The Taj Mahal

I remember visiting the Taj Mahal with my parents back in 1998 at the age of 12 in Agra, India. It is the kind of place which gave me the goosebumps and I still get goosebumps whenever I think of that experience. This is because the place and the architecture is like no other.

First of all it is the biggest and the most beautiful tombstone I have ever seen. Two, the mere symbolism of it – A great love story. It was built in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It eventually houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb made entirely out of ivory-white marble, is a complex of 17-hectare, which includes a mosque, a guest house, and a garden. The Taj Mahal is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which would be around 53 billion rupees (U.S. $830 million) in our times.

The architecture is not only majestic but the design is very intricate. It includes elaborate calligraphy and the insertion of precious gemstones. The place is peaceful despite of the presence of the millions of visitors. No wonder it is known to be one of the 7 wonders of the world.