This is a story about a love cut short a
heart inconsolable and grief that led to
the most famous mughal mausoleum we know and still gaze in our today
it was a gesture of love and everlasting memory this is the Taj Mahal
India is a vast peninsula with an extensive history it is diverse in
religion culture and language India has
seen many empires throughout its lengthy history the Mughal Empire brought with
them an Indo Persian culture that is evident in the Magnificent forts and the
tombs they left behind
the Mughal Empire was founded in the mid 16th century by its first emperor babur
who was the descendant of time would on his father's side and genghis khan on
his mother's side at its height the Mughal Empire spent
almost the entire Indian Peninsula and what is today Pakistan Bangladesh and
Afghanistan unable to retain any
territory in his home of what is today whose Becca Stan Bob wood began his
ambitions by establishing himself in Kabul and eventually pushing further
south into the Indian subcontinent Bob
wood died in 1530 and was succeeded by his son and second emperor of the Mughal
Empire who Humayun the Mughal Empire
under his rule was briefly interrupted as he was exiled to Persia
this is of significance because it was
here that the Mughal Empire obtained the influence of Persian culture through diplomatic alliances and marriage
the Mughal Empire was restored under the
rule of Humayun in 1555 and one year later in 1556 Humayun died his wife bega
begum grieving over her beloved husband built him a grand tuned funded by her
and not surprisingly she hired Persian architects to build what became whom
ioans tomb
humayan's tomb is of immense significance in our narrative as it was the first guard entombed in the Indian
subcontinent and it was also the first structure to use red sandstone at
an immense scale it assured in the
concept of building a mass garden grave to honor a loved one it was a masterpiece of admiration and amazement
that distinguished a loved one and kept their memory alive after their death
humayan's tomb provides us a glimpse into the familiar structure and styling
hues of what will become the much larger Taj Mahal
here we expand our focus on the first five Mughal Emperors Babu Humayun Akbar
Jahangir and Shah Jahan although buried
in their Mughal Empire today the tombs are scattered across three countries
Babu in Kabul Afghanistan Humayun in New
Delhi India Akbar in Agra India
Jahangir in Lahore Pakistan and Shah Jahan in Agra India as lessons were
learned and each Emperor wanted the grandest of all mausoleums we can clearly notice the enhancements growth
and rise in complexity of each emperor's final resting place
when we compare the structures we begin to see more complex designs with bigger
minarets and larger assertive domes however the fifth mausoleum stands out
it is distinctive red sandstone was predominantly used in all the tombs
including the Taj Mahal but this one was kept in much more prestigious and
beautiful ivory white marble that covered the red sandstone this is the
epitome of Mughal Muslim tomb design the Taj Mahal
despite Shah Jahan being buried here it was never intended to be his tomb in
fact he never built it for himself love and sorrow built the Taj Mahal for
you see Shah Jahan built it for the woman he loved
though many of his marriages were political by nature this one was different
this one was out of love and this love of the fifth emperor of the Mughal
Empire was a Persian woman by the name of Mumtaz Mahal she bore Shah Jahan 14
children and also played a political role alongside her husband having a say
in political matters he was so in love with her he never indulged in any
emotional or sexual relationships with his other wives his life was all about
her and he truly loved her
during the child birth of their 14th child Shah Jahan's beloved Mumtaz Mahal
died he was devastated
with an understanding of the brief
history of how the Taj Mahal came to me let us get into the details of the Taj
Mahal join us on our drive and with the help
of a tour guide we will get a more comprehensive understanding of fascinating details about the Taj Mahal
you probably never knew before we are no
strangers to road trips and having driven all of Japan coast-to-coast we are quite the seasoned adventure
seekers
[Music] our drive began in New Delhi and brought
a South to the city of Agra which is about a three hour drive covering a distance of just over 200 kilometres
having spent a few days earlier in India we were well aware that driving here is
a little more adventurous than what we are used to in Japan and North America
it was quite refreshing to experience something new
once out of the city we found ourselves on a surprisingly tranquil highway that
stretched as far as we could see now New
Delhi is quite dense but once we got out of the city it appeared life around us ceased to
exist with the exception of these gatherings that we would hesitate to call villages
soon enough we began seeing the familiar dense atmosphere including the traffic
and recognizable local animal pedestrians that unquestionably paid no
mind to the traffic laws
finally a glimpse of what we have always seen in pictures and screens peek through the trees we made it through the
heat traffic and even our own excitement we finally made it
remembering the history I've studied the Emperor's and their Mughal Empire there
it was in real life we were looking at the same thing Shah Jahan looked at and
he was there and now so were we
once we parked our car we were swarmed by tuk-tuk drivers that are willing to
take you the close to one kilometer walk to one of the entrance gates amongst
them we met irshad who turned out to be quite a helpful fella
scammers are abundant but he seemed humble and he wasn't pushing the money
talk on us so we scooped him along and it was surely worth it he addressed
details that we would not have known otherwise and I feel that without him we would have left that day missing out on
a lot of information that linked the Taj Mahal with its story and it made our visit much more meaningful
now we are standing it is the four courtyard area of toshka house why we
call this 4 courtyard because from here for gate and for garden so we are coming this case this is the western gate
second here we can see the symmetrical side eastern gate kind of nice outfit and put north gate from here in that
time fantastic time the street name is difference this is called forth every Begum gate
why because Shah Jahan while father Cory Begum she is one india 20,000 people working in Taj Mahal those people are
coming from Iran and Afghanistan and those people are living behind of its cage is still living now this is the
north end of Taj Mahal in India this is
the third largest we'd first belong there was in fact a coastal plain Agra it's about 25 kilometers far from here
second gate in India Delhi India Gate
this is the third block just to get in India this gate on the top you can see the white color dome and you can't tell
me don't saw there in the middle I have been exactly blab in front sight in a
lava tube behind backside so plus 1120 it means that when algol construction is
complete took 22 years
third Beauty in this gear you can see them writing three set up a dirt bike writing language
chapter of the Quran this language looks like an Indian color but it is not color
not painting it first they dig out the marble with a hammer with the chisel then another respond they put in the
wrong about black one this is the black onyx that time so this isn't a painting they dig it and then put marble design
yellow white marble let's take a minute
here and grasp this inlay process that he mentioned I purchased these plates as
souvenirs from the shops here that still use the same techniques by their direct descendants of the Taj Mahal workers
they start with a slab of marble and chisel into it carving out the floral
designs or the verses from the Quran they cut the gemstones with surgical
precision and in lay them into the chiseled marble finally they proceed to
smooth and send it to a mirror finish now imagine the time skill and finesse
that is required to cut these stones without cracking them and in laying them perfectly
the simplest mistake would crack and ruin the whole play now this is just one
plate imagine having the responsibility of in laying these gemstones on this
unfathomable and immense scale imagine having to do all of this without a
single mistake the thought of that is to say the least mind-boggling and jaw-dropping 28
different stones are utilized for in laying such as carnelian agate turquoise
lapis lazuli coral onyx cat's-eye Jade and bloodstone these stones were
imported from several places such as Tibet Rajasthan Punjab China Afghanistan
Sri Lanka and Arabia it looks like but
it is not same they are in the v-shape like that bottom is a smaller top it's
bigger size you can't read easily top tax why architect make in the way shape
only is the main mausoleum symmetrical the whole taj mahal complex gardens and
even the trees are symmetrical as well it adds another level of appeal in its
simplicity while ironically adding another level of complexity the explicit
nature of having everything on either side of the center line symmetrical is an engineering feat in itself that takes
time and more importantly absolute proficiency and impeccable technique
the level of this faultless design is
apparent when you realize the following this insignificant line will lead you
through the absolute center of the entire Taj Mahal complex all the way to the tomb of its main occupant Mumtaz
Mahal as you advance through the main
gate you are struck with a severe case of tunnel vision an optical illusion is
set to make the Taj Mahal seem as it is moving away from you as you walk through this main gate before long you are
received by the main mausoleum in all its glory and you will find yourself at the gardens containing the pavilions
more symmetry is visible here as the main gate from the inside looks identical and symmetrical to the view we
observed earlier from the outside the symmetry does have some inconsistencies as we see here she died in system sorry
after one year Taj Mahal is products 1631 and completely
please ready for a visit from the Marvel
now you have to find yellow know like 100% while you sleep
but before 5:00 you're sorry because finding us is all marble it's yellow
than you but they have to clean every five years after winter much battery
heat they have to use what on the Marvel and tasting two months you in half one
three months after they wash with the water
because what observes all dust or polish you know usually color with this marble
no use any chemicals just all they used to be much better that time it was good
but right now it is brought why it is rust now because after very similar they took in more and we make replicas
different boss when they put it now the plausibility of this story has
been endlessly debated there were in fact multiple thefts of precious items
from the Taj Mahal but the specifics of what was stolen we'll always be shrouded in fables and
myths was the pinnacle truly stolen some say yes and others say no and I suppose
we will never be certain one looking to the dollar from you just
to in the white in the last Oh [Music] looks like a sweet like that er er is
2.5 degrees why they are looting
slightly it was very very smart
the towers he is speaking of are the four minarets that are on all four
corners of the main mausoleum each one towers at about 43 meters or 141 feet
high it is quite challenging to see the
miniscule tilt of these minarets with the naked eye look at this picture compare the straight lines of the main
mausoleum with the minarets and if you look at the entire picture you will notice that they are indeed leaning
outwards and away from the main structure while here in the garden area
you will notice an insignificant building right at the edge this is a water palace it is unique because the
dome is made out of marble but the rest of the building is made with red sandstone it's quite interesting to view
the contrast between the two different materials in one building pursuing the
perfect symmetry you will again discover an identical water Palace on the adjacent side as well
walking further north you reach the most northerly part of the entire complex the
riverfront Terrace although the main mausoleum is the center of attention
there are in fact two more buildings on either side a mosque and a guest house
constructed from the familiar red sandstone this building is the mosque it
is a little more than 20 meters high or 66 feet due to it being a mosque it is
located on the west side of the Taj Mahal in the direction of Mecca where Muslims face when they pray and for a
bit of enjoyment here is a cute monkey we saw climbing the mosques Wow on the
east side sits the guesthouse it is called the show up which means answer in
Arabic now some speculate that it might have been built just to balance out the symmetry with the mosque on the west
side regardless it is said to have entertained and accommodated important
visitors and finally the PS the resistance
arguably the only structure here that most people who come visit the Taj Mahal are familiar with and how can you blame
them it demands your attention and respect it captivates you with its
completely white exterior its scale is indefinable its craftsmanship unmatched
it is 68 meters or 223 feet high and standing more than 350 years it still
affirms prestige as I got closer I was
really able to take in the fine points of almost every marble slab it is
unthinkable to comprehend the man hours it took to meticulously complete this building piece by piece and inch by inch
I took some time to appreciate where I was what I was looking at and how I am
privileged to be able to physically touch one of the seven wonders of the world and although impossible I would
like to share with you this experience as much as I can with the following footage I want you to appreciate the
fine details present on almost every surface of this marvel the Taj Mahal
the entrance to the mausoleum brings you to the rather modest octagon-shaped inner chamber you will not find
decorations or extravagant jewelry as muslim tradition forbids elaborate decorations of graves there are two
tombs here the smaller geometrically centred tomb belongs to Mumtaz Mahal
while the larger off-center tomb to the west belongs to her husband the fifth
Emperor Shah Jahan this is the only element in this entire complex that is
not symmetrical these tombs are in fact replicas as the real ones are found in
the lower chamber observing Muslim tradition you can notice how comparatively modest and simple the
walls are compared with the replicas so if everything was painstakingly
engineered to be symmetrical why is Shah Jahan's tomb so offset why is it the
only thing that defies this crucial element of symmetry we stumble on a long
disputed legend north of the entire complex is daya munna River as you cross
it something quite peculiar is perched here it is called the moonlight garden
it may well just be a garden north of the Taj Mahal this garden however is flawlessly
aligned with the Taj Mahal you see legend has it that this is the
foundation of Shah Jahan's ambition to erect his own tomb identical to his
wives a black identical Taj Mahal for himself on the other side of the river
perhaps to be in proportional love with his beloved for eternity his plans
however never came to fruition it is said that Shah Jahan's obsession with
building the Taj Mahal took a toll on his empires expenses the Taj Mahal is
said to have cost around 1 billion u.s. dollars in today's money
in 1657 shah jahan became ill which intensified the war of succession
between his four sons the main contest of power was between Shah Jahan's
oldest and favored son Dada and his third son Aurangzeb Dada if you recall
from earlier in the video is buried in humayan's tomb in New Delhi many battles
ensued which saw Dada fleeing to the west from his brother are on Zeb ultimately one of da Das generals
betrayed him and handed him over to our own zeb our on Zeb crowned himself Emperor in July of 1658 in August
are on Zeb had his brother Dada and favorite successor to the Mughal
Empire executed along Zeb deemed his now
frail father shah jahan incompetent to rule and imprisoned him in agra for
where the once great Shah Jahan lived out his years never again able to visit
his beloved wife's grave and only able to get a glimpse of his life's masterpiece the Taj Mahal
shajahan died in 1666 after eight years
of imprisonment perhaps never able to realize his black tajmahal fact or
fiction we will never know we would like to think of it as truth because the only
thing better than the Taj Mahal would have been a pair of Taj Mahal's peering at each other from opposite sides of the
river and there is nothing wrong with these ambitions of our imagination we are fortunate to have the Taj Mahal
because of these ambitions and imaginations of Shah Jahan after his
death Shah Jahan was moved and buried in the Taj Mahal so even though he spent
the last eight years of his life incapable of visiting his wife's grave he would surely rest in peace buried
next to his Mumtaz for eternity nearing
the end of our day and having truly marveled at every aspect of being here one thing was quite bothersome that took
away from all this greatness that many people painstakingly work to perfect everywhere we looked people with throw
garbage and empty bottles in the gardens and under benches I found this very ill-mannered and even more disgraceful
and embarrassing garbage bins are plentiful yet some people deemed it acceptable to toss their trash
everywhere if your life of adventure ever brings you to this marvel or any
other place I implore you to be humble and dispose of your trash responsibly and uphold the work many have perfected
just so you may have the opportunity to experience it our voyage to the Taj Mahal and india in
general was exceptional we tend to be bold and love to experience various
countries you regularly hear cynical stigmas about India but I give credit
where it is due I have a philosophy of never accepting what people say about anything and would rather experience it
myself which I did India was one of the most compelling fascinating and
culturally rich countries I have visited the food was incredible and we were humbled by the hospitality of the
various people we met we hardly got to experience this vast country and only
touched on what it has to offer one thing is certain India you have won a place in our hearts and we will be back
to relish what else this country has to offer and for that thank you India and
Until next time😊
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