The History and Love Story of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a breathtaking white-marble mausoleum commissioned by Mughul emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Located on the southern bank of the Yamuna River near Agra, India, the Taj Mahal took 22 years to build and finally reached completion in 1653. This exquisite monument, considered one of the New Wonders of the World, astounds visitors for its symmetry, structural beauty, intricate calligraphy, inlaid gemstones, and magnificent garden. More than just a memorial in the name of a spouse, the Taj Mahal was a declaration of lasting love from Shan Jahan to his departed soulmate. The Love Story It was in 1607 that Shah Jahan, grandson of Akbar the Great, first met his beloved. At the time, he was not yet the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire. Sixteen-year-old Prince Khurram, as he was then called, flitted around the royal bazaar, flirting with the girls from high-ranking families that staffed the booths.   At one of these booths, Prince Khurram met Arjumand Banu Begum, the 15-year-old young woman whose father was soon to be the prime minister and whose aunt was married to Prince Khurram’s father. Although it was love at first sight, the two were not allowed to marry right away. Prince Khurram first had to marry Kandahari Begum. He later took a third wife as well. On March 27, 1612, Prince Khurram and his beloved, to whom he gave the name Mumtaz Mahal (â€Å"chosen one of the palace†), were married. Mumtaz Mahal was beautiful as well as smart and tender-hearted. The public was enamored with her, in no small part because she cared for the people. She diligently made lists of widows and orphans to ensure that they were given food and money. The couple had 14 children together but only seven lived past infancy. It was the birth of the 14th child that would kill Mumtaz Mahal. The Death of Mumtaz Mahal In 1631, three years into Shah Jahan’s reign, a rebellion led by Khan Jahan Lodi was underway. Shah Jahan took his military out to the Deccan, about 400 miles from Agra, in order to crush the usurper. As usual, Mumtaz Mahal accompanied Shah Jahan’s side despite being heavily pregnant. On June 16, 1631, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl in an elaborately decorated tent in the middle of the encampment. At first, all seemed to be well, but Mumtaz Mahal was soon dying. The moment Shah Jahan received word of his wife’s condition, he rushed to her side. Early in the morning on June 17, just one day after the birth of their daughter, Mumtaz Mahal died in her husbands arms. She was buried right away according to Islamic tradition near the encampment at Burbanpur. Her body would not stay there long. Reports say that in Shah Jahan’s anguish, he went to his own tent and cried for eight days without ceasing. When he emerged, he was said to have aged considerably, sporting white hair and glasses. Bringing Mumtaz Mahal Home In December 1631, with the feud against Khan Jahan Lodi won, Shah Jahan asked that Mumtaz Mahals body be dug up and brought 435 miles or 700 kilometers to Agra. Her return was a grand procession with thousands of soldiers accompanying her body and mourners lining the route. When the remains of Mumtaz Mahal reached Agra on January 8, 1632, they were temporarily buried on land donated by nobleman Raja Jai Singh. This was near where the Taj Mahal would be built. Plans for the Taj Mahal Shah Jahan, filled with grief, poured his emotion into designing an elaborate and expensive mausoleum that would bring all those that had come before it to shame. It was also unique in that it was the first large mausoleum dedicated to a woman. Although no primary architect for the Taj Mahal is known, it is believed that Shah Jahan, passionate about architecture himself, worked on the plans directly with the input and aid of a number of the best architects of his time. The intention was for the Taj Mahal, â€Å"the crown of the region†, to represent Heaven, Jannah, on Earth. Shah Jahan spared no expense in making this happen. Building the Taj Mahal The Mughal Empire was one of the richest empires in the world at the time of Shah Jahans reign, and this meant that he had the resources to make this monument incomparably grand. But though he wanted it to be breathtaking, he also wanted it erected quickly. To speed up the production, an estimated 20,000 workers were brought in and housed nearby in a town built especially for them called Mumtazabad. Both skilled and unskilled craftsmen were contracted. Builders first worked on the foundation and then on the giant, 624-foot-long plinth or base. This would become the base of the Taj Mahal building and the pair of matching red sandstone buildings that would flank it, the mosque and guest house. The Taj Mahal, sitting on a second plinth, was to be an octagonal structure constructed of marble-covered brick. As is the case for most large projects, the builders created a scaffolding in order to build higher. Their choice of bricks for this scaffolding was unusual and remains perplexing to historians. Marble White marble is one of the most striking and prominent features of the Taj Mahal. The marble used was quarried in Makrana, 200 miles away. Reportedly, it took 1,000 elephants and an untold number of oxen to drag the extremely heavy marble to the building site. For the massive marble pieces to reach to higher spaces of the Taj Mahal, a giant, 10-mile-long earthen ramp was built. The Taj Mahal is topped with a huge double-shelled dome that stretches 240 feet and is also covered in white marble. Four thin, white marble minarets stand tall at the corners of the second plinth and surround the mausoleum. Calligraphy and Inlaid Flowers Most pictures of the Taj Mahal show only a large white building. Though still lovely, this doesnt do the real structure justice. These photos leave out intricacies and it is these details that make the Taj Mahal astoundingly feminine and opulent. On the mosque, guest house, and large main gate at the southern end of the complex appear passages from the Quran or Koran, the holy book of Islam, written in calligraphy. Shah Jahan hired master calligrapher Amanat Khan to work on these inlaid verses. Masterfully done, the finished verses from the Quran are inlaid with black marble. They are a stately yet soft feature of the building. Although made of stone, the curves mimic real handwriting. The 22 passages from the Quran are said to have been chosen by Amanat Khan himself. Interestingly, Amanat Khan was the only person who Shah Jahan allowed to sign his work on the Taj Mahal. Almost more impressive than the calligraphy are the delicate inlaid flowers found throughout the Taj Mahal complex. In a process known as parchin kari, highly-skilled stone cutters carved intricate floral designs into the white marble and then inlaid these with precious and semi-precious stones to form interwoven vines and flowers. There are 43 different kinds of precious and semi-precious stones used for these flowers and they came from around the world. These include lapis lazuli from Sri Lanka, jade from China, malachite from Russia, and turquoise from Tibet. The Garden Islam holds the image of Paradise as a garden. Thus, the garden at the Taj Mahal was an integral part of making it Heaven on Earth. The Taj Mahal’s garden, which is situated to the south of the mausoleum, has four quadrants. These are divided by four â€Å"rivers† of water (another important Islamic image of Paradise) that gather in a central pool. The gardens and rivers were filled by the Yamuna River via a complex underground water system. Unfortunately, no records remain to tell the exact plants in these gardens. Shah Jahans Death Shah Jahan remained in deep mourning for two years and never fully healed after the death of his favorite wife. This gave Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan’s fourth son Aurangzeb the opportunity to successfully kill his three elder brothers and imprison his father. After 30 years as emperor, Shah Jahan was usurped and placed in the luxurious Red Fort in Agra in 1658. Forbidden to leave but with most of his usual luxuries, Shah Jahan spent his final eight years gazing out a window at the Taj Mahal. When Shah Jahan died on January 22, 1666, Aurangzeb had his father buried with Mumtaz Mahal in the crypt beneath the Taj Mahal. On the main floor of the Taj Mahal above the crypt now sits two cenotaphs (empty public tombs). The one in the center of the room belongs to Mumtaz Mahal and the one just to the west is for Shah Jahan. Surrounding the cenotaphs is a delicately-carved, lacy marble screen. Originally it had been a gold screen but Shah Jahan had that replaced so that thieves would not feel tempted to steal it. Destruction of the Taj Mahal Shah Jahan was wealthy enough to support the Taj Mahal and its mighty maintenance costs, but over the centuries, the Mughal Empire lost its riches and the Taj Mahal fell into ruins. By the 1800s, the British ousted the Mughals and took over India. The Taj Mahal was dissected for its beauty—the Britch cut gemstones from its walls, stole silver candlesticks and doors, and even tried to sell the white marble overseas. It was Lord Curzon, the British viceroy of India, who put and to this. Rather than looting the Taj Mahal, Curzon worked to restore it. The Taj Mahal Now The Taj Mahal has once again become a magnificent place with 2.5 million visitors each year. People can visit during the daytime and watch as the white marble appears to take on different hues throughout the day. Once a month, visitors have the opportunity to make a short visit during a full moon to see how the Taj Mahal seems to glow from the inside out in the moonlight. The Taj Mahal was placed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1983, but this protection has not guaranteed its safety. It is now at the mercy of pollutants from nearby factories and excessive humidity from the breath of its visitors.   Sources DuTemple, Lesley A.  The Taj Mahal. Lerner Publications Company, 2003.Harpur, James, and Jennifer Westwood.  The Atlas of Legendary Places. 1st ed., Weidenfeld Nicholson, 1989.Ingpen, Robert R., and Philip Wilkinson.  Encyclopedia of Mysterious Places: The Life and Legends of Ancient Sites Around the World. Metro Books, 2000.

Periodicity Definition in Chemistry

Cornucopia of Disability Information Free Essays

When we attempt to label people with disabilities we are faced with a very broad spectrum of issues and concerns. There are millions of people suffering from various disabilities. The number of disabled individuals world-wide is sky-rocketing. We will write a custom essay sample on Cornucopia of Disability Information or any similar topic only for you Order Now As we consider the connection between self-esteem and social pressures for a disabled individual, how many variables must be considered in determining the emotional drawbacks associated in the attempts at social adaptation and self-esteem for a disabled person? There are over 50% of our over-65 years of age individuals that have some level of a disability. That’s 32 million people! On top of this, 33 million people of all ages are labeled as severely disabled and in need of special day-to-day assistance. Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of impairment in the United States. Chronic pain suffers accounts for 86 million Americans, which falls in line behind cancer and heart disease. When we look at long-term severe disabilities, stroke is the leader. Here’s a few more statistics: †¢ 1. 5 million Americans experience traumatic brain injury annually †¢ About 11,000 United States individuals suffer traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) †¢ Approximately 230,000 people live with SCI in the United States Some individuals have unique stresses that hinder strong self-esteem. First, it’s critical to point out that a disability can range from dyslexia to mental illness to physical and cognitive impairments. They may have physical handicaps, attention deficit problems, or emotional disturbances. This can be compounded social pressure of ethnicity, race, or even environmental issues such as poverty or alcoholism in a family. However, regardless of someone’s setback in life—whether they are verbal or non-verbal, suffer emotional disturbances, or paralysis—everyone can develop positive self-esteem. How a person feels about themselves is the catalyst toward making a happy, successful life. For, every individual has a right to be happy. It’s a choice, not something you have to earn. No one can ever take that away from someone. Unless the social pressures of adapting to society gets in the way. The late Christopher Reeve is an excellent example of someone who never allowed a physical disability to alter his smiling presence. Mr. Reeve believed that there is something positive to be gained out of every experience in life. His loss of motor functioning did not alter the empowering self-esteem he carried to his dying day. Even when the odds were stacked against him, he continued to promote how valuable life is, and he cherished it. Self-esteem, however, for many people suffering from disabilities can cause havoc on their own life. Emotions can drain people to a state where they physically shutdown, losing desire. This desire can be in direct relation to social pressure. For our youth, peer pressure can have an overwhelming impact on performance, both in school and on the home front. For individuals who suffer from a learning disability, their differences, regardless of how small or large, can magnify the issue of social pressures. Once the social pressure is felt, its emotional weight can create other problems. There is a connection between social pressures and low self-esteem; For, we must also consider environmental and social stresses like poverty, neglect, or parents suffering from alcoholism. All of this can destroy a disabled person’s self-esteem. These environmental concerns and social pressures can take its toll and destroy hope. Sometimes hope is the main factor fueling disabled people as they attempt to hurdle life’s self-esteem challenges. An individual with poor self-esteem might be more inclined to settle for lesser accomplishments, both, in the classroom settings and in life. He or she may suffer through humiliation, depression, and lack of ability to earn respect from others. At the same time, low self-esteem can make a disabled person seek favor from social groups to gain a sense of belonging. Many times, however, this may not be positive or healthy. For example, drug and alcohol abuse can pressure any individual, and those with disabilities face even greater challenges due to the separation they feel through social pressures in peer groups. Hearing impairment, for example, in some disabled individuals can lead to denial. As a hearing impaired individual struggles to socially adapt, he or she is bound to face esteem issues. Here, it’s the social stigma of succeeding in society that fosters this lack of self-esteem. The extra effort required to communicate in society causes social pressure and can, in turn lead to depression. About 100 million people nation-wide—that’s 40%—are affected by hearing loss, in one way or another. This statistic is rather staggering. For the disabled population, hearing loss create a greater percentage of psychological problems than other disabilities. True, it is apparent that there is a connection between self-esteem and social pressure but there are underlying problems that must be considered. Firstly, part of dilemma surrounding disabled individuals in relation to self- esteem and social pressures is unsubstantiated—the results are mixed. This inconsistency is based on parental perceptions (Gresham Reschly, 1986; Sater French, 1989), teacher perceptions (Bursuck, 1989; McKinnery, McClure, Feagan, 1982), and peer perceptions (Garrett Crump, 1980; Kistner Gatlin, 1989; Vaughan, Hogan, Kouzekanani, Shapiro, 1990). Among the above three perceptions, some of the studies found positive results and some were negative. Thus, according to these statistics, there is conclusive evidence that these parallels are unfounded. On top of this, there are also differences found between various males and females in relation to self-concept, as well as students in regular and special education classes. The topic of mainstreaming further blurs this evidence. So, even though self-esteem issues are apparent within the spectrum of the disabled, similar self-esteem issues are apparent in the mainstreamed individual. Thus, it is unfair to label the disability as the reason for low self-esteem. Secondly, from another stance, in order for people to feel self-esteem they must rate themselves against a set of criteria. They rate themselves in comparison to other people’s successes. Often times, people can feel good about themselves if they succeed at something. However, the problem comes when we don’t measure up to that success. Also, is it really hard to feel good about yourself just because you are a kind, decent person? This is another challenge to interpreting self-esteem and how it affects disabled or non-disabled people. Also, what makes a person feel down about themselves? It goes back to the measuring device. So, the act of rating oneself becomes the real issue that can lead to emotional problems such as depression. It’s the measuring device that sets up loss of self-esteem. When we consider all this, the whole issue surrounding self-esteem and social pressure becomes more of an issue of an individual and himself, and not an issue of how social pressures affect an individual and his self-esteem. How to cite Cornucopia of Disability Information, Papers