Modern Wonders
TAJ MAHAL - THE SHRINE OF LOVE
Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and costly tombs in the world. The Mughal Emperor Shahjahan ordered it built in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1629A.D. Islamic architecture, in its purest form, is epitomized by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan's Taj Mahal. Work started on this movement in 1634 continued for almost 22 years. Situated in the city of Aqra in India, on the banks of the river Yamuna, the Taj is enclosed in a garden amongst fountains and ornamental trees.The walled complex includes two mosques and an imposing gateway. The tomb is encased in white marble which is decorated with flawless sculptures and inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy cut from precious gems. Below the dome in a dimly lit chamber lie the mortal remains of Shahjahan and beloved wife,queen Mumtaz Mahal, reminding the world of their undying love. It rests on a platform of red sandstone . At each corner of the platform stands a slender minaret (prayer tower). Each tower is 133 feet high . The building itself is 186 feet square. A dome covers the center of the building. It is 70 feet in diameter and 120 feet high.Passages from the Muslim holy book, Quern, decorate the outside. Built in charming environs, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful architectural work in the world. Without doubt, The Taj Mahal ranks as amongst the most perfect buildings in the world, flawlessly proportionate, built entirely out of marble. Intended to be a commemoration of the memory of Shahjahan's beloved wife , in reality it is his gift to entire human race.
ANGKOR WAT
The city of Angkor, in northwestern Cambodia , was the capital of a kingdom known as the Khmer Empire , for over five- hundred years. In fact, the word "angkor" means capital. It became one of the most architecturally complex places in the world between the 9th and the 13th centuries, but when armies from Thailand captured the city 1431, it was abandoned by most of its citizens. The largest component of this complex is known as Angkor Wat. The word "Wat" means monastery, and it was used as just that. This huge temple was built by King Suryavarman II, who decorated and built it in his Hindu beliefs. Dedicated to the Hindu Gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. It was a holy place for many. But soon in the ruling of King Jayavaraman VII decided that the Gods of Hinduism had failed him. Buddhism was prevalent in the construction of Angkor Thom, a new nearby capital. The Hindu decorations and deities were replaced by Buddhist carvings, statues, and other art, when it became a Buddhist shrine. The entire city where Angkor Wat is located extends fifteen miles (24 kilometers) from east to west and eight miles (13 kilometers) north to south. Around the temples the terrain is landscaped by and intricate system of reservoirs, canals, and moats that were used for water control and irrigation. The whole system symbolized the Hindu thought of a central mountain, Mt. Meru, a dwelling place for the Gods. Angkor Wat's five central towers represent the peaks of the holy mountain. The enormous moat surrounding the shrine suggests the oceans at the edge of the world. Crossing this moat includes crossing a 617-foot (188-meter) bridge. From the early fifteenth century, when Angkor was completely abandoned, until the late nineteenth century, Angkor was kept intact by the Theravada Buddhist monks. It became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Southeast Asia.
