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Travel to the city of Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the country of India. There you will find the most exquisite gift of eternal love ...

It is an early October morning and situated within a beautifully formed enclosed garden (a Muslim symbol of paradise) centered on a large, raised pool on the banks of the Yamuna River we come upon a monument that you might see in a fairytale. The mist slowly begins to rise. Unveiled and immersed in a pinkish-red glow is one of the 7th Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.

In all its splendor, the entire Taj Mahal is more than just one building. Before you is a mixture of Arabic, Persian and Islamic architecture, consisting of the main gateway (Darwaza), a red sandstone mosque (Masjid), a guesthouse (Naqqar Khana) and mausoleum (Rauza). Walk the pathways and notice the four waterways (canals) which divide the gardens (Bageecha) into four equal parts each containing flower beds, fountains, and cypress trees (symbols of death). A number of large supply tanks, copper and earthenware pipes are utilized to feed the water into the fountains and the pond.

The Taj stands on a raised 186 x 186 foot square podium, the corners of which are cut short to form an unequal octagon. The intricate design of the Taj uses an architectural view known as the interlocking arabesque concept. According to this concept each element or part of the structure is complete in itself, yet it joins with the other parts perfectly to look as though it is a part of the main structure.

Feast your eyes on the four minarets (tall spires with onion-shaped crowns), each standing 162.5 feet high and topped with eight windowed cupolas. The central dome towers over them at 213 feet high and 58 feet in diameter and is surrounded by four lower domed chambers each with minarets that stand 138 feet high.

Does seeing the Taj make you feel as the designer Shah Jahan did? He said, "The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs and makes sun and moon shed tears from their eyes. In this world this edifice has been made to display, thereby, the Creator's glory."

Actually, it was built because of Shah Jahan's love for his third wife Arjumand Bano Begum or Mumtaz Mahal (meaning the "chosen one" as he named her). She died while giving birth to their fourteenth child and Shah Jahan (Prince Khurram before he took over the throne) wanted the most beautiful tomb to be constructed where she would be buried.

It took 22,000 workers and 1,000 elephants to haul in white marble from all

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