CHAPTER III 



THE GARDENS OF THE TAJ 



I sometimes think that never blows so red 

 The Rose as where some buried Caesar bled ; 



That every Hyacinth the Garden wears, 

 Dropt in her Lap from some once lovely Head. 



Omab Khayyam. 



The " Paradise -like Orchard " of the Lady 

 Arjumand Banu, Begam, is more familiar to 

 us as the garden-tomb of Mumtaz Mahal — ^the 

 Crown of the Palace and Lady of the Taj. 



So much has been written in praise of this 

 famous building, and photographs and pictures 

 have made it so familiar, that it might seem 

 needless to add any impressions of my own, 

 were it not that most writers are too enchanted 

 with the beauty of the actual tomb to realise 

 the close connection of the whole group of 

 buildings, and that the garden as originally 

 planned formed an integral part of one great 

 design. 



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