Power of Love

`First impression: The Taj Mahal is like a wall painting hanging on the canvass of the vast blue open sky.' - Hector Dsouza

`Every writer sets out with the admission that the Taj Mahal is indescribable, & then proceeds to give some idea about it.' Edward VII (1875-76)

`Where in the world would you pause time,' is the line of a famous international airline operating out of India. It shows an elephant swimming underwater most probably in the Andaman Islands & the diver observing this, being shell-shocked & spell bound. A similar feeling can be sensed when having the first glimpse of the Taj Mahal at Agra, personally I feel the advertisement should have had the image of the Taj Mahal & the visitors, all caught in one frame! Anyways, there is always a next time.

The suspense & expectancy outside the Taj Mahal Complex is unmistakable as visitors make their way from the ticket counter, past security guards, a vast sprawling rectangular garden before entering the main archway from the Southern End. There is the hurried step, a great sense of eagerness & restlessness, few stop & take pictures of the red sandstone main doorway etched with marble floral carvings, glistening in the morning sun.

The first sighting of the enchanting building takes place after crossing the archway & stepping on the viewing gallery; several visits later I can vouch every admirer standing at the doorway, suddenly turns silent trying to absorb the magnitude of the occasion on her/his first sighting. Many reach out for their cameras, others try to capture themselves in the frame with the Taj in the background, while guides choose to remain silent for these special moments. It was no different with our group. What makes the first glimpse of the iconic Taj so special? So many answers reach out at once; the humungous size, near perfect merger of the mausoleum brilliantly `clothed' in white with the wide blue open sky, the unparalleled symmetry & blending of the buildings & the Mughal Garden inside the complex, the mellifluous sound of water flowing , & finally, a total sense of disbelief that something so alluring ever exists. We arrived!

Like the rest, we too were on the viewing platform gazing at the stunning monument situated not more than 400 meters away. We went back in time, to the era of the fourth great Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan (17th century), as we let our guide, Rashid* do the talking & unravel the mystery. He spoke fluent English & had a slight accent. `There were great Mughal Emperors like Akbar & Humayun & then there was Shah Jehan - a romanticist, idealist, perfectionist & an amazing executioner of ideas. Some of his greatest accomplishments were the completion of the Red Fort (Delhi), the Agra Fort, Jama Masjid in Delhi, Jama Mosque at Agra & the Moti Masjid at Agra Fort. The piece-de-resistance was off course, the Taj Mahal - a memorial built to commemorate love.'

Rashid continued. `In true tradition of Rulers of those times, it was common to have more than one wife. The same was the case with Shah Jehan, his favorite wife was Arjumand Bano, who later came to be known as Mumtaz Mahal. A stunner in terms of physical beauty, she was also a powerful woman as she happened to be the niece of Nur Jehan, the wife of Emperor Jehangir. That she wielded tremendous power was known to all, besides their all encompassing love for each other made them the darling of the masses. She accompanied the Emperor on trips & expeditions & bore him thirteen children. Unfortunately, Arjumand passed away at the young age of 38 while delivering her 13th child in the year 1622.'

The Emperor was distraught & inconsolable for some time after which he set himself the task of building a garden tomb on the banks of the River Yamuna in the city of Agra in 1623. Put simply he wanted it to be the best symbol of his expression of love. Under the watchful eyes of accomplished architects 20,000 workers set about the task building it brick-by-brick. Set in a rectangular area measuring 32 hectares, with the River Yamuna flowing at the northern end, building this impeccable monument with a towering dome, four tapering minarets, a brilliantly carved building containing the tomb posed many insurmountable & technical challenges.

Some thoughts crossed my mind as I gently inquired with Rashid, `how for instance would the flowing waters of the river not penetrate the mausoleum? How could a monument be built in shimmering white marble & yet have the tenacity to withstand natural causes of decay & destruction? How would the Emperor turn it into a priceless work of art? Remember the Emperor was a perfectionist & a precise planner.' Rashid had this information on the back of his fingertips. He replied, `firstly, the foundation was laid on a bed of wooden sleepers & with some complicated engineering skills ensured the flowing river water into the complex would not cause too much damage to the foundation; above this a plinth was built & raised to a height of eight meters. It was upon this rectangular terrace measuring about 15,000 square meters that the Taj Mahal was built. Marble from Makrana in Rajasthan was laid on oven -heated bricks, ensuring the inner strength remains intact, while maintaining outward beauty of the white marble on the complete monument including the flooring. The ultimate was the inlay of semi precious stones in floral designs on the exterior marble walls, located at eye level , copied from a European style called `Pietra Durra.'

Rashid was also our Dr. Fixit as he negotiated a deal with photographers to make professional print pictures of our group. By standing at strategic locations on the gallery, near perfect pictures of the group & other tourists were made. When the prints arrived later that afternoon, all of us were delighted we made the decision to make professional prints, instead of relying on our cell phone cameras. Two such prints lie framed in my office, bringing back special memories of a spectacular morning at Agra, to this day.

We ambled past the Moghul Gardens built in the Charbagh style (four squares), a feast for the eyes, as were the water channels running across from the entrance to the plinth of the mausoleum. Bisecting the gardens at right angles, the reflection of the Taj Mahal could be seen in these translucent water drains. Midway at the marble platform, we made our pit stop like the rest of the other visitors for yet another splendid picture of the Taj basking in the soft morning light. White marble (best reflector of light) & sunlight; what a delightful partnership! This is what we noticed at dawn the eastern side wore a crimson look, an hour later the dome was awash in color, an hour later the monument was consumed in light, a bright yellow cast. (At sunset...I won't reveal the secret!) `Magical' were the words that came to mind.

And intrigued by the fact that unlike most other Moghul tombs, Shah Jehan didn't place the Taj at the center of the gardens, instead he chose to build it at the Northern extreme end of the complex to where we headed. I turned around and inquired with my guide, about the reason for this. My guide somberly replied, `there are a number of explanations but the one that is often considered is that the Emperor wanted to build a memorial for himself that would be made up of Black Marble instead of white. This monument was supposedly to be located on the other side of the river bank, diagonally opposite the Taj Mahal & today known as Mehtab Bagh. A bridge would connect the two memorials'. Rashid then paused & spoke in a whisper, `it was not to be as he was taken into custody & put under house arrest by his son - Emperor Aurangzeb, who disapproved his outlandish behavior & expensive tastes. Had the Black Taj been built, the mausoleum you now see, would have been equidistant from all ends & at the center of the complex, so typical of Mughal Architecture. Alas! Shah Jehan's last wish couldn't be fulfilled though his remains are laid in a separate tomb next to Mumtaz Mahal'. We sighed. I felt a lump in my throat.

As we neared the plinth upon which the monument was built, the time for putting on our shoe covers had arrived. Rashid arranged for these covers. A life-long wish for many was fulfilled as we made our around this stunning `jewel of art,' shimmering at its very best. We admired the fine calligraphy with verses from Quran etched at doorway entrances, and craned our eyes to examine the degree of tilt of the four tapering minarets that stood at the four ends of the platform. Rashid explained the minarets were built in a sloping outward fashion for a reason, in the event of an earthquake or a calamity, these minarets would fall outside and not on the memorial. The Emperor thought of everything, I concluded. Moving ahead, Rashid pointed to the red sandstone buildings on either end of the Taj, saying `the building facing the West towards Mecca is a mosque where Muslim followers keeping the faith assemble every Friday for their `namaaz' - prayers. The Emperor too prayed here. The building at the eastern end was made only to maintain the symmetry & balance, & was used an assembly hall.'

Taking us around the main structure in a clockwise direction, Rashid pointed out the exactness & symmetry with which the structure was erected. The roof consists of a main towering dome, below lies the octagon shaped monument with alternating large sides & smaller sides. Each large side, Rashid went on to explain had an ornamental doorway & faced the faced the cardinal directions of east, west, north & south. Each side has a different set of floral carvings, Quranic inscriptions & decorations.' Perhaps the finest finding of our tour was when Rashid asked us to look at work of calligraphy that stretched from the bottom to the dome. On closer examination the inscription was larger at the top & narrower at the bottom, Rashid went on to explain that in order to avoid optical illusion, the size of the letters were changed. Therein lies the beauty of the Taj - symmetrical, yet different; a feast for the eyes, yet scientifically executed, ' he concluded as he guided us past the southern doorway into the main shrine of the building where the tombs of Mumtaz & the Emperor lay.

The noise reached a crescendo inside the octagonal shaped hall, as we joined a procession of followers to view the two main tombs. An octagon shaped marble screen was built around the cenotaphs, thereby ensuring privacy as well as sufficient light on the tombs. What caught our eye were floral carvings made from semi -precious stone - jade, coral, lapus lazuli & created in the pietra durra style, made famous by Italian craftsmen. Rashid pointed out the floral carvings & mentioned the intricate inlay work on a flower would contain a number of different precious stones.

Lying next to each at the center of the hall, are the (look alike) tombs of Begum Mumtaz Mahal & Emperor Shah Jehan. The original tombs are kept on the lower floor where no visitors are allowed. What distinguished the tombs from one another was the pen stand on top of one; this was the tomb of the Emperor. In the center lay the tomb of Lady Love. The only give-away in the symmetrical monument is the tomb of Shah Jehan, placed at an awkward distance from the next cenotaph. Remember he planned a separate memorial for himself! Yet, it would have been a travesty of injustice had the Emperor's tomb not been placed next to that of Arjamund Bano. We paused to pay our last respects to both.

Time has lapsed, the bodies have disintegrated into dust, yet, this `words beyond description,' breath taking mausoleum remains. `Where in the world would you pause time now'? I have found my place!!! And it's not too far from where I reside!

• Hector Dsouza

*Rashid - one name given to several guides I've had on my many visits to the Taj.