1001 Images of Taj Mahal : A Great Wonder of the World

Contents: Introduction. 1. Gateways to Taj. 2. The Taj Mahal. 3. The interiors. 4. The architectural wonder. 5. Mehmankhana and the Masjid. 6. The Yamuna, village and the Taj.

From the Introduction: "Taj Mahal, the world's best known tomb and also one of the most eclectic creations of man, encapsulates a timeless love story of a great emperor and his beautiful wife. When a grieving Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor built this icon of white luminous marble as a tribute to his departed wife Mumtaz Mahal, it was more than just art and architecture; it was a great eulogy to sublime love.

Everyone who visits the Taj, takes away his or her impressions and experiences of the mausoleum. Innumerable romantic tales and colourful fantasies have been woven around it. Writers, poets, artists, photographers and avid travellers are drawn towards it time and again. The smooth marble veneer of the Taj is responsive to every change or shift in light so that it acquires a different look at different times of the day and during different seasons. The benign rays of the sun lend a soft purple hue to it at dawn which changes to a dazzling white during the harsh noon, appearing gloriously golden against the backdrop of the setting sun and divinely luminous on a moonlit light. Each season brings forth its own subtle variations and the clouds in the sky above create a quicksilver play of light and shadow during the rains.

This book is a culmination of two decades of relentless work. Enamoured by Taj's Pristine beauty and ever-changing quicksilver quality, Rupinder Khullar has captured this magnificent mausoleum from every conceivable angle, in different seasons of the year and at various times of the day. Ever responsive to faint shifts of light, to the play of clouds and the drama of sunrise and sunset, Taj Mahal continues to entrance visitors regardless of how often they visit this monument, built by a great Mughal monarch for his wife. As someone who has been photographing the Taj for so many years, Rupinder Khullar shares with us his knowledge of its architecture and the arts that went into its embellishment, in this splendid celebration of one of the world's greatest monuments."