THIS IS INDIA

[Music] between Calcutta and Bombay on this vast continent of India there lies of Royal City the rendezvous of tourists from time immemorial it is Agra the city of the famous Taj Mahal from Norris hotel let's waste no time but set off for the first glimpse of this miracle in white marble the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan immortal tribute to his beloved wife a short drive from the hotel soon brings you to this lovely trying [Music] [Music] the Gateway and courtyard outside are built of red sandstone the entrance is a beautiful structure with much marble inlay in its forepaws Master Builders Cali Agra fists and engineers masons and artists came from all over Asia and only the purest materials that could be found were used the finest and the rarest nothing was too much for this man's supreme love for his wife taken in childbirth at the age of 39 [Music] through the main entrance the full richness and almost celestial sanctity of the Taj comes upon you in one tense moment as you reach the far end there from its reflection in the still waters to it's breathtaking reality stands the mausoleum the Taj Mahal rising stars against the heavens and immaculate in its indescribable beauty way past any one description of sheer beauty it is still more enhanced by the spacious gardens leading to it the dark cypress trees against the green turf and every here and there a splash of dazzling color amid the carefully attended flowerbed [Music] [Music] always kept in careful repair these men work as if it was part of their souls the nearer you approach the greater is the delicacy the perfection of design every day brings a continuous stream of sightseers from far and wide over which the minarets stand like for grave and ever watchful sentinels guarding this priceless treasure this sanctuary [Music] [Applause] canvas shoe covers supplied by the archaeological department must be stripped on as a mark of respect before crossing the threshold approaching the terrace one begins to feel the heat and glare of the dazzling marble the walls are inscribed Integra character with texts from the Holy Quran inlaid in black sleep and so at last to the sculpture and carvings which surround the base of the tomb worked in solid slabs of purest marble no words alone can describe this glorious conception each panel is exquisitely bordered with flower designs of semi-precious stones inlaid deep into the marble Jasper from the Punjab Jade from China turquoise from Tibet and coral from Arabia these are but few of the stones so lavishly employed in this delicate work passing through the entrance to the tomb one is more and more spellbound by the increasing wonders that unfold in the Cenotaph chamber is an octagonal marble screen itself a masterpiece ten years in the making inlaid with minut stones these flowers are comprised of as many as 80 single pieces of varying size and shape eight feet high and carved from solid slabs of pure white marble each section is almost translucent in appearance but a solid steel yet delicate as lace behind the screen lies the illuminated Sepulcher of Mumtaz Mahal the lady of the Taj in the center and her Lord Shah Jahan to one side revered monuments for the gorgeous romance of wedded love in life and in death the inscription here reads here is the everlasting he is sufficient in earth what is concealed and what is manifest to pearly proportions nothing could be removed or added to this masterpiece of human ingenuity it took 20,000 highly skilled craftsmen 17 years to complete a poem in purest marble when seen by moonlight that is simply out of this world still alive today are descendants of some of the workmen who were actually employed in the construction of the charge between 1630 and 1648 the primitive tools are still used and may take three or four days to cut through one block of sweet such as this piece [Music] the most exacting and artistic work is the precious stone inlay to cut through one small piece of cornelian as he is doing here aided by fine sand from the river Jamuna nearby may take four to five days having cut the stone for the required shape it is then highly polished the efficiency that perhaps not the economy of these tools can never be questioned when you seen the results they produce [Music] lapis lazuli and cornelian Jade agates and onek some third are a lodestone from Gwalior aquamarine and turquoise mother-of-pearl from the far off Steve Jesper garnet amethyst bloodstone they are all used in exquisite taste and fitted into the marble panels to defy all detection of any joint this plaque having suffered at the hands of vandals in the past may take the men four or five months to repair workers in red sandstone are also fascinating to watch and they reproduced exactly the low railings that border the entire terrace after choking out the design and then chip and chisel until they pierced the stone from either side working without any subsequent measurement they go on by their consummate skill and judgment acquired in long years of similar labor learned from their fathers and forefathers back to the time when it was first created things done the hard way but are they not after all done the best way their value like the Taj never diminishes but grows yeah by yeah [Music] [Music] Shah Jahan brief beyond consolation made plans to cross the river Jamuna with the bridge of silver and to fill the resting place for himself on the opposite bank it was to be identical in design but of black marble and the foundations are still visible however he died before his dream could be realized and now lies alongside the tomb of his wife below in the Cenotaph chamber through a telescope from a hundred and forty feet above in one of the minarets the true magnitude symmetry and completeness of the tomb can be fully realized and the extent of the fine gardens and its perfect setting [Music] we have seen the Taj the artists pay the workmen and the jewels and the tragedy of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan now to complete the story we must go to Agra fort which also stands on a reach of the river Jamuna [Music] from below the east wall it presents a formidable sight as a truly oriental seems passes beneath its ramparts of almost every mode of conveyance in the east [Music] to realize the full size of this huge fortification we must see the west wall as far as the mr.singh gateway founded in 1565 by emperor Akbar it was completed in eight years it has withstood the test of time so remarkably that the whole structure appears only a few years old entering through mr.singh gate into the main courtyard we turned through a low arch to the COS Mahal where during the latter part of his life Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb Shah Jahan built this for his private palace and spent the rest of his days in these confined the sheesh Mahal where hundreds of little mirrors adorn the walls of stucco relief this was a bath for ladies of the Royal harem beautiful examples of latticework in sandstone are to be found showing this to be not merely confined to marble and beyond the Taj the heightened vastness of the fort is impressive and jutting from the ramparts is the Gasman Tower [Music] this cool and shady repeat with Shah Jahan's favorite apartment and where he finally died beneath the star there is a flower richly worked in Jordan lay in the center a round stone of polished Jade by looking sideways into this a perfect perfection of the Taj across the river Jamuna can be seen aging at this sight his eyes fixed on the tomb of his beloved wife Mumtaz Shah Jahan breathed his last in December 1666 before leaving Agra a little tomb of its fodder dollar is well worth a visit and some of the work is considered even more delicate than that of the Taj though the style is different the tomb was built by new Jahan the wife of Jahangir for her father in 1622 and took six years to complete exquisite marble screams give the interior a most cool and restful atmosphere the decorative architecture may be said to be the highest stage achieved during the Mughal period its murdered Allah means reliance of the state which was the title conferred upon Shah Jahan's prime minister who was the father of nur Jahan [Music] [Music] back once more the hotel let's watch some of the little sites that make India one of the most fascinating countries in the world the third man with two trains honey chips excuse me madam but that belongs to me their repertoire is endless but you must come to Agra to see the rest for we have one more visitor and he the snake charmer if you come to India this is one side you cannot miss the snake charmer is everywhere and always willing to perform pythons will not usually make good companions but these all eight feet are quite friendly and love to try on themselves around you [Music] hey did I say friendly snakes and I this is too much really they are size harmless if you can only gather enough courage to get together we cannot leave Agra without first a look at the dead city of Pentecost decree on our way there let us see how they irrigate the land very little has changed from when this huge city was built by Akbar in 1584 desiring a son Akbar was so filled with gratitude to a Saint Sheikh Salim chisti who prophesied there would be that he built this beautiful city as a thank offering his son was born and named Salim after the same the impressive entrance the bloomed iwasa or gate of victory is constructed out of the famous a tap or secret sandstone like other buildings of this period it is inlaid with white marble next to this massive gateway there is a deep tank where the local boys delight tourists with their jump into the green water the most exciting leap is from the ramparts of the city 80 feet above the well [Music] [Music] after st. Salim kissed his death in 1572 Akbar built a fine mausoleum er for his remains which is this beautifully styled tomb of white marble the entire canopy inside over the senator is covered in mother-of-pearl this with the wall paintings alone make the trip worthwhile [Music] through the elephant gate we come down to the outskirts of the city and finally to the elephant tower which stands over the tomb of a quas favorite elephant that died in battle stone imitation tusks project from the walls of the other famous buildings the Diwani caste is most noteworthy in front of which Akbar played chess with slave girls as chessmen inside Akbar used to sit on his throne over this beautifully carved pillar the famous punch Mahal so called because of its 5 flaws contains no less than 140 richly sculptured columns it is time to leave this deserted City the remains of a glorious page in the annals of India's history and only the shoes of horses and buffaloes killed in battle to remind us of the greatness and pageantry that has been [Music] we too must leave Agra but not without one more look at the taj not architecture as all others are but the proud passion of an emperors loud brought into living stone which gleams and souls with body of beauty shining souls and thoughts as when some face divinely Fair unveiled before our eyes [Music] so is the Taj [Music]