*Ø* Blogmanac | June7 1631 | Death of the woman who inspired the Taj Mahal
1631 [Sources differ as to date.] While on a campaign with her husband (Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor of India), Mumtaz Mahal (born Arjumand Banu Begam), died.
The Taj Mahal, described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as "a tear on the face of eternity", is often said to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, and is her tomb. The grand Taj Mahal stands as a monument to the love of a man for a woman.
A deathbed wish
As she lay on her deathbed, it is said that Mumtaz whispered to Jahan a dying wish for him to build a monument that would express the beauty of their love for each other. Stricken with grief, Shah Jahan remained indoors for a week; when he emerged his hair had turned white, his back was now bent, and his face lined with despair. He ordered his entire kingdom into mourning for the next two years, and it is said he was inconsolable to the point of contemplating abdication in favour of his sons.
The magnificent tomb
Some believe the great building was designed by Geronimo Verroneo, an Italian in service to the Mughal Empire, and certainly many European craftsmen were among the 20,000 workers who worked on the tomb, bringing with them Renaissance skill and vision – not that the Moghul culture was lacking in either skill or vision. Craftsmen from as far as Turkey came to join in the work. However, evidence suggests that the architect was a Persian, Ustad Isa Khan Effendi, with the detailed work being undertaken by his pupil, Ustad Ahmad, and the dome being designed by Ismail Khan.
The tomb is higher than a modern 20-storey building and was 22 years in construction. Highest quality marble was quarried for the project, at Makrana near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and precious stones were imported from distant countries to decorate the edifice. A ramp about 3 kilometres (approximately 2 miles) long was built to lift material up to the level of the dome.
We are familiar with the tomb’s magnificent exterior, but also it was fitted with sumptuous and precious furnishings and decorations, some of which have been looted in succeeding centuries – in 1720, a sheet of pearls that covered the sarcophagus was carried off by Amir Husein Ali Khan, and two large silver doors to the entrance were tragically looted and melted down by Suraj Mal in 1764. It might be said that the pillage of the Taj continues unabated, as today acid rain from nearby Western-style industry erodes the wonder’s white marble.
On completion of this architectural masterpiece, Shah Jahan ordered the right hand of the chief mason to be cut off in order that the masterpiece of devotion to his beloved Arjumand could never be recreated. Or, so it is said.
Most expensive magnum opus set for early release Bollywood movie on the Mumtaz story
Website of the forthcoming movie, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story
Pip Wilson's articles are available for your publication, on application. Further details
1631 [Sources differ as to date.] While on a campaign with her husband (Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor of India), Mumtaz Mahal (born Arjumand Banu Begam), died.
The Taj Mahal, described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as "a tear on the face of eternity", is often said to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, and is her tomb. The grand Taj Mahal stands as a monument to the love of a man for a woman.
"A tear on the face of eternity"
A deathbed wish
As she lay on her deathbed, it is said that Mumtaz whispered to Jahan a dying wish for him to build a monument that would express the beauty of their love for each other. Stricken with grief, Shah Jahan remained indoors for a week; when he emerged his hair had turned white, his back was now bent, and his face lined with despair. He ordered his entire kingdom into mourning for the next two years, and it is said he was inconsolable to the point of contemplating abdication in favour of his sons.
The magnificent tomb
Some believe the great building was designed by Geronimo Verroneo, an Italian in service to the Mughal Empire, and certainly many European craftsmen were among the 20,000 workers who worked on the tomb, bringing with them Renaissance skill and vision – not that the Moghul culture was lacking in either skill or vision. Craftsmen from as far as Turkey came to join in the work. However, evidence suggests that the architect was a Persian, Ustad Isa Khan Effendi, with the detailed work being undertaken by his pupil, Ustad Ahmad, and the dome being designed by Ismail Khan.
The tomb is higher than a modern 20-storey building and was 22 years in construction. Highest quality marble was quarried for the project, at Makrana near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and precious stones were imported from distant countries to decorate the edifice. A ramp about 3 kilometres (approximately 2 miles) long was built to lift material up to the level of the dome.
We are familiar with the tomb’s magnificent exterior, but also it was fitted with sumptuous and precious furnishings and decorations, some of which have been looted in succeeding centuries – in 1720, a sheet of pearls that covered the sarcophagus was carried off by Amir Husein Ali Khan, and two large silver doors to the entrance were tragically looted and melted down by Suraj Mal in 1764. It might be said that the pillage of the Taj continues unabated, as today acid rain from nearby Western-style industry erodes the wonder’s white marble.
On completion of this architectural masterpiece, Shah Jahan ordered the right hand of the chief mason to be cut off in order that the masterpiece of devotion to his beloved Arjumand could never be recreated. Or, so it is said.
Most expensive magnum opus set for early release Bollywood movie on the Mumtaz story
Website of the forthcoming movie, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story
Pip Wilson's articles are available for your publication, on application. Further details
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