The Taj Mahal is symbol of love, commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 to honour his favourite wife who died while giving birth to their 14th child.
Her name was Mumtaz Mahal, which in English translates to something like “Chosen One of the Palace”. It’s why this building is called the Taj Mahal, reflecting her name and in English translating as “Crown of the Palace”.
How can you not see love in this tomb, the ultimate symbol of devotion?
It’s estimated that if you were to build it today, it would cost about US$800 million. Although it’s not just the price tag that demonstrates the love of the emperor – it’s the fact that he wanted this to be a building without parallel.
The rumours say that he killed the architects and designers who worked on the Taj Mahal so they could never build something else as great. There’s actually no evidence that this is true, though. But anyway, it probably wouldn’t have been necessary. How could this be replicated without the passion of a ruler who is motivated by passion itself?
To say that the Taj Mahal is a symbol of love is certainly correct, everyone will see it, and they’re not wrong. But there’s more to it than that.
The Taj Mahal is also a symbol of power.
To put this magnificent building into context, we need to look at the time when it was built. Shah Jahan had become emperor in 1628 after a war of succession and he did a lot to assert his position.
As well as killing his rivals, he set out on an ambitious period of construction, commissioning many monuments across his kingdom.
The Taj Mahal – with its striking symmetry, its dazzling white marble, its impressive scale, and its glistening jewels – was the grandest of the monuments Shah Jahan built, but it wasn’t the only one. It was about love, no doubt, but it was also part of projecting his power to his people.
