THE TAJ MAHAL and OTHER MONUMENTS..

The Mughal emperor ShahJahan had this Monument Made in Memory of his lovely wife Mumtaz Mahal.
THE TAJ MAHAL, designed and constructed by Ustaad Ahmed Lahauri in 1653, is a Majestic Marvel of Man-Made architecture and stands Mute testimony to the Mighty emperor’s love and devotion for his beautiful wife.

Oh! We Must not miss Mentioning that we are playing ABC WEDNESDAY with Denise and her Marvellous team.
This week’s letter is M and we are Mulling over our favourite Monuments.
If you Mean to Meet More ‘M’s, you Might as well click HERE
 

The Taj Mahal in Agra, on the banks of the river Yamuna, is considered the Most recognised Monument in the world and was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1983.
It is not possible to go into all the Minute details of this Majestic Mausoleum in just one post but if you are interested, you Might want to click Here to know more.
The pictures we have borrowed from Mummy’s album today will, we hope, Manage to interest you.
 

(Darwaza-i rauza - The Great Gateway to the Taj and the Mughal Garden)

 

(Part of the Garden)

 

(The Taj Mosque)

 

(Daddy insisted on this backdrop for his portrait!)

 

(Please ‘bigify’ to read inscription)

 

 

(The Jamat-Khana)

 

(A few different angles)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Daddy with his friend’s son)

(Aah Haa ha..!)

(One of the Minarets)

(A Squirrel in the Mughal Garden!!!

Oh! How lucky! They won’t let US in, can you believe that??)

(What a backyard! It overlooks the river Yamuna)

(Can you feel the breeze?….!!)

 Our Second Monument of interest today is The Agra Fort.

Considered the Most important fort in the country, it was the Mainstay of Mughal rule in India. All the Major Mughal emperors stayed here, many were born and crowned here and almost all governed the country from this fort.

Located about 2.5 km north-west of the Taj Mahal, this illustrious fort has been witness to many important events in history.
Most Mentionable of all is the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 also called the First Indian struggle for Independence. This Mutiny against the East India Company lead to direct century long British rule in India.
 
The Agra Fort is actually a walled city which houses a number of magnificent structures and constructions inside its walls.
Emperor ShahJahan, during the final years of his life was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb and kept captive in the Agra Fort.
Many believe that the Emperor spent the last seven years of his life and died in the Muasamman Burj, a beautiful Marble tower inside the fort, with a view of the Taj Mahal.
 

 
 

 (Do you see the Taj at a distance? How poignantly romantic, don’t you think?)

 

(The balcony, with the Taj at a distance)

 

 

 

(Just Breathtaking!)

 

The Diwan-e-aam or Hall of Public Audience was used to seat common subjects and to resolve their grievances and petitions.

 
The Jahangiri Mahal, constructed by the Greatest of all Mughal Emperors, Akbar for his son Jahangir.

 
The Khas Mahal is a Marvelous Marble Palace, an exquisite example of painting in Marble.

 

 

The Sheesh Mahal or The Mirror Palace which served as the queen’s dressing room. It has extensive mirror work and embellishments on its walls that are a treat to view.
 

(Please excuse the blurry image. The photograph was taken through a glass window as the Mahal was closed for maintenance work during Mummy’s visit).
 
Phew! Wasn’t that a Massively lengthy post?
We wanted to talk about a couple of more monuments but decided it would be too taxing to try and fit those into one post. Maybe soon, Mummy will manage to find some time to help us again.
Thank You very Much for staying with us till the end, Mon Ami…
Wags,
,