The Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1631 by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, as a mausoleum (tomb) for one of his wife – Mumtaz Mahal. It was completed in 1643 and is a shining example of classic Mughal architecture. Mumtaz was Shah Jahan’s third and favourite wife and their love story is legendary. It is generally believed that she was a beautiful and devoted wife who was content to have lots of children with her husband – she died giving birth to their 14th child !
Like – maybe almost every traveler, visiting the Taj Mahal has long been on my bucket list. So when I was preparing the itinerary for our India trip last year, I made sure to include the Taj on the itinerary, in fact it was the first stop in our tip.
Is Taj Mahal worth visiting ? Absolutely yes, every bit of it. Taj Mahal is a touristic place, we can’t deny it. Every year, it would attracts 7 to 8 million visitors annually, yes it can be very crowded. It is one of the most-admired seven wonders in the world.
The best time to travel Agra for Taj Mahal tour is from October to December and from February to March. While we were visiting Agra in January, the peak of winter season in India, it was very cold in the morning but we had pleasant weather during the day, and lucky us it was not too crowded.
We flew in India via Jaipur and directly went to Agra because we wanted to visit the Taj during sunrise. It is well known that the best time of the day to visit Taj Mahal is during sunrise, when the building looks like a blooming flower and the sun turn it into pink color. I just can’t imagine it, it must be very beautiful.
As I approached the gate I was so nervous, I can’t wait to see the Taj. We walked quickly and when I finally in, I was amazed. It’s so magical, I was left speechless. We entered the Taj from Royal Gate and experiencing the special optical illusion of the Taj. As I walked towards the gate I could see the monument appears walking away but suddenly the Taj is there, it was so beautiful.
The exquisite marble structure is a mausoleum build by The Mughals. The Moslem empire were at the peak of their power and wealth during Shah Jahan’s reign, and India’s rich lode of precious gems yielded him much wealth and power. It is said that 20,000 stone carvers, masons, and artists from across India and as far as Turkey and Iraq were employed under a team of architects to build the Taj Mahal in the lush gardens on the banks of Agra’s Jamuna River. They completed the epic task between 1631 and 1648.
The Taj Mahal is well know as monument of love, but I found interesting fact in one of BCC article, the plot twist that actually the Taj was built out of guilt. The article was written based on the 1970’s play of the Tale of the Taj by Dilip Hiro, a London-based author.
It is generally believed that Mumtaz-Shah Jahan’s third wife and his favourite was beautiful and devoted wife. She died giving birth to their 14th child after prolonged labour. But actually there was another side that’s not well known, apparently Mumtaz was not at all the beautiful-dutiful wife.
“Mumtaz wielded considerable political power and influence and there are plenty of historical documents confirming her involvement in administrative matters and government orders,” Delhi University professor Farhat Hasan says.
It is an interesting fact, considering the women in that era were known uneducated, even they were practicing purdah system which women are secluded from the public, women should not be seen by strangers or appear in any public area.
But apparently Mumtaz plays a crucial role in the empire, she was a guide and adviser to her husband too. The play’s great surprise centres on a high-stakes game of chess played one evening, when a pregnant Mumtaz nudges the emperor to bet his throne. When he loses the game she ascends the throne, giving free rein to her ruthlessness and ambition. The emperor then realizes that his beloved queen must be stopped. A tussle over the royal seal ends with her fall from the throne, and soon Mumtaz dies in childbirth. But was it a mere accident or was she pushed?
There is no suggestion in history that she could have been murdered. I could only see the declaration of love here, true love and passion of Shah Jahan to his beloved wife.
Featured image : the view of Taj Mahal from Royal Gate – first breath taking glimpse
true love and passion – bisa jadi judul drama korea nih, May, hehehe…
Bagus banget ya pasti Taj Mahal.. kebayang merinding ngeliatin detail-detailnya dengan mata kepala sendiri. Aku sendiri kalau lagi masuk istana atau kastil atau yang kayak gitu-gitu emang suka bayangin dulu kehidupan orang-orangnya gimana, ada skandal apa… kebayang pasti nggak sesimpel kehidupan aku yang cuma emak-emak biasa doang kekekekek… Yah, we’ll never know the true reason the Taj was built. But it is indeed magical monument for the mankind.
Super writing, May!
Atau jadi film Bollywood 🙂
Sama Dea, aku suka pergi kastil2 gitu juga, dulu sempat mampir Versailles, itu betah banget deh. Duduk-duduk di taman sambil menghayal kehidupan jaman dulu.
Susah ya jadi putri-putri, harus dandan cantik tiap hari haha
Taj ni memang cantik banget, seriusan ngga nyangka, India bisa buat sebagus ini, kalau liat image India sekarnag. Padahal kebudayaan dan teknologi India dulu sangat maju.
Thanks dah mampir ya Dea
Sebuah pengetahuan baru buat saya. Saya juga dulu mengiranya Shah Jahan membangun Taj Mahal atas nama cinta. Tapi ternyata bisa jadi ada niatan lain di baliknya. Thanks untuk tulisannya, Teh May! 🙂
Halo Hicha, makasih dah mampir. Seru memang cerita Shah Jahan ini, playboy di jamannya. Abis dari Taj Mahal ini kita pergi ke Agra Fort yang dulu bekas istananya Shah Jahan. Disana ada lho satu jendela khusus yang memang dibangun Shah Jahan biar bisa ngeliat Taj Mahal, saking cintanya sama istri.
Serius ada kemungkinan plot twist seperti itu May? Tapi jadi fakta yang menarik untuk diketahui sih. Ah…baca tulisan May bikin aku pengen ke situ juga. Padahal sebenarnya rada takut kalau traveling ke India yang katanya serem.
Iya Teh Shanty, ini aku nemu juga sumber lainnya, jadi ternyata Mumtaz-istri Shah Jahan terkenal pinter katanya
India seru seru serem memang he he, tapi dua kali kesana alhamdulillah ga ada bad experience
I immediately decide it is a guilt just right after I read your tittle ☺
Gara-gara ensiklopedia jaman kecil, di situ diceritakan Shah Jahan lebih ke sedih saat bangun Taj Majal. Maybe it was love actually but driven by guilt and sadness (bangun teori sendiri wkwk)
Anyway all the pictures here are so breath taking. I can’t imagine my self not to admire by the magical archi and ambience of The Taj.
Can’t wait to read your next travel story 😇
Hehe, boleh jadi Teh, tapi yang pasti Shah Jahan memang sedih banget katanya.
Taj Mahal memang cantik banget, betah banget di sana 🙂
Aku ternyata nggak pernah tau cerita tentang Taj Mahal ini kecuali dibangun untuk istrinya. Tapi kok aku jadi ingat candi prambanan ya, tiap bangunan kuno kayaknya punya kisah menarik dibaliknya. Tentang plot twistnya gimana kalau itu cuma teori konspirasi semata?
Ah tapi, jangankan di masa lalu, di masa skrg aja kalau punya istri lebih dari 1 akan ada lah kemungkinan gontok2an diantara istri-istri. Dan semua cerita kerajaan akan ada cerita politiknya antara sesama anggota istana.. makanya aku kdg2 ga demen cerita sejarah hehehe…
Bisa jadi Risna, sampai sekarang ngga ada buktinya. Oh iya, istri Shah Jahan ini ada 14 lho haha, banyak banget ya. Dan keluarga raja-rajanya memang agak bermasalah, rebutan kekuasaan.
Mirip mirip kaya Ken Arok Ken Dedes kan
Aku malah suka sejarah hehe, karena suka ngayal 🙂
Huaaaaa…. Jadi tahu ceritanya Taj Mahal yang juga salah satu bucket list aku. Thanks yaaa… Baca plot twist-nya jadi ngebayangin kehidupan di sana. Istrinya sebanyak itu ada drama tiap hari gak ya? hahaha…
harusnya sih ada ya Aily, 14 gitu lho, aku juga ga kebayang gimana Shah Jahan bersama para istrinya haha.