Taj Mahal the Epitome of Love, Mumtaj Mahal the Inspiration Behind

Mumtaj Mahal: The Inspiration Behind Taj

Once the great philosopher Plato said, “at the touch of love every one becomes a poet“. And really was it true with Prince Khurram as he met Arjumand Bano Begam at the age of 14. Unanimously it was the very first sight love that made a Mughal prince to bow down before a girl who was definitely not a princess. She was born in 1503 and died in 1631 during the birth of her fourteenth child (Guhara Begam) at Burhanpur where she had gone with her husband in a war campaign(She was so beloved to the emperor that he even not isolated her during his constant war campaigns). Her father Abdul Hasan Asaf Khan (brother of Nur Jahan) was the prime minister of Jahangir, the 4th Mughal emperor of India and father of prince Khurram. Perhaps it was not only the gorgeous and stunning beauty of Arjumand but her intrinsic quality also, that made prince Khurram to marry her and bestow her as the third and most beloved queen. Although her father was a Persian Muslim who got an important place in Mughal court, Arjumand was born in Agra (Utter Pradesh, India) and not in Persia. After the death of his father Jahangir, Khurram ascended the throne with the royal name of Shah Jahan and bestowed on Arjumand the name of Mumtaj Mahal which means ornamentation of palace. Really she was the crown, the most precious jewel of emperors` palace.

According to legend, Mumtaz extracted four promises from the emperor and the construction of Taj Mahal was the out come of the very first promise the emperor made to his most beloved wife. A notable fact here is that the construction of Taj Mahal began only after six months of the death of Mumtaz. When she died at Burhanpur, her mortal remains were temporarily buried in the Zainabad garden and only six months later her coffin was carried to Agra to be finally buried in the main tomb of Taj Mahal. Later the casket of emperor (the only asymmetrical object in Taj Mahal) was also placed beside his love Mumtaz`s by his son Auranzeb, who had arrested his father after capturing the throne. There are enough evidences to show that the emperor also desired to commence another construction, a black Taj Mahal(on the other side of river Yamuna, started but unfortunately the destiny and his own son Aurangzeb never permitted him to complete the monument just in front of Taj Mahal) to be used as his own tomb.