Taj Mahal a beautiful symmetry
The Taj Mahal was last year voted as the number one of all the wonders of the world and this got me wondering as to why? It is beautiful to that there is no doubt, it's scale is impressive again there is not a doubt of this either but what is it that sets it apart from every thing else, what is it that creates such enigmatic beauty? I started to ponder on this and have done for the past week or so and it seems to me that the answer lies in the fact that it is absolutely in every way symmetrical.
As human beings we have a pre-dispostion to find symmetry appealing aesthetically yes but also we are programmed to see it as a form of health and vitality and purity. Many studies have been carried out at this length and certainly when you look at nature, symmetry or the mathematical rules of balance prevail.
The Taj Mahal in it's self is an amazing construction and is known throughout the world as the ultimate shrine of love and was built solely in celebration of women. The woman in question was queen Arjumand Banu Begum who passed away during the birth of her 14th child in 1631.
At the time of her death the Taj Mahal was not completed and as such she was buried a number of times firstly in the Zainabad gardens, transferred 6 months later to Agra the location of the Taj Mahal and finally enshrined within the crypt situated within the main tomb of the Taj Mahal.
The white Taj Mahal that we see today was initially built to solely be the last resting place of the queen, the king Shah Jahan had commissioned and already started work on a second Taj Mahal again perfectly symmetrical to the one already built though across the river to be his permanent resting place, this time however the Taj Mahal that he was building would be in direct contrast to that of his wife the queen and be built entirely of black marble. Whilst work started on the foundations and site outline for this second wonder it was never completed due to the war of succession where his son Aurangzeb murdered the rest of the kings sons and had the king himself imprisoned for the remaining eight years of his life with a view of the Taj Mahal.
Whilst the king and queen are united in death and both buried inside the main mausoleum the kings vision was that these two opposing Crown (Taj) Palaces (Mahal) be joined by an ornate bridge across the river to signify the pains of separation in death but togetherness through eternity in the form of the bridge.
It is almost as if though whilst one is complete and resplendent in all it's glory the other the black Taj Mahal with just it's bare foundations is a soul without a body.
So I do not detract one iota from how majestic and amazing the Taj Mahal is nor can I in anyway and yes it probably deserve it's position at the number one spot but maybe I like everyone else am just attracted to the beauty in symmetry but do wonder how amazing it would have been if the vision had been completed.

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