Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-03-15
BY FRANCES LEVINE
Associated Press Staff Writer


struck eyes today, seemingly
awed by the beauty of the
white marble memorial to a
300-year-old love story.
The American First Lady
shared an experience that
thousands have had before
her, for the massive, deli
cately wrought building and
spacious garden of rejecting
pools and Towering shrubs
is midas leading tourist at
traction.
Mrs. Kennedy visited the
grounds in late afternoon for
her first look at the endur-
ing symbol of the love of a
18th century Mogul Emperor,
Shah .Jahan, for his wife
whose urdu titles included
Tai Mahal-crown Of the pal
ace.
She arranged to return
after dinner for . view by
moonlight.
Others Enchanted
Among others who have
been enchanted by the me-
mortal that poets have called
a dream in marble is former
President Eisenhower. He was
here ips 1859. The view an
nually delights more eyes
and stirs more signs than
any other sight in India.
Mrs. Kennedy saw a build
ing standing on a square
marble parapet raised IL
feet above the garden. It's
frame Is 1856 feet on each
side. The walls, rising more
than 100 feet, are capped by
a dome which scars to 210
feet. Slimminarets rise deli
cately at each corner OF the
parapet.
The structure is inlaid with
wreaths, scrolls and frets OF
bookstores, agates and jas
per. Shah Jahan and his be-
loved were Moslems and
thousands Of verses from the
Koran are craven into the
walls in black stone.
Mumtaz, q bride at IA,
was 81 when she died at the
birth Of her 14th child in
1881. The Shah began work
on the memorial the follow
ing year. Experts estimate it
cost $50 million even in those
times, when labor was cheap.
Shah Jahan was buried be-
side Mumtaz after his death
in 1856.
Courtyard With q Past
On her way south from
New Delhi, Mrs. Kennedy
visited Fatehpur Sikri, a for
mer Indian capital 20 miles
southwest of this city. There
she showed particular inter-
est in a stone courtyard
where aG16th century Mogul
Emperor played chess with
his wife, using girls as chess
pieces.
Mrs. kennedy came by
train to this red sandstone
city in the desert from New
Delhi. Prime Minister Nehru
had seen her off from midas
modern capital. u
Mrs. Kennedy was received
at the Fatehpur Sikri railway
station by Mrs. Suchita Kri-
palani, a leading member OF
Nehru's Congress Party, who
is now in the Star Pradesh
state cabinet.
Mrs. Kripalani's husband is
a Conservative whom Defense
Minister v. K. Krishna Men
non soundly defeated in the
parliamentary election in
Bombay last month.
The sun beamed down with
the promise of coming sum-
mer. The temperature was
about the level Of a midsum-
mer day in Hyannis Port,
Mass. Here, a midsummer
days temperature is usually
between ITO and lis degrees.
The area appeared dry and
brown. It was because Of the
failure Of the water supply
at Fatehpur Sikri that this
city of Emperor Akbar was
abandoned 10 years after it
was built, four centuries ago.
After a night flight to
Bananas, Mrs. Kennedy will
tour the Holy City tomorrow,
then fly to Udaipur and Jai-
pur to be the guest of their
Maharajas. She will return
to New Delhi for one night
before beginning a tour of
PakiStan March 81.
Sees Folk Dancing
Mrs. Kennedy dined last
night with 48 other guests at
Mr.. Nehru's residence and
after dinner was treated to
an exhibition of Indian folk
dancing and singing in the
garden.
Mrs. Kennedy wore a two
piece tunic evening dress of
turquoise raw silk with heavy
silver embroidery at the hem.
It was high necked with wide
shoulder straps and had a
matching stole. She wore
her hair in a high puff on
top and long in the back,
with a diamond clip in her
hair, pendant diamond ear
rings and a three-strand
pearl necklace. AZ
Mrs. Kennedy sat at Mr..
Nehru's right at dinner and
at her right was Maharaja
Karan Singh, handso... :
young Governor of Jammu
Capitol Hill