TAJ MAHAL

Agra, India

Shah Jahan was emperor of the Mughal empire during its period of greatest prosperity. In 1631, his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. The Shah was grief stricken. In her dying breath, Mumtaz had urged the Shah to build a mausoleum for her, more beautiful than any the world had seen before. The Shah granted his wife's wish. The construction of Taj Mahal began in 1632, the year after her death. Court records document Shah Jahan's grief and confirm the love story held as the inspiration for Taj Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The marble dome atop the tomb is the most spectacular feature. Its height and base diameter are both 115 feet The dome sits on a cylindrical drum 23 feet high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called an onion dome. The dome top is decorated with a lotus design, which serves to accentuate the height. The shape of the dome is framed by four smaller domed kiosks placed at its corners, which repeat the onion shape of the main dome. Their columned bases open through the roof of the tomb and provide light to the interior. Tall decorative spires extend from the corners of the platform walls, and provide visual emphasis to the height of the dome. The lotus motif is repeated on both the smaller domes and the spires. The dome and smaller domes are all topped by a gilded finial, which mixes traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements.

Following the 1998 Council on Legislation of Rotary in New Delhi, a group of participants took a tour to the Taj. The Taj was awesome, absolutely breathtaking. Equally remarkable was the fine detail of intricate vines and floral inlay patterns, handcut in the marble veneer. The Taj portrays the story behind its raison d’etre with precision. Rudyard Kipling said, “The Taj Mahal is the embodiment of all things pure. It is the sigh made in stone.”