CAMELOT FANTASIES

In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess, died during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum.[13] Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632.[14] The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal.[15][16] The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these words:[17]

 

Should guilty seek asylum here,
 Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
 Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
 All his past sins are to be washed away.
 The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
 And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
 In this world this edifice has been made;
 To display thereby the creator's glory.