Taj Mahal a symbol of love or lust?

(21^st March to 23^rd March, 2005)

Our trip to Agra was undertaken to fulfill a long cherished dream of our daughter and my wifes interest to visit Fatehpur Sikri. I was neutral. My preference is to go to hills and spend in seclusion as many days as possible. In spite of our conflict of interest, I had to give in to their entreaties. The booking of tickets to Agra and back was done through internet. Generally, people who come from different States of India or different countries to visit Agra, combine it with Jaipur and Delhi. This in travel terminology is called Golden Triangle, although there is no golden structure in these three locations.

The morning of 21^st March was pleasantly a surprising one. The sky was overcast with dark clouds and by the time we got going for Railway station it started drizzling. I could not expect more perfect weather for an outing than this. The Taj Express was scheduled to start at 7 a.m. Generally during March end, Delhi becomes warm during day time but that day breaking all precedents the weather surprised us all. By the time we reached the station the rain turned into a downpour. Never mind, we enjoyed the rain and boarded the Taj Express. The train started on the dot. It was a day time train. In each station where the train would stop some people would get in and some would get out. We kept on watching this changing panorama till it reached the Agra cantonment station. Now it was our time to get off the train. At the station there were a number of agents who wanted to take us for Agra tour and we had to navigate our way through the crowd to the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (UPSTDCL) counter at the station.

We met the manager and we were told that they had a bus waiting to take tourists to all important historical places provided they get minimum 15 people to start with. Unfortunately there were only five people to go by that bus. So UPSTDCL authorities refused to ply the bus with such a small number. We decided first to get accommodation and then go for a visit to Taj Mahal and other places. The UPSTDCL also runs guest houses throughout Uttar Pradesh. We were offered guest room at the Hotel Taj Kshema run by UPSTDCL. We were taken by the same bus up to the parking lot near the hotel. From the parking lot we had to get a battery run auto up to the UPSTDCL Guest house. This arrangement looked very peculiar. We were then told that because of Supreme Courts directives no petrol or diesel run vehicles can go near Taj Mahal. This was done keeping in view the environmental pollution level to a minimum. There were reports that Taj Mahal was turning black thus this arrangement was in place. We had a free ride up to the parking space in that bus and a person from UPSTDCL also accompanied us to the Hotel Taj Khema.

The facilities at this hotel were very limited. The room we were allotted was very small and was difficult to move about. In addition to this discomfiture, hundreds of mosquitoes big and small had a free run in the room. Even during day time it was difficult to sit quietly without killing a few of these blood suckers. We found the cooler that was set in the room was to be the culprit. It was not necessary in the month of March in Agra. But the water stored in the cooler was a fertile breeding ground for the mosquitoes. We did complain about the mosquitoes. One thing happened after the complaint, the mosquitoes came in swarms to bite us with a vengeance. We were also ready. In addition to mosquito repellant, we were armed with mosquito curtain thus we could neutralize their deadly attack. The best thing which we liked of this hotel was its location. It is in close proximity to Taj Mahal and a five minutes walk. We could also see the Taj from the lawn maintained by this hotel during day time and in moonlit night. This compensated other small irritants.

After we had our break-fast, we walked up to Taj Mahal. It is just about half a kilometer from the hotel. We bought our tickets @ Rs. 25/- We were let go inside the Taj Mahal campus after a thorough search by the Security personnel at the gate. As soon as the Taj Mahal comes into your view after you cross the second gate, it creates a sense of awe instantaneously. What makes the sight appealing is its gigantic proportion built in white marble and the long stretch of open sky

Here I would like to state some interesting stories about Taj Mahal. I do not know how far they are true but none the less these stories refuse to die. That shows there could be some truth in it. The well known fact is that Taj Mahal was built in memory of Mumtaj Mahal, one of the wives of Shah Jahan. Sahjahan himself died in captivation looking at the Taj. To build the Taj, it took about 22 years during the period 1631 A.D. to 1652 A.D. There were 20,000 artisans who toiled day and night in shift duty. After they finished their work, their right thumb was chopped off to avoid building any such monument in future. If that is true, then Sah Jahan should have been hanged for his crime to humanity. To certain extent Aurangzeb gave him a little test of it. Two important aspects which made Taj Mahal famous throughout the world are: 1) Its huge structure and the white marble 2) JamunaRiver as its background. It is a photographers delight.

A few words on the genesis of Taj Mahal: Shah Jahan fell in love with Mumtaj at first sight when they were 15, married at 20 (10 May 1612) and in the following 19 years they were inseparable and she bore him 14 children. They were together on a military expedition south of Agra when she had their 14th child, a girl. Tragically (it was not tragically but she was pushed to that brink by unbridled lust of Shah Jahan) she died soon after giving birth to the 14^th child when she was only 39. What kind of love it was? Was it love or lust? Was she a child producing machine for Shah Jahan? Understandably, Shah Jahan was sorry that he could not control his lust. Dont forget that he had many more concubines to go to. He was beside himself with grief and, according to popular history, it was this sense of remorse and to pay for his sin, this monument, the Taj Mahal, as a mausoleum in her memory was built. To turn the sad story into the story of eternal love that Shah Jahan got the Taj Mahal built.

People think that Aurangzeb only killed his brothers to claim the throne but it was Shah Jahan who showed him the way. He had begun his reign by killing his brothers and all male members of their families. His sons likewise recognized no kinship in their pursuit of kingship. In 1657, when the Emperor's health appeared to be failing, his four sons, Dara Shikoh, Shuja, Murad Baksh, and Aurangzeb, began to take steps to secure the succession. Eventually the contest resolved itself between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb. With the killing of Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb eliminated all rivals to the throne. On June 8, 1658, Aurangzeb entered Agra, made a captive of his father, and assumed the throne. For 8 years Shah Jahan remained a prisoner in the Agra Fort, attended by his faithful daughter Jahanara and gazing, it is reported, most of the time upon the Taj Mahal, where he was to be laid to rest beside his favorite consort.

All stories and controversies apart, Taj Mahal still inspires lovers through out the world. The well laid out garden and the water pools make it picturesque and draw your attention immediately. If only the YamunaRiver that flows behind it could be made navigable, the Taj Mahal will become number one wonders of the world. One thing I dislike in this kind of Musoleum is keeping the dead body buried there. In majority cases the rulers were debachelor and murderous except that perhaps they had administrative skill to rule a state, they do not deserve the attention of millions of visitors who visit such historical monuments. If they are saintly people, I have no objection to that.

From different angles we saw the Taj Mahal. Our daughter perhaps in her mind compared the Taj Mahal in reality with her information gathered from books but found it much more awesome than she ever thought of. We took a number of snaps while the long procession of people continued to spill into everywhere. They are from all parts of the world looking at the marvel, what the Taj Mahal is! While the Dead Taj Mahal stands in its majesty, the living river Yamuna continues to flow with polluted water in her skeleton like existence. We spend crores for the maintenance of this dead monument while the living river dies gradually before everyones eyes. This made me very sad. Whatever joy I had after seeing the Taj got strangulated by the sad plight of the living river.

With a heavy heart we went back to our Hotel Taj Khema leaving the Yamuna to her own fate. As I said before, the location of the hotel was incomparable, just at stones throw distance from Taj. This was one of the brightest sides of this Agra visit. The lawn from where we could see the Taj during day and in moonlit night became a focus of world attention when American President Bill Clinton visited this place. A framed photograph of that memorable event hangs in the reception of the Hotel as a mute witness to the ever changing history.

After our lunch we had a little rest. At about 4.30 we walked by the Taj to a small market from where we could get an auto ricksaw for the Agra Fort. Akbar, one of the Mughal Emperor (the word is a misnomer because these kings were only ruling the part of North and some part of North-West of India to deserve such epithet and not the whole world) who got this Agra Fort built during 1565 A.D. to 1573 A.D. with an estimated cost of Rs. 35 lakh. It is located on the right bank of YamunaRiver. Shah Jahan in his last years were imprisoned (which he deserved by any estimates) by his worthy son Aurangzeb till he breathed his last possibly looking at his creative best The Taj Mahal. In this Fort, Shivaji, who shot into prominence by capturing majority of Forts on the Western coast of India and kept Aurangzeb and his army on their toes. He was invited by Aurangzeb on the advice of Jai Singh to politically subdue Shivaji by offering him a Mansab. This way Aurangzed thought to neutralize him. But Shivaji being what he was, felt humiliated by the emperors negligence and walked out of the Court. This infuriated the emperor and ordered his imprisonment (from 12^th to 17^th August, 1666) with an intension to liquidate him. But Shivaji with his presence of mind escaped by executing a secret plan and was out of reach of Aurangzeb for the rest of his life. Such daring acts of Shivaji made him a hero in the eyes of the Indians.

To see the complete fort you need to have at least two hours to walk through the corridor of past history where conspiracy, war strategy, internal love and strife come to life if you give your imagination a flight. As it got dark by the time we came out of the Fort, the whole area was lighted up. We sat for some time on outside lawn looking at the high walls that surrounds the Fort. We walked back some distance but found the road very deserted. My wife suggested that we take some conveyance to go back to our hotel. A ricksaw was hired and it took us through a market where we decided to get down to buy a few fruits. As soon as the fruit packet was handed over to me by the fruit vendor, there came a monkey to snatch the packet. Instinctively, I moved the packet away, the money jumped to a shop and picked up a packet of chips and vanished. The whole thing happened so fast that for a while that we were not knowing what to do. The next thing I did was to put the fruit packet in a bag which my wife was carrying out of sight, out of mind.

After our dinner we went up to the lawn from where we could see in moonlit night the Taj Mahal. Its white marble shinning in moonlit night. We could also had a view of the Agra city from this point. The evening was very cool, moon and stars decorating the sky while the soft breeze blew with a soothing touch. We enjoyed that evening quietly in the backdrop of historical Taj Mahal.

Next day our program was to reach Fatehpur Sikri. In the early morning we left the hotel paying our dues and saying good bye to the staff. We got a tonga ( a carriage drawn by a horse) to reach the parking area where our hired car was waiting. This car was arranged through the reception of the hotel. The Tonga ride in the early morning was a wonderful experience combining with beautiful breeze and the rhythmical sound of the hooves of the horse and the carriage.

The car journey to Fatehpur Sikri took about 1 hour. The first one we visited was Buland Darwaja. Akbar got it constructed in 1602 A.D to commemorate his victory over South India. Among all the emperors of Mughal dynasty, only Akbar seemed to have understood and tolerated other religions unlike the rest who were fanatical Muslims. He did try to start a religion of his own but could not succeed in the face of fundamentalists. One thing that still foxes me is what they call victory in a war is simply killing of opponents in the name of empire, religion or just to gain power over others and looting the wealth of the subjugated one. I do not value such structure such as Victory stand etc. except its value from architecture point of view. Most of the so called emperors were de-bachelor, arrogant, autocrat and ruled their subjects with liberal use of force and I do not find anything great in them unless they ruled their subjects with love and respect.

The best tomb that I saw there was the Saleem Chist Tomb. Being a saintly man and Guru of Akbar, this important building made of white marble having beautiful floral design, delighted me. In my opinion such tombs are of great value for the posterity. These tombs not only remind people of the great lives of such saints, these also inspire people to lead such a saintly life.

Fatehpur Sikri was founded by Akbar and later on a number of magnificent palaces were built but soon to be abandoned for lack of drinking water. We also saw Dewan-e-aam (hall of public hearing), Diwan-e-khas (hall of special people), the Khas Mahal, Char Chaman, Panch Mahal, Jodha Bais palace, Hawa Mahal, Birbals palace. All these buildings had been built in Red stone with fine ornamentations. It would take about 4-5 hours if you want to see all of these. People who love architecture and historical monuments would enjoy this otherwise it would seem to be a sheer wastage of time.