.................TAJ MAHAL.................
Taj, the eighth wonder of the world, the ever living creation of man stands on the bank of the Yamuna river near Agra. It is a symbol of love of a king Shahjahan for his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal.
We had a group visiting for this memorable monument by Mughal emperor. The visit was organized by the History professor, who organized the tour for a spot study. We were more than thirty students. We travelled from Delhi to Agra by bus. The journey started early in the morning and we started at 9.00 am and we were there by 12.30. We fixed up our luggage in student hostel and proceeded towards the destination. Taj, the greatest and finish carved piece of the Mughal period was there for our objective tour.
We entered through the main gates after crossing a long queue. We were moving on the red tiled passages of the building. Taj is surrounded by water sprayers Garden and the encircled arena. It has four miners in white marble and then a tomb in the centre. All walls of the building are engraved in colors and lustrous stones. The marble virtually changes colors when the light falls on it. Some guides state that the building was a piece of architecture by Shuraji, the Persian architect. It is further said that he too was there after losing his beloved and had and a cherished desire to make such memorable building.
Millions of tourists come to see the unique piece from far off places. This is a rare depiction which has the graves of Begum and family in the depth of it. Shahajahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in Red Fort in the last part of his reign. He used to see the Taj through a glass piece in the hole in wall. Shahajahan lost his three sons Dara, Shuja and Murad at the hands of Aurangzeb in the struggle to capture the seal of Mughal kingdom.
Taj has lost its glamour when most of the pearls fixed in walls were removed by the next rulers in the country. Although a considerable amount is provided for maintenance and upkeep even then the environmental pollution is badly affecting the building. The color of the marble is changing briskly and a noticeable deterioration is appearing. Taj has the craziest attraction on a moon – lit night. It has a very beautiful shining effect in moon light.
Visitors are always keen to take photographs of the building. Many Indian visitors try to create some nuisance on the historical buildings. This should be avoided. Taj is a monument for which India can be proud of. Let us keep this precious place neat and clean so that visitors carry good opinion about it.
With a feeling of contentment, we folded our materials and packed for our return journey. Taj, the great spot of History, was telling in our minds.
