There is a famous saying “Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder”. But some places or things does not require the eyes of the beholder to look beautiful. They are universally accepted as ‘beautiful’ irrespective of the ‘beholder’ and in some cases they tend to define the term ‘beautiful’ in their category.
Recently on one of the journeys, I confronted one such beauty that defines the term ‘beautiful’ for historical monuments. The beauty is also known as the symbol of love and passion and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site attracting tourists from every nationality. I’m pretty sure many must have guessed it by now and for those who didn’t I’ll do the honours. It is the elegant, beautiful, ravishing display of architectural bravura- The Taj Mahal in Agra.
The very mention of name of Taj Mahal displays a picture of white monument with four minarets in everybody’s mind. Being an Indian, I have heard, read and seen many pictures of the white monument in our history books in school. But seeing it live in front of my eyes was all together a different experience. When I entered through the giant royal entrance of the Taj Complex and laid my eyes upon this entrancing monument, my eyes widened to full in excitement. It perfectly fitted all the clichés out there in market.
I slowly walked towards the monument and its magnitude increased astronomically. Finally after taking few turns and jostling up with the overwhelming tourists of all nationalities, I was snaked my way to its façade. The arched opening of the Taj Mahal’s façade flanked by Quran verses, calligraphy, designs etc. enhances its beauty to infinity. The latticed opening on all side lights up interior of the mausoleum which is as beautiful as the exterior. The immaculate floral designs bordered by multi-colour inscription and drawings on the lower walls of the Taj Mahal catches every tourist attention.
The accuracy and detailing with which these designs are made without the help any modern technological tools displays the skill, expertise and knowledge of the artisans of medieval times. There is not even a minute flaw in designs, engravings, inscriptions carried out on the Taj Mahal and it is also identical on all four sides of Taj Mahal. I looked and adored the Taj Mahal in respect for all those who worked on this masterpiece and made it stand out in time.
I spent some more time in its vicinity admiring its everlasting elegance before final goodbye to this great white monument.
Kaushal Mathpal is an Advocate practicing in Delhi Courts in India but also has a flair for travelling. When he’s not in a courtroom, he enjoys exploring various parts of India and the surrounding region. He also writes on his blog http://rediscoveryourdreams.wordpress.com/ and you can follow him on Twitter @KaushalMathpal.
