OSSN’s Trip to ‘Incredible India’
by Margie Weidert

Recently, I visited an area of northern India called the “Golden Triangle” – Delhi, Agra (where the Taj Mahal is located), and Jaipur (the “Pink City”) – plus Udaipur, which is called the Venice of the East.

Of course, one of the main attractions in India is the Taj Mahal – one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. It truly is an incredible sight to behold. The Taj Mahal was built by a Mughal emperor named Shan Jahan out of love for his favorite wife, who passed away at the age of 39. On her deathbed, she told her husband, “Don’t love anyone after me. I want to remain immortal.” The Emperor interviewed 1,500 people for the design of the monument. He wanted it to appear as if it were floating on a pedestal in front of the long reflecting pool, like a magic carpet. It took 22 years to build, using 20,000 workers, and was completed in 1653. The entire structure is made of red sandstone, with marble acting only as the outer layer. The marble, which was hauled by elephants 250 miles away, took two months to arrive.

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