una historia de amor

TAJ MAHAL
You can read this amazing love story in spanish or in english down the following text

Agra, que fue la capital del Imperio Mogol desde el siglo XVI hasta principios del XVIII, es visitada por turistas de todas partes del mundo, no para ver las ruinas de sus fortalezas construidas por los emperadores mogoles sino para hacer una peregrinación al Taj Mahal, la maravilla arquitectónica mas famosa de la India.

Las fotografías no transmiten adecuadamente la leyenda, la poesía y el romance que amortaja lo que Rabindranath Tagore llamó "una lágrima en la mejilla del tiempo". Taj Mahal significa "Palacio de la Corona" y, de hecho, es la tumba mejor preservada del mundo y la más bella arquitéctonicamente. Como el poeta británico la describió "No una pieza de arquitectura, como lo son otros edificios, sino las orgullosas pasiones del amor de un emperador labradas en piedras vivientes." Es la celebración del amor.

El Taj Mahal está localizado a la orilla del Río Yamuna que, previamente, constituía un foso defensivo del Gran Fuerte Rojo de Agra, el centro de los emperadores mogoles hasta que mudaron su capital a Delhi en 1637. Fue construido por el quinto emperador mogol, Shah Jahan, en memoria de su segunda esposa Mumtaz Mahal, una princesa persa. Ella murió mientras acompañaba a su esposo en Burhanpur durante una campaña militar; murió luego de dar a luz a su 14vo. hijo.

La construcción del mausoleo empezó en 1631 y tardó 22 años en completarse, habiéndose empleado 22,000 trabajadores. Los materiales fueron traidos de todas partes de la India y del Asia Central y se necesitó una flota de 1,000 elefantes para transportarlos. Fue diseñado por el arquitecto iraní Istad Usa. Para apreciar mejor al Taj Mahal, es necesario ligar la arquitectura y sus adornos con la pasión que lo inspiraron; es un "símbolo de amor eterno".

Sobre una terraza de mármol blanco se levanta el famoso domo flanqueado por cuatro minaretes. Dentro del domo reposa el cenotafio de la reina, con joyas incrustadas. Tan exquisito es el trabajo que el Taj ha sido descrito como "diseñado por gigantes y terminado por joyeros". El único objeto asimétrico en el Taj es el féretro del emperador, vecino al de la reina, y que fue construido posteriormente. El emperador había sido depuesto por su hijo y duró ocho años prisionero en el Gran Fuerte Rojo, desde donde podía ver el Taj.



Lovers die, but love shall not and death shall have no dominion...
In the year 1607 when a prince of the royal Mughal household strolled down the Meena Bazaar, accompanied by a string of fawning courtiers, he caught a glimpse of a girl hawking silk and glass beads. Five years and a wife later (in those days princes did not marry for love alone) the regal 20-yr-old went to wed his 19-yr-old bride. It was a fairytale union from the start, one that withstood court intrigues, battles for succession and finally, the grand coronation. And when she died on the 19th year of their marriage, he etched her story in stone. The Taj Mahal is the living symbol of the monumental passion of Shah Jahan and Arjumand Banu. Which other love story has so grand a memorial?
Agra, The Chosen City for Taj Mahal
Agra was the chosen city of the Mughal emperors during the early years. It was here that the founder of the dynasty, Babur, laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of the River Yamuna. Here, Akbar, his grandson, raised the towering ramparts of the great Red Fort. Within its walls, Jehangir built rose-red palaces, courts and gardens. Shahjahan embellished it with marbled mosques, palaces and pavillions of gem-inlaid white marble. Agra is globally renown as the city of the Taj Mahal, a monument of love and imagination, that represents India to the world.
History of Taj Mahal India
The origin of the name the "Taj Mahal" is not clear. Court histories from Shah Jehan's reign only call it the rauza (tomb) of Mumtaz Mahal. It is generally believed that "Taj Mahal" (usually translated as either "Crown Palace" or "Crown of the Palace") is an abbreviated version of her name, Mumtaz Mahal (Exalted One of the Palace).
The Taj Mahal is a deserving resting palace for an Emperor's Empress. It stands on the banks of the river Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child.
MUMTAZ MAHAL - "Build me a Taj"
As Mumtaz Mahal lay dying, she asked four promises from the emperor: first, that he build the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. He kept the first and second promises. Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 22 years. Twenty thousand people were deployed to work on it. The principal architect was the Iranian architect Istad Usa; it is possible that the pietra dura work was coordinated by an Italian artist.
TAJ MAHAL - Wonder of the World
To people the world over, the Taj Mahal, mausoleum of Mughal Emperor shah Jana's chief wife, Mumtaz Mahal, is synonymous with India. Its curving, gently swelling dome and the square base upon which its rests so lightly is a familiar image from hundreds of brochures and travel books. The Taj is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular buildings of the world. Renowned for its architectural magnificence and aesthetic beauty, it counts among man's proudest creations and is invariably included in the list of the world's foremost wonders. As a tomb, it has no match upon earth, for mortal remains have never been housed in greater grandeur.