The Portland daily press., 1895-11-07
WONDERFUL TAI MAHAL.
India's Tomb of tho Famous Empress of
Shah Jehan.
(Erom Harner,s Weekly J


The central point of attraction to the
stranger at Agra must always be the
wonderful building known as the Tai
Mahal at once the tomb and the monu
ment of the Empress of Shah Jehan. 1t
is said that on the spot where the tomb
now stands there was once sort of sum-
mer palace where the Great Mogul and
his family spent part at least of the year,
as it was the favorite residence of his
wife, to whom he was devotedly attached.
Here, the story goes she had asked him
to build her the most beautiful palace
ever yet constructed as memorial of his
affection for her and of their happiness
together. Before anything was done to
carry out this design however the beloved
Empress died leaving the Emperor incon
solable for his loss What he could not
do for the living wife he determined still
to do for her memory and the result was
the erection of the famous tomb which re-
mains still the most beautiful example OF
it's class in the world. The building
stands on the opposite bank OF the
Jumna from the palace and city Agra
and it's domes of white marble rising
from among the luxuriant vegetation OF
the surrounding garden form the most
dazzling object that can well be con-
ceiyed as seen from almost any part OF
tho city but especially from the palace
itself.
No estimate has ever been formed OF
the wealth lavished on the building,
but that it must have been enormous no
one who examines the almost lncreditable
beauty and elaborateness Of theworkman-
ship, and the rare and, in some cases.
almost priceless character of the material
used in it's construction, can possibly
doubt. The actual execution of the
work employed host of the most skilled
laborers obtainable in the Eastern world
for twenty-five years, and when 1t IS
remembered that the building is small
compared with most of those on which
emperors have lavished theirr treasures,
some IDEA of the intricacy of Its design
and the beauty of its execution may be
formed.
The gateway by which we entered the
Enclosure itself prepared us somewhat for
the splendoriof the building within. Like
every part of the building and its sur
roundings, this gateway is constructed of
the purest white marble polished to the
highest perfection of which the stone is
capable while the carving and designs
embossed on the surface are remarkable
for the elegance and grace of their con-
ception as wei as for the perfection of
their execution. 1t is no easy matte to
accustom the mind to the idea that this
work, hardly less perfect to-day than it
was $50 years ago, can have stood exposed
to the weather all those years. Some
thing, no doubt, is due to the climate,
and more, perhaps, to the exquisite polish
of the surface, which has fitted it to re-
sist the weather to the best advantage.
It is, howeve. on the interior of the
mausoleum that Eastern art, with all its
wealth of patient industry, has lavlsEed
the best of all it had to offer. The whole
interior blazes to-day exactly as it did
when first erected, with the perfect repro
duction in polished stone of every leaf and
flower with.which nature has adorned the
Indian peninsula. And not one shade of
all the exquisite color is produced by any
pigment. If single flower demanded a
score of tints to reproduce it's perfect
beauty, the effect was obtained by the
use of score of different stones without
regard to their rarity or value. Nor is
the effect injured by marks of joining.
Hardly anything short of microscope
would in most instances disclose the fact
that art and not nature had produced the
dazzling effect. But it is hopeless to at
tempt to give any adequate idea of this
cJnsummate work of art. which stands,
and no doubt will stand, unrivaled as the
highest example ,of unwearied art sup
ported by unbounded resources.