India Adventures (3): Monument of ‘Emptiness’?

En route to the first Buddhist holy place of worship, we dropped by the famed Taj Mahal. The brief of it all is that it’s a huge mausoleum built by a king to commemorate his lover upon her passing. But before you conjure a romantic vision of it, the truth is, it is largely an empty building. As the pragmatic ‘killjoy’ that I can be, I think it is a monument not so much of love but of excess attachment, not so much of an apt and beautiful three-dimensional love letter set in stone but a testament of extravagance. How so?

So I’ve heard, the king expended much of his nation’s wealth, labour (20,000 men) and time (about 21 years) to build it… all for satisfying him, or helping him to nurse his loss. If his wife was kind and wise, I think she wouldn’t approve of this project. Too much love for someone already gone… at the cost of the welfare of so many (his citizens) still around… The good news is that Taj Mahal is now ‘paying back’ the nation by its earnings from entrance fees from many worldwide visitors.

As an ironic yet fitting prelude to things to come, Taj Mahal’s lavishness is in sharp contrast to many Buddhist monuments that we visited in the days to come, which are mostly in in humble ruins. Ahhh… so true, the truth of impermanence. I’m glad I managed to visit them before they are truly ruined! (Below is a picture of a small snow globe Taj Mahal keychain that our guide bought us. I thought all the king needed to do was create one of these to use, to remember his wife by! Isn’t the glitter dust romantic enough?)

Next India Adventure: https://moonpointer.com/new/2010/01/india-adventures-3-5-gifts-that-truly-last
Previous India Adventure: https://moonpointer.com/new/2010/01/india-adventures-2-the-weight-of-devotion