Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is the queen of architecture. Other buildings may be as famous but no other has been so consistently admired for a beauty that is seen as both feminine and regal.

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'Marble enigma, most photographed of structures, the Taj Mahal lends its name to a prime brand of Indian tea bags and stands too as the world's great, extravagant monument to eternal love. This wry, brisk book is a delightful and fascinating excavation of the Taj Mahal's many layers of meanings. Giles Tillotson deploys his formidable knowledge of India's artistic and cultural history to create a kaleidoscopic interpretation of the Taj - revealing what it meant to the Mughal world that conceived and built it; to the British colonists who cavorted amidst its grounds and minarets, then set about to preserve it; and to the many millions who now come every year to gawp and touch and click. With delicacy, creation, and yet succeeds in keeping its unworldly aura intact.'' Sunil Khilnani, author of The Idea of India