The love story behind the Taj Mahal is a tragic one. What you actually see here is a 3)mausoleum, an 4)ex travagant tomb built in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz. They had been married for 19 years when Mumtaz died in 5)childbirth. The heartbroken emperor resolved to immortalize her memory by creating the finest monument ever seen, the Taj Mahal.
Dr. Najaf Haider (Historian, University of Delhi): How deep was Shah Jahan’s love for Mumtaz Mahal can be seen from the reaction the tragedy 6)provoked. His beard began to turn white and he never quite appeared the same thereafter.
It was custom for the emperor to build a mausoleum to ensure his own body’s journey to heaven. But Shah’s love for his wife was such that instead he built it for her. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in the same year as Mumtaz’ death. It took a fleet on 1,000 elephants and a work force of over 20,000 to complete this majestic structure.
Prof. Monica Junejah (Art Historian, University of Delhi): The Taj Mahal was a mammoth project of Shah Jahan’s reign. It was a project which required planning till the very last detail. It was something, which was completed in 11 years which was rather amazingly short for a monument of this kind.
The Taj Mahal itself forms the 7)centerpiece of a 42-acre complex. The cost? Five million rupies. That’s a 8)staggering 104 million dollars in today’s money. But then perfection comes at a price. And today the Taj does look as perfect as it did 500 years ago. What most people don’t get to see is the manpower that goes into its 9)upkeep. The secret to its splendor is all down to traditional methods of marble 10)inlaying, cleaning, and gardening which have been passed down through generations of local people.
Our cameras were allowed exclusive access inside the Taj Mahal normally off limits to visitors. Here you can see where the body of Mumtaz was laid to rest. Her tomb covered in 43 different types of gem. The emperor was determined that everything about the Taj Mahal should be 11)symmetrical. Ironically though when he died in 1666, his son decided to bury Shah next to his wife. That was never meant to happen.
Monica: The only symmetrical flaw in the whole building is the placement of the emperor’s tomb because it’s not in the center.
To rub even more salt into the wound, the emperor had had to spend the last eight years of his life imprisoned in a 12)fort on the Jhelum River. All he could see from his cell window? His finest achievement, the Taj Mahal.
If you’re travelling in India, seeing it for real and up close is a once in a lifetime experience.
爱的铭记泰姬陵
泰姬陵背后是一个悲剧爱情故事。现在大家看到的实际上是皇帝沙贾汗于十七世纪为纪念爱妃泰姬所建的一座奢华的陵墓。婚后十九年，泰姬不幸在分娩时去世。悲痛欲绝的皇帝于是决定建造一座人间最华丽的陵墓--泰姬陵--来永远怀念亡妻。
纳加夫·海德博士(德里大学历史学家)：沙贾汗对泰姬的爱有多深，从他的极度悲痛中就可以知道。他的胡子全白了，而且他再难以恢复往日的欢颜。
依照惯例，每位皇帝可以为自己建造一座陵墓，以确保通往天堂之路畅通无阻。但沙贾汗对皇后的爱是如此之深，以至于他决定陵墓将为她而建。泰姬去世的那一年泰姬陵开始动工。完成这座宏伟的建筑动用了一千头大象和两万多人的劳力。
莫妮卡·朱奈亚教授(德里大学艺术史学家)：泰姬陵是沙贾汗在位时期的一项庞大的工程，从头到尾每一个细节都要精心设计。到全部完工共历时十一年，建造这样一座陵墓，十一年的时间是相当短的了。
泰姬陵的中心墓室错综复杂，占地四十二英亩。陵墓造价五百万卢比，按当今折合起来是一亿零四百万美元，真是令人咋舌。但是物有所值，今天的泰姬陵看起来仍和五百年前一样完美。不过许多人都不了解陵墓修缮所需的人力。泰姬陵之所以今天仍然这样富丽堂皇，秘密在于当地人代代相传的大理石镶嵌、清洁和园艺的传统工艺。
我们被破例允许进入泰姬陵内室进行拍摄，一般游客是禁止入内的。在这里你能看到泰姬的遗体安放的位置。她的墓室用四十三种宝石来装饰。皇帝认为泰姬陵内的一切都应该是对称的。具有讽刺意味的是，沙贾汗于1666年去世后，尽管他的儿子决定将他葬在爱妃旁边，可是却从来没有实现。
莫妮卡·朱奈亚教授∶整座建筑在对称上的唯一瑕疵就是皇帝的墓室，因为它不在中心位置。
而沙贾汗人生的最后八年是被监禁在积林河旁的一座堡垒中度过的，这对他来说不啻于雪上加霜。他透过牢房的窗户仅能看到的就是他一生的杰作--泰姬陵。
如果你有机会到印度旅行，身临其境去看看泰姬陵吧，这将是一次毕生难忘的经历。
1) Taj Mahal [5tB:dVmE5hB:] 泰吉·玛哈尔陵（亦译泰姬陵）由莫卧儿皇帝沙贾汗（1628-1658在位）为其爱妻所建。沙贾汗是莫卧儿王朝鼎盛时期的著名皇帝，他嫔妃满宫而独宠波斯女子蒙泰吉·玛哈尔。她聪明美丽，多才多艺，无论沙贾汗出征还是被放逐都伴随同行。沙贾汗封她为“泰姬·玛哈尔”，意为“宫廷的王冠”。
2) epitaph [5epitB:f] n. 墓志铭，碑文
3) mausoleum [9mC:sE5liEm] n. 陵墓
4) extravagant [iks5trAvgEnt] a. 奢侈的，过分的
5) childbirth [5tFaildbE:W] n. 分娩
6) provoke [prE5vEuk] v. 惹起，挑拨
7) centerpiece [5sentEpi:s] n. 中心装饰品
8) staggering [5stAgEriN] a. 令人惊愕的
9) upkeep [5Qpki:p] n. 维修，维修费
10) inlay [5in9lei] v. 把……镶入
11) symmetrical [si5metrikE] a. 对称的，均匀的
12) fort [fC:t] n. 堡垒，边界上的贸易站
