56 AGRA, " TAJ " IN SIGHT. 



after having passed tlirougl) a very uninteresting 

 country, and a short branch Une took nie to 

 Agra. 



The latter, now the seat of Government of the 

 province, had from 1526 to 1058 been the capital of 

 the Mogul sovereigns, and like Delhi, which took its 

 place, owes the creation of so many unique palaces and 

 public buildings to the refined taste and genius of 

 Shah Jehan. 



Already before crossing the Jumna by a long bridge 

 of boats, since replaced by a railway viaduct, the 

 famous Taj appears in the distance on the border of 

 that mighty river, and not many travellers will long 

 delay a closer inspection. This wonderful monument, 

 as everybody knows, was erected by Shah Jehan, as 

 the tomb of his beautiful wife Arjemand Banu, also 

 called Mumtaz Mahal (Paragon of the Age), or Noor 

 Jehan (Light of the World). To have an idea of the 

 stupendousness of the task, we have only to consider 

 that it took twenty-two years to complete the work, 

 and that its height to the top of the central dome is 

 250 feet. The best view one has of the great Taj is 

 either from the opposite shore or by approaching it 

 through the garden avenue, which is lined with dark 

 and sombre looking cypress trees, as if intended to pre- 

 pare the mind for the proper appreciation of the tomb 



