A visit to some historical monument is a fascinating adventure. Last winter I happened to visit the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal, according to a thinker, “is a drop of love on the rosy cheeks of time”. Tagore called it, “A dream in marble”.
As soon as I reached Agra, I rushed to the Taj Mahal. This majestic piece of art and architecture was built by Shah Jahan, the famous Mughal Emperor, in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
As one enters the premises of this building, one is greeted by the sky-high cypress trees that stand on both sides of the main path. The path leads to the main mausoleum. The main building stands on a platform. On the four corners of the platform are four towers acting like four sentinels of this central crown of glory. At the back of Taj runs the sacred river Yamuna. The reflection of the Taj Mahal in the still waters of Yamuna on a moonlit night is an exquisite sight. Almost all the foreign visitors visit this monumental structure.
Inside the tomb is the grave of Shah Jahan’s wife. It is said that crores of rupees were spent and many labourers were employed to construct this tombstone. The Taj Mahal took 31 years to complete. The entire building which is made up of white marble, shines like a dream on a moonlit night.
Throughout all these centuries, the Taj Mahal has withstood all the vagaries of time and weather but still it has preserved its ancient glory and splendour. In the year 2007, the Taj Mahal was ranked first among the New Seven Wonders of the World. I visited each and every part of this superb piece of art and was deeply delighted to see it as a piece of profound work.
Vocabulary
Exquisite—extremely beautiful
Sentinels—guards
