Built by a grief stricken Emperor Shah Jehan as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal has a structural elegance and pristine beauty that has been rarely matched. It took 20 thousand men nearly 22 years to build the mausoleum and the fines of skilled artisans were brought in to inlay the white marble edifice with precious stone and to conjure filigreed marble screens around the cenotaphs of the emperor and his beloved queen. There is a jewel - like quality about the Taj Mahal. The beautifully proportioned octagonal structure topped by a perfect dome is balanced b 4 soaring minarets that stand at the corners of the plinth.

The Taj Mahal is ethereal at any part of the day - blushing in the rosy glow of dawn or sunset, appearing like pearly mirage in the moonlight or reflected in the pools of the garden.

Perhaps the most moving view of the Taj is from as octagonal tower in the Agra Fort further along the river Yamuna. It was here that the Emperor Shah Jehan was imprisoned and where he spent his last days gazing at the tomb of his beloved wife.

It is said that he has planned to build a similar tomb for himself in black marble across the river - but it was not to be.