It is perhaps the greatest single building on earth designed to house human remains; how it competes with the pyramids, or with the tomb of the Qin Dynasty emperor, Qin Shi Huang, and his terra cotta warriors in Xi'an, China, I'll leave to you, the reader. But while those structures were built to memorialize pride or strength, the Taj Mahal symbolizes love and romance. That gives it a special place for many people...
As with much of history, though, a closer examination brings up elements which cloud the picture and take away some of the mystique. While the Empress buried in the Taj Mahal was indeed Shah Jehan's much beloved wife, she was his second wife -- and the first wife was still around. Islam, you will recall, allows for as many as four wives. And though the Empress did die in childbirth, it was the 14th child she'd given to the Shah. And while Shah Jehan built this beautiful structure for the earthly remians of his (second) wife, he also had himself buried there some decades later.
The Taj Mahal is located in the city of Agra, about 25 miles from the Indian capital of Delhi. The tomb is surrounded by an encolsed garden with reflective pools. There are mosques on the property and the 25 meter dome of the tomb is spectacular, both inside and out. The truth, though, is that words cannot adequately describe the Taj Mahal. And while pictures over the Internet may not do it justice either, they come closer.
Taj-Mahal.Net offers an excellent interactive Flash presentation of the Taj Mahal, with a map of the complex and panoramic photos of both the grounds and the interior of the buildings. The site is available in English, French and Japanese.
You would be impressed by the details which can be provided on the construction of the Taj Mahal -- how white marble was hauled across half of India from quarries in Rajasthan, or how the structure took 22 years to build. But the pictures do more than words.
Shah Jehan was eventually buried in the Taj Mahal as well -- beside his second wife, the one he loved...