Trifter

 Just gazing at this monument you can feel the love, the pain and loneliness this great emperor felt after the death of his beloved. This beautiful masterpiece stands apart from the noise and chaos of Agra, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India.

This monument was constructed in memory of Mumtaz Mahal wife of Mogul emperor Shahjahan. She died giving birth to their fourteenth child. The inconsolable emperor decided to create a memorial for his beloved, one that will be admired by all for generations to come. In the midst of a serene and beautiful garden rests this marble wonder. Rubies, amethysts, garnets and onyx line the marble interior creating a feeling beauty and grandeur.

The construction for this mausoleum started in 1631 and it took over 20 000 laborers almost 20 years to complete. Legend has it that the chief architect had his hands cut off so that he that he would not be able to re-create the Taj Mahal elsewhere.

For beautiful pictures of the Taj Mahal see these sites:

• http://www.bollyn.com/public/Taj_Mahal_in_Sunset.jpg
• http://www.nickduckett.com/wonders/taj_mahal.jpg
• http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/POD/v/vimy-over-taj-mahal-500031-sw.jpg