the pavement of the said platform to the filial, appearing as it were, like ladders reaching towards the [[heavens]].
**[[w:Abdul Hamid Lahauri|Abdul Hamid Lahauri]] in Padshanama quoted in:p.86
*Its designers drew [[inspiration]] from three related [[tradition]]s: the [[architecture]] of the [[w:Mughals|Mughals]]' central Asian homeland; the buildings erected by earlier Muslim rulers of India, especially in the [[Delhi]] region; and the much older architectural expertise of India itself.
**In: p.46
*For a building that is supposedly a [[symbol]] of [[love]], it has generated a lot of [[anger]]. Or rather, some people have been angered by what others have said about it, and have felt called on to defend its [[w:Honour|honour]].
**In: p.85
==External links==
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