Just like this photograph which I captured during my visit to Agra, and thousands of other photos that flood Instagram and Internet, -Taj Mahal has its charm around the world. Being one of the wonders from Seven wonders around the world, it has its popularity as well. It is undeniably the masterpiece of Indian architecture, but is it really the monument of love? How is it possible?
King Shah Jahan who built the Taj was Mughal king, and was kind in nature when compared to his predecessors. Mumtaz Mahal was the second wife of King, and had special attention from King compared to other two wives.
Shah Jahan married Mumtaz Mahal when she was 19. Being his favourite wife, she was chief queen, but again that special status had its repercussions as well. During the period of 19 year of her marriage, she gave birth to fourteen children! While giving birth to her last child Gauhar Ara Begum, Mumtaz Mahal succumbed to an unfortunate death.
So, that was how Mumtaz Mahal, in the remembrance of whom, the amazing mausoleum of white marble was built, died.
Love has always had diverse meanings for different people of different times. Maybe Shah Jahan’s love was in the form of creating as many offspring as he can from his favourite wife.
It is true that there were no women rights or feminism of any kind, both of them including human rights, justice and equality (of race as well as of gender) never existed then and are very recent ideas, and life was harsh in those matters.
I came to know about this while reading Delhi by Khushwant Singh. The question which is the title of this post then rose in mind. The questions still remain unanswered, but pondering over it, I personally cannot accept it as a monument of Love, but unquestionable wonder of an Indian Architecture.
The thing about history is, irrespective of what we feel, things were how they were and we cannot do anything about it other than accepting it the way it was.
Remember, there was no justice in the history.
Till the infinite... 