INDIA TOURS

Last month when I was on my tours of India I visited the one of the seven wonder of the world The Taj Mahal in Agra India is considered one of the best examples of Mughal architecture in India. The history of the Taj Mahal is one of the great love stories of the world.

The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan ruled from 1628 to 1658 and was married to Arjumand Bano Begum in 1612 A.D. He called his wife Mumtaz Mahal or Crown of the Palace, because she was so precious to him. Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan had 14 children and the queen accompanied Shah Jahan everywhere, even on military campaigns.

It was on one of these campaigns, in Burhanpur in central India, that Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, shortly after giving birth to her 14th child. Her dying wish to Shah Jahan was that he should "build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before." The history of the Taj Mahal begins with Mumtaz Mahal's tragic end.

Shah Jahan fulfilled her wish, creating the most beautiful mausoleum the world had ever seen. Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb. He spent the last years of his life under house arrest in the Agra Fort.

He used to spend his time looking across the Yamuna River at the beautiful tomb he had built for his beloved empress, waiting for the day they could be united again. After Shah Jahan's death in 1666 A.D., he too was laid to rest beside his beloved Mumtaz Mahal. Their real tombs are in a basement of the Taj Mahal.

The two ornately decorated tombs on the ground floor, sheltered by the dome of the Taj Mahal are part of the stylistic design of this beautiful monument in Agra India. The history of the Taj Mahal is the history of the steadfast love of a Mughal Emperor for his Queen.

It took 22 years for the Taj Mahal to be completed. A huge labor force of 20,000 workers led by Muhammed Hanif, the head of the masons and the Persian architect Ustad Isa or Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, were employed in its construction. Finished in 1648, the Taj Mahal cost the Mughal exchequer 32 million rupees.

The Taj Mahal has been described by the poet Sir Edwin Arnold, as “Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor's love wrought in living stones."
The aesthetic beauty of this beautiful mausoleum is enhanced by the romantic story that inspired its construction.

Tourists come from around the world come to Agra, to feel the aura of eternal love that surrounds the Taj Mahal. The history of the Taj Mahal is a love story that transcends time and continues to be retold each day to the tourists who visit the Taj Mahal in Agra India.

After visiting the Taj I went to visit The Agra fort. Agra Fort is situated on a bank of the River Yamuna in Agra. It was built during the years 1565 and 1574 by the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great. Later, his grandson, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, added to the palaces and structures within the fort.

The Agra Fort has a mighty wall made of red sandstone, which runs for 2 1/2 Kilometers around the perimeter of the fort. The main entrance to the is through a grand gateway called the Delhi Gate, which is decorated with inlay work in white marble. The Agra Fort Agra Fort is partially occupied by the Indian Army and sections of the fort are restricted for tourists. There is another entrance through which tourists can enter; this is called the Amar Singh Gate.

After entering the Agra Fort, I was find myself in the grand courtyard. The Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience and Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience are located within the fort and contain examples of exquisite Mughal carvings on their many pillars.

There are grand palaces, such as the Khas Mahal and the Shish Mahal, within the Agra Fort. The rooms in the palaces within the Agra Fort were kept cool by an ingenious system of water channels that ran through all the rooms keeping them cool as the water evaporated. The high ceilings and marble latticed screens also provided natural cooling and blocked out the intense rays of the sun.

The mosques, Nagina Masjid and Mina Masjid, within the Agra Fort, were used by the royal family and the Mughal courtiers for prayer services and the Mina Bazar was a small market where the ladies of the Zenana could shop for perfumes, clothes, cosmetics, and jewellery.

The Agra Fort is situated at a short distance from the Taj Mahal, less than 2 Kilometers away. Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb, when he took over the Mughal throne.

Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life in the Agra Fort, where he is said to passed his days looking from the balcony of the Mussaman Burj, a tower in the Agra Fort, towards the Taj Mahal, where his beloved consort Mumtaz Mahal was buried. You can see the view of the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort, on your tours to Agra India.

My India tours were fantastic tour. Memories of India tours are till fresh in my mind.