TAJ MAHAL: A Promise of Love

They say the Taj Mahal is a monument of love. But few people know the pain, the loss and the promise hidden inside its white marble. Long before the Taj Mahal existed, there was a love story. A story of a Mughal prince and a woman who became his wife. Prince Khurram, who would later become Shah Jahan, met Anjuman Banu Begum at a very young age. He fell in love with her instantly. After their marriage, she was given the title Mumtaz Mahal, the chosen one of the palace. Mumtaz was not just his wife, she was his advisor, his companion and his closest friend. She travelled with Shah Jahan on military campaigns, even during dangerous times, even while pregnant. In the year 1631, during the birth of their 14th child, Mumtaz Mahal passed away. Shah Jahan was shattered. It is said that he locked himself away for days and when he emerged, his hair had turned white with grief. Before her death, Mumtaz made two promises from Shah Jahan. One, that he would never marry again and second, that he would build something so beautiful that the world would remember their love forever. That promise becomes the Taj Mahal.