The Taj Mahal truly is one of the wonders of the world. It is a monument of love built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1630 for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. For twenty-two years, 20,000 men labored day and night to build this masterpiece that has held the world awe struck ever since. It is visited today by more than three million people who visit Agra each year. I feel the Taj Mahal is one of the very few places in the world where the reality of seeing the subject actually surpasses all of the hyperbole and hype. Rudyard Kipling expressed the beauty of this place aptly as “the embodiment of all things pure.” –R. Lynch
