Andrew and I took a day off to go to the Taj Mahal which was 3 hours from Delhi. I'm going to tell the story of the Taj Mahal as I remember it so it's possible some of the facts are a little off but the basics are there.
Emperor Shah Jahann who was considered to be one of the greatest Mongol rulers had what would be considered a very progressive wife. She did a lot of work with orphans and children at that time and was also considered to be of great beauty. She became ill and on her death bed asked Shah Jahann to never marry again and to create something that he would always remember her by. While this day in age, you might have a guy plant you a tree or maybe a nice garden- old Jahann- well he apparently shut himself up for months distraught over the death of his wife, until he was reminded by a friend of the promise he gave his wife... and thus, decided to build the Taj Mahal.
The architect felt that something so beautiful should be seen gradually, not all at once, so that the view would appreciate the magnitude and beauty. The first part, seen here is the outside entrance. The type that surrounds the doorway is done in a way that the characters on the top are actually larger than the size of the character on the bottom so that optically, the characters look uniform.
This is the gateway to the Taj Mahal, when you look through the arch, at center, everything lines up.
And lastly, the final reveal, where you seen the entire structure. I must admit, I was shaken when i saw the whole thing. It gleams, it's the most beautiful monument i've ever seen. When the weather is nice and there is a full moon, the area stays open late so that you can see the reflection of the moon on the white marble. Our tour guide, who has been a guide for 4 years at the Taj Mahal on a daily basis still even pauses to say "it's like nothing you've ever seen".
Here is Andrew (we were feeling VERY touristy) is sitting on what is now knows as the Princess Diana bench. She had some very famous photos taken here.
So while this story is very romantic to this point, it takes a tragic turn- Jahann fell ill later in his later in his life. Thinking that he would die soon, his 4 sons starting fighting over who would take the throne. Finally, one son decided to overthrow his father become emperor. He locked his father in this tower in nearby Agra Fort.
The view out of Jahanns window was only that of his beloved Taj Mahal. He spent his last 8 years here, and when he was too weak to go to the window anymore, he had a mirror installed so he could gaze on the reflection.
