India info

The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and impressive monuments in the world. Located in Agra, the white marble structure was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After two years of mourning her death by eliminating music, dancing, feasting, and all other celebrating from the royal court, the emperor decided to build the Taj Mahal in her honor. He selected its location so that it would be visible from his residence in the Agra fort.

The Taj Mahal is set overlooking the Yamuna River. In addition to the large, white marble dome for which it is known, the complex also includes a large mosque to the west and a guest house to the east, added for symmetry. The impressive garden contains four water channels that represent the four rivers of the Islamic Paradise.

Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is cited as the principal designer of the Taj Mahal, although the project employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen over its 21 year construction period.

Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, also known as Akbar the Great, was the grandson of Babur who founded the Mughal empire, making him the third emperor of the Mughal dynasty. Only 14 years old when he ascended to the throne, Akbar spent his first couple of decades in power bringing parts of northern and central India into his empire. By the year of his death in 1605, Akbar had doubled the Mughal empire to two million square kilometers. He is widely considered the greatest of all the Mughal emperors.

Construction on his tomb, located just outside of Agra in Sikandra, began before his death in 1605 but was completed under the supervision of his son, Jahangir, around the year 1614. A magnificent gateway covered in floral and geometric designs opens up into a huge, walled garden divided into four sections. A stone pathway running through the gardens leads up the the pyramidal structure of the tomb itself.

Akbar’s tomb represents a significant departure from traditional Mughal architecture and exemplifies Akbar’s art and architectural interests for which he was known.

Old Delhi is a walled city set inside of New Delhi.  It was founded in 1639 by Emperor Shahjahan as Shahjahanabad and was the capital of the Mughals for most of their reign.  Once home to the rich and royal, Old Delhi now represents the everyday life in the city. It is the extremely crowed, filled with many street vendors and the famous Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and biggest markets in Delhi and the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in the Asia-Pacific.

Originally referred to as Qila-i-Murbarak (the blessed fort), the Red Fort was constructed between 1638 and 1648 under the command of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to be the residence of the royal family when they moved the capital from Agra to Delhi. Its massive, red sandstone walls extend more than 2km around the perimeter of the fort and vary from 18-33 meters in height. The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the walls and waterways of the gardens.

The British army took control of the Red Fort after the First War of Independence in 1858 and continued to occupy it until India gained its independence in 1947. The Indian army then took over the fort as a military garrison until it was handed over to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture in 2003, at which point the fort was restored and open to the public as a monument of Indian architecture and history.

Humayun was the second Mughal emperor, succeeded his father Babur in 1530 at the age of 22. He ruled modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India until he was overthrown by the Afghan Sultan, Sher Shah Suri, in 1540. With the help of the Persians, he regained an even larger kingdom that spanned nearly one million square kilomenters in 1555, just one year before he died.

Six years after his death, Humayun’s Persian widow, Hamida Banu Begum, ordered his tomb to be built in central Delhi. It took nearly ten years to complete and is known for being the first garden-tomb of Mughal imperial architecture in Southeast Asia, later inspiring the construction of the Red Fort in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tomb now contains may sarcophagi, including the wives of Humayun and several later Mughal emperors and princes.

Constructed in 1986, the Bahai temple is an impressive structure created of marble, cement, dolomite and sand in the shape of a partially-opened lotus flower, which symbolizes purity and peace to the people of India. The Bahá’í Faith is the youngest independent religion, established in the mid 1800s by Bahá’u'lláh, regarded by the Bahá’í people as the most recent messenger of God. His message was one of global unification, encouraging the breakdown of the common social barriers including race, class, and nation in the birth of a single, universal civilization.

Hindu people view the cow as a holy animal. They are often seen roaming free on the streets and are sometimes highly decorated with jewels on their heads and backs. The protein-rich milk and dairy products derived from it is viewed as a gift from the gods. In addition, the cow is used to fertilize and till agricultural fields and is therefore believed to be a selfless provider, giving and giving while taking only grass and grain in return. Hindu society honors the cow as a symbol of life and abundance. Cow-slaughter is legally banned in almost all states of India. (Indeed, local MacDonald’s serve mutton burgers instead of beef ones.)