Sublime. Simply sublime. There is no better way to describe the Taj Mahal. This is one man's vision of love to his immortal beloved and you cannot help but immerse yourself in its magnificence too. When you find yourself looking at it, near or far, you can't help but marvel at its……at its……at its…..

You can't really describe what it is that attracts your eyes to it. You cannot help but let your eyes roam over it. It is almost as if you are feeling it; caressing it; stroking it. You can almost feel the cool and smoothness of the marble under your sight as you would your hands. The towers, the bulbous onion-like curves, the minarets, the ever changing marble hues reflecting the sunlight, the delicate carvings, the inlaid Koranic inscriptions and the absolute symmetry are all aspects that you see and are all visually very appealing. But there is something more……

Every care was taken into ensuring a monument to love that would span the eons. No expense was spared. Moghul Emperor, and grandson of Akbar the Great, Shah Jehan's favourite wife had died in childbirth and he wished to immortalize her because his loss was so great. To do so, he attracted the finest artisans, designers and craftsmen from all of Asia to work on his project that took 30 years to complete!

The Taj is set in its own grounds on the bank of the Yamuna river to ensure that the cool river air would help keep the air clean and help the marble to radiate with the ever changing intensity of the sun. The opposite bank was proclaimed a park to ensure that the background of the monument was not compromised. Genius! From whichever side you see the Taj it looks the same, but not disappointingly so. Symmetry was absolute in every respect. Each side faces the points of the compass and the East and West sides capture the rays of the rising and setting sun, respectively.

To ensure that the peace of the monument, nay mausoleum, the Emperor ensured that it was surrounded by its own green gardens and trees with the sound of trickling fountains everywhere. The crenulated walls surround the gardens creating an enclave of peace and harmony. Even in today's age, the multitudes of crowds are swallowed by the sheer size and grandeur of the gardens and the Taj. The crowds only get in the way of "that photo"!

Tucked unobtrusively behind the trees are the entrance gates to this walled garden. Although the south gate is the most grand, the east and west are equally impressive (The Taj actually sits at the northern end of the area right on the banks of the river). Sitting next to the Taj, on either side, but discretely out of sight, are two other buildings in the same style as the Taj, only smaller. They are mirror images of each other and complement the Taj in every respect. They too, are symmetrical in every respect with each other. These two buildings, one a mosque and the other a type of pilgrims' hostel (although thisfunction has ceased to exist) are so impressive that architectural commentators say that they could exist as monuments in their own rights.

Where the walls, gates and accompanying buildings are constructed from mainly red sandstone and finished off with white marble; the Taj Mahal is exclusively made from white marble. The effect is simply sublime and totally complementary.

The Taj is a monument that surpasses any other we have seen so far. It is so famous that you would recognize it without perhaps knowing why. Perhaps the Taj is best remembered recently because of its association with Princess Di. It was not long after her visit here that she was killed and "that photo" from her visit here was shown all over the world; a tragic figure in love in front of a monument to love. Nothing symbolizes earthly love, in all its forms, been two people better than the Taj Mahal.

Every day, all day, except Friday, the Taj is visited by millions. Like any love story, there is a sense of irony about the relationship between the parties. In order to find yourself in love, you must lose yourself to love. It is ironic that India's greatest, most recognizable symbol is the Taj Mahal. Why? It was built by Muslims and is now visited by millions of Hindus. Perhaps they need to see what they are not, to appreciate what they are? Who knows? Maybe that something more is that the Taj projects a real presence of majesty and magnificence of love without being arrogant, grandiose or obnoxious. Here is true love manifest.