Sunday, January 5, 2014

Taj Mahal

In the month of November, Miss Haana had been to India to visit grandparents both maternal and paternal. It was during this visit that we all had been to Taj Mahal in Agra, India: http://www.tajmahal.gov.in/.

The Taj Mahal, built in 1631-48, "a spectacle in white marble, unparalleled in grandeur that depicts the sheer opulence of an era. The awesome structure, the monument of love that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan gave to the world, stands as a testimony of his intense love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
It is a romance celebrated in marble and glorified with precious and semi-precious stones and that’s the way to appreciate it!"

I thought the Taj Mahal was amazing. I also thought that the sentiment with which it was made was amazing and crazy. Shah Jahaan was not the first and by no means the last king with the money and means at his disposal for such a structure. So, it was not the means - it was the dream, the love and the will that surpassed what was considered normal and expected thus far and for centuries beyond. A love that knows no barriers of being "correct" or "normal". 

I thought it was amazing that so many people come from all over the world to see this structure of beauty and love over 400 years. Four hundred years! 

I wondered if in our lifetimes if we'll ever be able to do something that great that can be held up for generations thereafter. And perhaps more importantly, I wondered if we will be able to surpass the barriers of the expected norms, the normal and the expected to follow our heart in our lifetimes.