The Taj Mahal

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jan 4, 2004 | by Carma Wadley Deseret Morning News

And at the back of the tomb, we see the line that divides the monument in two; everything on one side is the mirror image of the other -- except for one tiny inlaid flower. The reason for it is simple, our guide tells us; only God can make perfection, so there must be one flaw here.

Is this a lesson for our own lives? Achieve harmony; build in all the balance and symmetry we can -- and let God take care of the perfection?

The Taj Mahal is by far the most important site in Agra, but it is not the only thing worth seeing. The Agra Fort, built originally by Akbar the Great between 1565 and 1573, is also an impressive example of Mughal architecture.

The structure was added to by later emperors, including Shah Jahan, who built two gold pavilions for his daughters. The fort is made mostly of red sandstone and white marble, carved with elephant trunks and lotus blossoms.

The corner chamber is where Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life. After completing the Taj, he had great plans for building a mirror tomb in black marble across the river for himself. But that was not to be. In 1658, Jahan's son, Aurangzeb, usurped power, took over the kingdom and placed his father in captivity at the Agra Fort, where Jahan lived in confinement for eight more years.

So, what does that tell us about love? That it doesn't come automatically, even in families?

After visiting the buildings, we stop at a marble factory to see the process of setting precious and semi-precious stones into marble - - a skill that has been handed down from generation to generation since the time of Shah Jahan.

Made with simple tools -- chisel and scriber -- these intricate designs and skills are learned at the knees of the workers' fathers and passed on to their sons. For a time, it was considered an endangered art, with fewer and fewer people taking it up. But in recent years, tourism has added impetus to the production of everything from table tops to plates and plaques and boxes.

Of course, we must buy. And when we get home and look at these things made only in Agra, they will remind us of this place, but will we also think of the things that we learned at the knees of our fathers?

At an embroidery shop, we see more elegant creations; these made by artist Shams Uddin, who created a whole new genre of needle- painting -- 3-D views of flowers and tigers and the Taj Mahal. And much to our surprise in this very Hindu country, we see his spectacular rendering of our own Christian Good Shepherd. As the shop owner tells us, "Shams had a divine gift. Art has no limit; art has no frontiers; art has no religion."

As we study the impressive works and see the importance of each single thread, can it remind us of the importance of each single person in the tapestry of life?

All around us are the sights and sounds of Agra. Auto rickshaws and horse-drawn carts piled high with goods and people. A mother changing her baby's diaper on the street. A man fixing his bicycle. A family carrying its cow in the back of a truck; the cow sticking its nose into the breeze just like a family dog. The children -- so cute, and often so dirty. The helpful signs: "Thank you for not scratching on the monument" and "no person shall within the monument carry, cook or consume food."