Sarah+K

January 6th, 2009 The Taj Mahal My friends and I just came back from the Taj Mahal! After seeing all the amazing features in India the Taj mahal was the best experience yet! everything looked so delicate and so untouched (i felt like i was going to tip a vase over by just breathing!) Shah Jahan was the original builder of the Taj Mahal and is hopefully going to stay that way. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz had 14 children and married at 21 she died because of childbirth in 1630 her corps was carried by her husband to Agra and deposited near the Taj it remained there for 18 years until the Taj was completed. The white domed marble is its most familiar component but really the Taj Mahal was a complex of structures. The Taj Mahal started to be built around 1632 and was completed around 1653! The Taj Mahal became UNESCO world haritage site and was called "the jewel of muslim art in india" it was also one of the most admired masterpieces of the worlds heratige. Shah Jahan himself discribed the Taj Mahal in these words: Should guilty seek asylum here, Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin. Should a sinner make his way to this mansion, All his past sins are to be washed away. The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs; And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes. In this world this edifice has been made; To display thereby the creator's glory. Passing through the main gate was an impressive monument, i mean really 22 domes! its just a gate! i had asked how many workers had worked on the monument, and you would never guess exactly how many did, 20,000 workers and artisans labored for the perfection of the monumental building. the largest dome is the height of 200 feet! every dome suronding the largest dome are supporting one another, and ensuring not to fall to the ground during an earthquake or a flood! cool right? its very well protected as you can see, it is built so nothing bad could possibly happen to it! My friend stared breathlessly at the monument, her jaw hanging open. i wouldn't even bother i know she was shocked by the monumental beauty. i had to idmit i was too, i was surprised i could turn my face away from the enormouse building and look at my friend. i looked back, i had just noticed the fabulous cut trees and plants, they were surronding the throne of water that started from what looked like the entrance of the building and ended towards where my friend and i were standing (my friend and i were still in a trance.) i couldn't believe we were really here, at the Taj Mahal, surrounded by nothing but good things and my dreams. it was always my dream to go to India and see everything that i could possibly see, but i didn't know i'd actualy be here standing infront of the most beautiful thing anyone could ever imagine! We were amazed enough that we didn't even notice everyone taking pictures, we might as well take pictures also because then we can always look back at the Taj Mahal even when we're in Massachuchettes! I can't wait until i get to show everyone! Soon i do believe we will look back at the Taj Mahal and tons of other monuments and say "remember when we took that trip to the Taj Mahal? That was the most amazing and funfilled day i had had for a while!" I hope that when we do, it will still be standing the same way it was when we had been there, in 2009.
 * Fun Facts**
 * Before his accession to the throne, Shah Jahan was popularly known as Prince Khurram.
 * Shah Jahan fell in love with the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum and married her, making her his third wife.
 * Arjumand Bano Begum christened by Shah Jahan as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the "chosen one".
 * Shah Jahan lost Mumtaz Mahal when she got giving birth to their 14h child.
 * It is believed that in her last breath Mumtaz secured a promise from Shah Jahan that he would construct the most beautiful monument in the her memory.
 * For the transportation of the construction materials, more than 1,000 elephants were made use of.
 * As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to adorn the Taj with exquisite inlay work.