POSTCARD N.262 - INDIA

Postcard sent on the 26th October; received on the 9th November 2026

Postcard image:  The Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of India's most recognisable landmarks greeted me  as I opened up my letterbox. 

Bohoma Stuthi Ravi, I am sure you had a great time there and I appreciate you taking the time to  make me envious :-)

The white marble mausoleum on the bank of the Yamuna river was ordered to be built in 1631 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to serve as the final resting place of his preferred wife Mumtaz Mahal

Mumtaz married Shah Jahan  in 1612 and would bear 14 of his children, having died from childbirth complications after the last delivery.

Shah Jahan felt so grief-stricken by the death of his loved wife  that he would not participate in official ceremonies for a week. Also, for the ensuing two years, he would give up listening to music and would not be seen clothed in lavish garments.

The mausoleum would be finished in 1648, but I read that some sources state that Mumtaz Maha body was transferred to it in 1643.

Shah Jahan would die in 1666, while imprisoned by a son in Agra's fort, following a succession war between three of his descendents and he would be laid to rest by his beloved wife in the  mausoleum he had built for her.

The Monument has been subject to several reconstruction works throughout its almost 4 centuries  of existence and in later years it has been suffering from  environmental pollution which has given a brownish tint to its once  ivory white marble. Also the decrease in height of the waters of the Yamuna river have led to cracks appearing and tilting of the minarets, Wikipedia informs me.

Still a love story that has endured 4 centuries, will endure forever and I'm sure that no effort will be spared to ensure that the Taj Mahal will continue to dazzle visitors with its beauty and grace for many years to come.

Ravi used a 15 Rupee stamp, part of a set of two (15; 25 Rupees) stamps issued on 15AUG2019, in the "Gandhian Heritage in Modern India" series.

The stamp features a statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a village girl, erected in Old Goa, once the capital of the Portuguese India, which included the colonies of Goa, Damão and Dio.

The large and colourful 15 Rupee stamp on the right is part of a souvenir sheet containing four stamps in the Indian Fashion series, issued on 06SEP2019, entitled "Indian Fashion - Concept to Consumer"

The nice pictorial postmark of the Philatelic Bureau of Agra is also embellished with the image of the Taj Mahal.