The Taj Mahal, India’s instantly recognisable and iconic monument to love, steps up to the modern Internet era with a Twitter handle of its own. This is an endearing tribute to Mughal architecture. A lovelorn emperor’s monument in tribute to one of his three wives, Mumtaz Mahal, was built from 1643 and was possibly complete only by 1653, when the emperor’s reign was about to end abruptly.
The Twitter handle may be used, abused or misused, but of the three million tourists who visit the Taj in Agra every year, a majority may enjoy posting selfies taken with the Taj photo bombed as it were. Their joy must know no bounds as they visit the 17th century monument, India’s best-known tourist spot, built for just '3.2 crore, but valued at around Rs 5,280 crore in today’s currency.
Shah Jahan’s love for Mumtaz is enshrined forever in this masterpiece of white marble, a poetic departure from the red sandstone with which most buildings of that era of the Mughal Empire’s greatest prosperity were built. The Taj’s completion was soon to be overtaken by tragedy, as the vaulting ambition of one of the emperor’s sons, Aurangzeb, led to the romantic emperor who built the Taj being incarcerated in Agra for the rest of his life, with his son not even visiting him in his lifetime. Uniquely, in this day and age, the Taj Mahal stands as a secular symbol of India’s unity and diversity, and @TajMahal will help enhance its appeal.
