17th century Mughal Prince Khurram made Arjumand Banu Begam his second wife in 1612, beginning one of history's best known stories of love -- although its true significance was not borne out until after her death in 1630.
Three years before his beloved wife's death, Prince Khurram had ascended to the throne, becoming the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jehan. Arjumand Banu Begam (known later as Mumtaz Mahal or "Exalted One of the Palace") accompanied her husband everywhere, even on his military campaigns, and bore him 14 children during their 18 years of marriage.
When she died -- in childbirth -- the Shah ordered construction of the Taj Mahal, envisioned as the most beautiful mausoleum on Earth.
It is not known for certain who designed the Taj Mahal, though Ustad Ahmad Lahori, an Indian architect of Persian descent, is often cited. The Taj, which combines elements of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic architecture, was completed in 1648. The complex of elaborate gardens and the magnificent mausoleum sits on the banks of the river Yamuna in Agra, India, which was the Mughal capital.
Among the marvels: the intricate system for supplying water for the Taj and the careful inscription of Koran verses in the mausoleum itself. The Shah and his wife rest within the mausoleum's walls, together for eternity.
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall | Shah Jehan and Mumtaz Mahal | Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning | Ernest and Hadley Hemingway | Sam Baldwin and Annie Reed
© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.