Where in the world are the Patnodes??: Built for love...

The Taj Mahal is the symbol of eternal love. The story is that this beautiful structure was built by one of the most powerful emperors in the history of India for the memory of his most beloved wife. Emperor Shahajehan had built many architectural marvels in his career, but Taj Mahal is the zenith. The world heritage site and the seventh architectural wonder of the world, Taj Mahal is different from the rest. The emperor loved his wife Mumtaz dearly. At the age of fifteen, the prince who would be called King of the World met a refined and highborn young girl at a bazaar within the walls of the royal palace in Agra. Court poets celebrated the girl's extraordinary beauty. "The moon," they said, "hid its face in shame before her." For both, it was love at first sight. Five years would pass before the auspicious day chosen for their wedding, and from that moment, they became inseparable companions. When in 1631, she died giving birth to their 14th child; Shahajehan lost the will to live. It was then he decided to build a mausoleum for his beloved which the world would remember. And indeed the Taj Mahal is mesmerizing!!!

The Mughals were not only all powerful, but seriously rich. Jahan had become Emperor on his father's death in 1627 and the list of his possessions is unbelievable in terms of gold, silver, and precious gems. It was an age of outrageous opulence, and a time when some of the world's largest and most precious gems were being mined from India's soil. The making of the Taj involved thousands of skilled workers brought from all parts of the Mughal Empire. The beautiful white marble that was mined and brought 200 miles from the west by a crew of 1,000 elephants is inset with intricately cut gemstones. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The construction took over 20,000 workers, 22 years to complete! By the time the work was done, Shah Jahan's eldest son, and heir to his throne, was already well into the planning stages of overthrowing his father's power. In 1658, his son declared himself Emporer and imprisoned him in a tower of the Agra Fort, where he spent his days peering across the river at his masterpiece Taj Mahal, where the tomb of his beloved wife lay. He spent 6 years, until his death, held at the Agra Fort. His tomb now lies beside his beloved Mumtaz, inside the walls of the Taj Mahal.

Knowing the history is such an important part of appreciating the beauty of the Taj Mahal. When Prince Charles and Princess Diana came to India in 1992, Prince Charles was too busy with "business" in Delhi (ahhh emm... Camilla Parker Bowles!!) to accompany the Princess on her Taj Mahal visit. This photograph speaks a thousand words about their dwindling relationship... as she sits, alone, at this grand monument, built for love.

AP Photo 1992

This bench is now known as the Lady Diana bench, and is the most popular "photo op" location at the Taj Mahal. We look pretty darn good on it, I think!