The tender grief that Shah Jahan felt after the death of his wife Mumtaz Mahal during the birth of their fourteenth child emanates from the Taj Mahal. The faces of those visitors who emerge from the darkness of the main gate reflect the delicate beauty and peaceful longing of the Taj.
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| Mumtaz Mahal 1612-1631 |
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| Shah Jahan 1594-1666, 5th Mughal Emperor of India |
The small rectangular stone that marks the remains of Mumtaz Mahal is carefully guarded by a marble lattice work and lies under the center of the massive marble dome.
The relationship in India with Mughal rulers is complicated. Over the centuries Muslims have ruled various parts of India. Muslims migrated from Arabia to the southern coast as early as the 1100s and later Mughals came from Central Asia (Afghanistan and Persia) and conquered areas of India. These Sultanates, Nizams, Mughal kingdoms and princely states contributed to a certain merging of Hindu and Muslim elements especially in Indo-Islamic architecture.
In the 1970s, due to economic conditions, many Muslims left India to work in the Gulf Coast. While that cross migration has abated somewhat with India's growing prosperity the influence of the Middle East can be felt in Hyderabad.
While many Muslims in India today are converts from Hinduism, particularly from the lower castes, the history of invasion and rulership colors communal attitudes toward India's largest minority.
I didn't know the gates would have meaning
ReplyDeleteindia has lots of things
ReplyDeleteIndia culture seems a lot different.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool how different they are from us
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that people changed religions so often..
ReplyDeleteThey have such an interesting culture there, such as their religion.
ReplyDeleteI want to visit this place in the future. I enjoy reading about it's beauty!
ReplyDeleteThe culture and the meaning of the different things surprises me cause I didn't know something like that would have meaning.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the complexities within the relationship influenced the decisions made by many to convert from Hindu.
ReplyDeleteTheir culture seems so interesting and different from ours. ~Derek Duran
ReplyDeleteis this the temple that glows a few hours after dark or am i thinking of another?
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me about this is that how they incorporated different cultures into the design of the Taj Mahal. What Tajs Husband built the structure in honor of his wife it is like what we do in the US by building memorials for people who have died in battle or in a tragic accidents.
ReplyDeleteThe beautiful structure of the building is extravagant. How much detail the husband but into the building for the death of his wife, the mother of his children, the love of his life. The religion brought into this structure didn't so much as surprise me but just showed me how deep religion means to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised me was that Tajs husband built the building in honor of his wife to me that is what surprised because here in the United States we might not build a huge structure like the Taj Mahal, but we build little memorials or symbolic/ tribute things for people who have passed away.
ReplyDeleteThe building is beautiful and very detailed. Its amazing what love can drive you to do for someone you love. Their religion seems to be very important to them. Its interesting how committed they are.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprised you? The amount of people that have ruled over one spot is really cool.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you reminded of in your own experience with this entry? In my own life I have been in one place several times over a decade never staying past a year but always coming back to it.
What would you like to know more about. The relationship between the people and the rulers.
what surprised you?
ReplyDelete-What surprised me was how the wife of Shah Jahan died after having 14 kids because after having so many kids you would think she wouldn't have died from giving birth.
what are you reminded of in your own experience with this entry?
-In this entry it states,¨In the 1970s, due to economic conditions, many Muslims left India to work in the Gulf
Coast.¨ This reminds me of when a lot of my family from Mexico ended up coming here to the United States in order to make more money working since you earn more money here in the U.S rather than in Mexico where Pesos there are cheaper than a American dollar but things cost more in Mexico.
What would you like to know more about?
-What I would like to learn more about is how Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan changed India and all the things they did that led to this change.
What surprised you? WHat surprised me is that the remains of anything of the Mumtaz Mahal is guarded in the most touristy building.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you reminded of in your own experience with this entry? This reminded me of the great pyramids that the ancients build and it being very symbolic.
What would you like to know more about? I would like to know more about the people perspective of how their parents of their parents felt about moving for better workplace.
Amy Piseno
DeleteThe mix of the cultures makes India an unique place, It's easy to identify how import religion is for them.
ReplyDeleteHow indians deal with castes, even nowadays that it became "illegal", what do they think about it?
What i found interesting about this was the mix of cultures and people visiting the Taj Mahal. I feel like many people come to the US to see the Statue of Liberty, the feeling is mutual about india. I would love to know more about indian leaders and the reason of this architectural majesty
ReplyDeleteI was surprised on how many children she had, Fourteen children!? That's a lot of kids.This reminds me of my family gathering except them being my siblings, they are my cousins. I want to know more on their lifestyle and what they did as a family.
ReplyDeleteSomething that caught my attention was the way they managed to combine both religions and formed its own architecture. It really gave a unique look to the country.
ReplyDelete