The Taj Mahal is a symbol of an emperor's passion, romance, and love eternally in living in stone. A celebration of a beautiful woman built in marble as a monument for all time. The Taj has a life of its own that emerges from marble and a monument of eternal love.

        Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most beautiful tomb in the world, located at Agra (Capital of the Mughal Empire during the 16th and early 18th centuries) on the bank of River Yamuna.

        It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a beautiful Muslim Persian princess.

        Mumtaz died while with her husband in Burhanpur fighting a rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child. Mumtaz's death so crushed the emperor that his hair and beard grew snow white in a few months.

        When Mumtaz Mahal was still alive, the emperor made her four promises:

1. That he build the Taj;
2. That he should marry again;
3. That he be kind to their children;
4. That he visit the tomb on her death anniversary.

        The Taj Mahal is a teardrop on the cheek of time. It is a "symbol of eternal love".

        So exquisite is the workmanship that the Taj has been described as "having been designed by giants and finished by jewelers".
Within the dome lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen and the casket of the emperor which was built beside the queen's.

        Construction began in 1631 and took 22 years. Twenty thousand people, with material from all over India and central Asia, carried by a thousand elephants to the site.

        As a tribute to a beautiful woman and as a monument for enduring love, the Taj reveals its subtleties.

        The rectangular base of Taj is in itself symbolic of the different sides from which to view a beautiful woman.
The main gate is like a veil to a woman's face which In Indian tradition, is lifted gently to reveal the beauty of the bride.

        The dome is made of white marble, set against the plain across the river. This background works its magic on colors that, change the view of the Taj.
The colors change as the hours of the day and as the changing of seasons.
Like a jewel, the Taj sparkles in moonlight when the semi-precious stones inlaid into the white marble on the main mausoleum catch the moon glow.

In the morning the Taj appears pinkish, it appears milky white in the evening and golden with the moon shines.
These changes, they say, depict the different moods of woman.

        The emperor was ultamately deposed by his son and imprisoned for eight years in view of the Taj.
The emperor was buried in the Taj to spend eternity with his beloved Mumtaz.