A beautiful tomb - but such a sad story

The fifth Moghul Empereur, Shah Jahan ruled a vast Empire across India, and Asia from 1628 to 1658. He was 21 when he married his third and favourite wife.
She was 19 and was renamed on marriage, Mumtaz Mahal.

They lived happily together in the Red Fort in Agra for 19 years.
Then she died in 1631 aged 38 in childbirth with their 14th child.

He Built the Taj Mahal - Crown Palace - as her tomb.
Many thousands of artisans and craftsmen worked for 22 years to build it.
It was built in the white marble he loved, inlaid with designs in semi-precious stones.

He planned that he should be buried in a black tomb across the river from his wife's tomb, but according to Muslim law could not build this in his own lifetime.

7 of their 14 children survived, including 4 sons.
The third eldest son, Aurangzeb, would not wait until he succeeded his elder brothers and father, and killed his brothers and imprisoned his father in the Red Fort for the last 8 years of his life.

 His view of the Taj Mahal from the Red Fort.

When Shah Jahan died in his 70's, his son never built the black tomb for his father and just put him on one side of his wife in the Taj Mahal. His tomb is the only asymetrical item on the whole Taj Mahal site.

Although the Taj Mahal is considered a worldwide Monument to Love, it seems that Shah Jahan must have spent a lot of his lifetime in sadness, with first the loss of his beloved wife and then the betrayal of his son.

Perhaps the iconic picture of Princess Diana, full of sadness and loneliness, would also sum up Shah Jehan's feelings for the last 35 years of his life ?
Proving once more that having Royalty, Riches and Power is no guarantee of Happiness!