mpression, but figures
sometimes aid the imagination. The foundation is three hundred and
thirteen feet square and eighteen feet in height, and the edifice itself
is one hundred and eighty-six feet square, with a dome rising to the
height of two hundred and twenty feet. At each corner of the foundation
stands a tall, graceful minaret, one hundred and thirty-seven feet in
height. Add to this the statement that it took twenty thousand men
seventeen years to complete the work, at a cost variously estimated at
from $17,000,000 to $20,000,000, and you may form an idea of the
delicate workmanship and artistic skill which the Taj represents. But
simplicity is, after all, the keynote, and there is also a rare
personality in its outlines reflecting feminine grace. This is
distinctly felt when viewing the cenotaph (the real tomb is in a crypt
below), which is, like the entire edifice, built of the whitest of
marble and decorated with rare, beautiful designs, while the screen
which encloses the cenotaph of the Queen is also of marble, carved in a
lacework design of exquisite beauty.

The diamonds, pearls, rubies, and other precious stones which once
embellished this and every other part of the edifice, were taken away by
ruthless invaders of India; and their places filled by colored stones
with little loss of effect. Shah Jahan's cenotaph lies unenclosed at the
left, showing that it was not included in the original plan. Indeed, it
had been the intention of Shah Jahan to build for himself a mausoleum,
of corresponding style, yet of dark marble, across the river Jumna; the
shadow which rested on his later life prevented the idea from being
carried out. But the creation of this tribute to all womanhood typified
in his beloved wife is a monument which time cannot efface. Arjamand
Banu Begum was a Persian princess of rare beauty and of great personal
charm. She died in giving birth to her eighth child, and through all the
years had held the supreme place in Shah Jahan's life; despite the
Oriental custom of having other wives, she had won for herself the title
of Mumtaz-i-Mahal, "The exalted of the Palace." Hence the Eastern habit
of placing a mausoleum in a garden was peculiarly fitting for so
peerless a queen; in this instance it forms a perfect setting for the
Taj.

[Illustration: _Gateway leading to Taj Mahal_]

[Illustration: _Taj Mahal_]

[Illustration: _Screen in Taj Mahal_]

[Illustration: _Shah Jahan and his wife in whos