Taj Mahal -- Love’s Labour Won

Taj Mahal is undoubtedly India’s most prized architectural marvel and one of the world’s finest. Often described as India’s ‘Jewel in the Crown’, the Taj has inspired innumerable poets, musicians and painters from across the globe for centuries. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

The construction of the monument required the skill, expertise, and labor of 20,000 workers and artisans. Work began in 1631 and ended 22 years later. The story has it that it took a fleet of 1,000 elephants to transport the construction material, sourced from various parts of India and central Asia to the construction site.

The main edifice comprises five main elements: Darwaza or main gateway, Bageecha or garden, Masjid or mosque, Naqquar Khana or rest house, and Rauza or the mausoleum. For visitors, a trip to India is incomplete without paying a visit to the monument, which has also been included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World. For Generations, the Taj Mahal has been an emblem of love exquisitely portrayed in marble.

Malls and Memsahibs: Shimla

The capital of Himachal Pradesh has some the world’s finest examples of British colonial architecture. Inspired by the Renaissance in England is the greystone Viceregal Lodge on Observatory Hill. Also known as Rashtrapati Niwas, it was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy Lord Dufferin. It was also the venue for many important decisions that changed the fate of the subcontinent.

Given its history, it is quite befitting that it is the only building in Shimla that occupies a hill by itself Interestingly, the Lodge has electricity by 1888, the only place in Shimla that did in those days. After Independence, the Lodge continued as the summer retreat of the President of India.

Similar to Delhi’s Viceregal Palace, it was here that the Viceroy hosted parties and entertained Princes and nawabs. In the early Sixties, President S. Radhakrishnan, a leading Philosopher and also a writer, and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to make it a scholar’s hub where the best minds would find an ideal retreat. Today, it is appropriately occupied by the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.

Getting There:

The nearest airport is at Jubberhatti (26 km). Shimla is connected by a broad gauge train line up to Kalka. From Kalka, the six-hour journey crosses 103 tunnels. It is considered to be the best way to enjoy the scenic beauty en route. ( I took an overnight Volvo bus from Delhi to Shimla)