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<h3>Indian Monuments</h3></font>
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                        India is renowned throught the world for exquisite architectual beauty and heritage. There are a large no. of Monuments in the country, which showcase not only its architectural legacy, but also its history and culture. All the monuments in india have an aura of mystery, in trigue and romance, surrounding them. Right from forts to places to momorials to tombs to temples to churches, the country has it all.<br>
                        India has monuments bellonging to each & every religion- Hindu, Islam, Sikhim, Christinity & Jewish. Each monuments has some story or legend attached to it which makes it much more attractive to the visitors. Infact, Indian monuments reflects the countris rich & glorious past. the monuments of india cutting across all edges, takes us to myriad cultures, traditions and way of life. Anyone coming to india on a vacation must make sure to visit us its famous monuments. The first Monuments is Taj Mahal the brief history is given below.
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<h4>Taj Mahal:</h4><br>
<img src="Taj Mahal800.jpg" width="300" length="300" align="left"> First of all I can discuss the Taj Mahal. Experiencing the Taj Mahal without being recognizant of its history is grossly irrelevant and absurd. The extravagant expression has not come easy. There underlays an ocean of emotions and a wild passion that led the king to erect such a masterpiece in snow-white marble. It's a monument, the only one, where perhaps, ever inch of the edifice, from one corner to the other, expresses the beauty of Mumtaz Mahal. Mughal emperor's Shah Jahan's intense feelings and warmheartedness can be felt at the very first instant as you arrive here to fix your gaze upon one of the most phenomenal structures in the world. History of Taj mahal
The splendid love story begins in 1612, when a Persian princess Arjumand Bano married Shah Jahan (then prince Khurram), the fifth Mughal emperor. Arjumand Bano, who later became known as Mumtaz Mahal (the Chosen of the Palace), was a second wife to the emperor. Both a companion and an advisor, the queen followed the emperor on his journeys and military expeditions. Such was the effect of the queen on his emperor-husband that Shah Jahan was inspired to perform acts of charity and benevolence all throughout his life.
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    The love story took a serious turn when, on a campaign at Burhanpur with her husband, Mumtaz Mahal took his last breath giving birth to their 14th child. So heartbroken was the emperor that the whole court went into mourning for a span of over two years. It is said that, within a few months after the queen's death, the hair and beard of the king had turned white. And Shah Jahan was recklessly determined on building a monument in his consort's loving memory that the world had never seen.
<img src="Copy of Wonderful ta.jpg" width="300" length="300" align="right">
The dead body of the queen was brought to Agra and buried in a garden on the banks of river Yamuna. A group of the finest architects was assembled to devise a plan for erecting the tomb. Eventually, Ustad Isa, a Persian architect, was called upon to design the structure. The master architect along with his pupil Ustad Ahmad began the construction of the edifice. The dome, however, was fashioned by Ismail Khan. A total of 20,000 labourers from across the country and the world were employed to work for 22 years continuously. Finest of the marbles were procured from the district of Markana near Jodhpur. Precious and semi precious stones were brought from far off places.
Later, the mausoleum was provided with luxuriant furnishings. Persian carpets and gold lamps embellished the interior of the Taj. Two silver gates, that were set up at the entrance, were taken away by Suraj Mal in 1764. Amir Husein Ali Khan looted the sheet of pearls that covered the stone coffins.
It is said, that after the completion of the construction, when emperor Shah Jahan viewed the Taj, he ordered his men to cut off the right hand of the master architect Ustad Isa, so the later may not be able to erect such a stately and imposing edifice again in his life. There's another legend that says Shah Jahan was contemplating to build yet another Taj Mahal across the river in black marble.
Now, it's up to you how many more legends you can make yourself aware of while on a trip to Agra, the city of the Taj. Get accompanied by a travel guide and begin exploring the myths and legends, poring over the glorious chapters of the history.
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<h4><b><i>History & Construction</b></i></h4>
The construction of this marble masterpiece is credited to the Mughal emperror Shah Jahanwho erected this mausoleum in the memory of his beloved wife, "Arjumarid Bano Begum"; popularly known as "Mumtaz Mahal", who died in A.H. 1040(A.D.1630).<br>
                        Her last wish to her husband was "to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before." Thus emperor Shah Jahan set about building this fairy tale like marrel.<br>
                        The construction of Taj Mahal was started in A.D. 1632 & completed at the ended in 1648 A.D. for seventeen years. Twenty thousand workmen are said to have been employed on it daily. For their accommodation a small town named after the deceasedempress- 'Mumtazabad', now known as Taj Ganj, was build adjacent to it.<br>
                        "Amanat Khan Shirazi" was the calligrapher of Taj Mahal, his name occurs at the end of an inscription on one of the gatesof the Taj. "Poet Ghiyasuddin" had designed the verse on the tombstone, While "Ismail Khan Afridi" of Turky was the domemaker. "Muhammad Hanif" was the superitendent of Masons.<br>
                        The designer of Taj Mahal was "Ustad Ahmad Lahuri" the material was brought in from all over India & Central Asia. It took a feet of 1000 elephants to transport it to thesite. The central dome is 187 ft. high at the center. Red sanstone was brought from "Fatehpur Sikri", Jaipur from punjab, Jade & crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazali and sapphire from Srilanka, coal & comelian fromArabia & Diamonds From Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used.<br>
                        The chief building material, the white marbel was brought from the quarries of Makrana in distict Nagpur, Rajasthan. Copies of orders issue at "Raja Jai Singh" for the purpose by Shah Jahan, can be seen in the Taj Museum. Taj Mahals outer court also known as a "Jilo Khana" was formely used both as a bazar and a caravansarai(Rest house). On the south-east and south-west corners are the tombs of "Sirhindi Begum" & "Satiunnisa Khanum". The Taj has a jewel like quality.<br>
                        The shadow & light play demonstrates its many moods. Some feel the Taj is best seen on a full moon night , other find it ethereal at dawn while some insist that it is Sensuous at Sunset.
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