By JACKSON MUTINDA

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Nothing exemplifies the extravagance of India's 16th and 17th century rulers better than the towering legacy of their monuments, a blend of Indian architecture and Persian genius.

A visitor to India may not feel like they have truly experienced the country’s rich heritage if they don’t visit Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Of all the royal monuments that dot India, the Taj Mahal, one of the Unesco Seven Wonders of the World, is the most famous globally.

The marble marvel is one the finest representations of the Mughal finesse and largesse, and the extent to which the monarchs of old splashed public resources to impress and honour their women.

The story of Taj Mahal is fascinating: It is one about how love can move mountains. A mountain of marble was moved from Makrana, some 370km away, on camel-drawn caravans to the site near the Yamuna River over two decades, as one man, the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, sought to build a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631 giving birth to their fourteenth child.

There are many accounts about these beauties – the woman and the mausoleum – so, I’ll stick to the one the guide gave us.

Mumtaz was deemed the most beautiful woman of the 16th century. She died aged 39. Mumtaz always travelled in Shah Jahan's entourage through his military campaigns. She was his companion and confidant and their love was intense.

In her 19 years of marriage, she had 17 pregnancies and three miscarriages. Of her 14 children, eight died.

“She was number two,” our guide said. “She died in 1631 at Burhanpur, about 800km from Agra. At that time, the emperor was busy at war… After her death, she was buried there for six months and when the king returned to Agra, then the capital of India, there was a huge garden belonging to Jai Singh and he purchased it and converted it into a Persian garden, Charbagh – Garden of Paradise,” he said, his hand panning to show the lush garden in front of the edifice.

The emperor inaugurated the construction of the complex architectural wonder in 1631. Construction continued under imperial supervision for the next two decades, led by a committee of architects from as far afield as the Middle East, and was completed in 1653.

“After the special garden, he (Jahan) called architects. Ahmed Lahori was one of the main designers who made the first wooden model. Nowadays, that wooden model is in Lahore Museum in Pakistan. It is still intact. So, when that model was completed, the queen’s body was kept in a silver casket and was shifted from the first place into the side garden here. It took almost six months to move the body in a procession. Then the work started. It took 22 years to complete. Within 17 years, they built that white marble structure,” the guide said.

The Taj Mahal is not just the dome-shaped marble unit – it is a complex of structures that house the bodies of the royal family.

Qutub Minar, the world’s tallest minaret, in New Delhi. PHOTO | JACKSON MUTINDA

Shah Jahan was a polygamous man, and our guide says he had 500 concubines.

More than 20,000 people were employed on the project, working around the clock in three shifts. It cost 700 million rupees (more than $8 million at today's exchange rate).

“He spent 700 million, lot of money, even today. But they did not have paper currency, so it was in gold coins. And all this money paid to the workers does not include the cost of the stones, because they were on the king's property. So, after spending such a huge amount of money building a mausoleum this is not just a building – it is a devotion of a husband to his wife.”

The monument is a replica of the original tomb, with the real tombs underground and only opened on special occasions.

The structure is a blend of Indo-Islamic architecture, featuring a double-domed design with intricate floral patterns carved into white marble.

To see all this grandeur, our journey from New Delhi to Agra took just over three hours by road. We had to leave the hotel at 6am to beat Delhi's traffic jams. A highway takes you there, and the journey is smooth and largely enjoyable if your car's air conditioning works, as the region is hot and humid.

So hot, in fact, that I wondered if its splendour had created its own sub-climate.

The city of Agra is quite modest – unplanned even – yet it contains two examples of India's Gothic architectural genius: the Taj Mahal and the emperor's fort, Lal-Qila.

It is at the entrance to the Taj that one begins to appreciate the beauty of the place, which has stood for almost four centuries.

Past the security checkpoint, you enter a 17-hectare compound of intricate structures that exemplify the blend of Indo-Persian architecture that dominated the buildings of the Mughal Sultanate – with influences from Turkey, France and Italy.

You will see the double dome system and brass pinnacles with floral patterns intricately carved, without the use of paint, using chisels and emery powder.

The architectural design includes an onion-shaped dome, arches and brass pinnacles, reflecting the rich cultural exchange of the time.

“The construction involved advanced techniques, with marble blocks cut and shaped by skilled artisans using traditional tools,” our guide said.

The art of cutting and shaping marble is dying out, he said, with only 300 families in Agra still possessing the necessary skills.

The Taj Mahal was declared a world wonder in 1983. It reflects the socio-political dynamics of the time, with Shah Jahan's devotion to his wife immortalised in the elegant mausoleum.

It remains a source of inspiration and a symbol of India's rich cultural heritage, attracting millions of visitors every year.

Inside the world’s largest passenger elevator at the Jio World Centre, Mumbai. PHOTO | JACKSON MUTINDA

Agra Fort

Agra Fort, also known as Lal-Qila, Fort Rouge and Qila-i-Akbari, sits on a slope across the Taj Mahal, its subsidence contributing to its picturesque tilt. Aside the Taj, this fort is the highlight of the city of Agra, the capital of the Mughal Sultanate. To this day it oozes power, strength and resilience. Emperor Shah Jahan inaugurated the castle complex in 1628. It consists of a palace, royal pavilions and mosques. Like other Mughal buildings, it features intricate carvings and pure marble.

The fort overlooks the Yamuna River and offers a breath-taking view of the Taj Mahal.

A walk around gives the visitor a sense of what security meant to Emperor Shah Jahan. Ironically, he was imprisoned in his palace for the last eight years of his life, courtesy his son, after he decided to build another makbara of black stone as a symbol of his grief, which would have cost more than the Taj Mahal. The son overthrew him and put him in detention.

The Mughal love of the finer things in life is evident in many other places in New Delhi, where magnificent monuments take pride of place. These include Humayun's Tomb and the Prime Minister's Museum.

Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi. PHOTO | JACKSON MUTINDA

Humayun's Tomb

This is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi. It was commissioned by Humayun's wife Bega Begum in 1569 and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect chosen by Bega. It was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent and the first structure to use red sandstone on such a scale.

The tomb was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1993 and has undergone extensive restoration. It comprises the main tomb of Emperor Humayun and contains the tombs of Bega Begum, Hamida Begum and Dara Shikoh, Humayun's great-grandson and son of the future Emperor Shah Jahan, and many other Mughals.

It represents a leap forward in Indian architecture and, together with its Charbagh garden – typical of Persian gardens but never before seen in India – it set a precedent for later Mughal architecture.

It is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River, close to the Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of Delhi's famous Sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliya, whose residence lies to the north-east of the tomb.

The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, took refuge here with three princes during the Indian rebellion of 1857 and was captured and exiled to Rangoon, Burma.

Qutub Minar

Indians claim this to be the world's tallest minaret at 72.5 metres. It was commissioned by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who had won Delhi from Prithviraj under Mohammed Ghori, for whom he was commander-in-chief.

The Qutub Minar is considered to be the earliest and most prominent example of Indo-Islamic architecture in India. It is surrounded by several medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as the Qutub Complex. The Qutub Minar consists of superimposed flanged and cylindrical shafts separated by balconies. The minaret is made of fluted red sandstone, covered with carvings and verses from the Koran.

Local and foreign tourists brave Mumbai showers to visit the Gate of India. PHOTO | JACKSON MUTINDA

Gateway of India

Bombay, now called Mumbai, is known as the gateway to India. In the 20th century, an arched monument was built on the waterfront in the Apollo Bunder area at the end of Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg in South Mumbai, overlooking the Arabian Sea, to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder during their visit to India in 1911. The 26-metre-high structure is made of basalt. The Gateway was later used as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India for Viceroys and new Governors of Bombay. It was used to allow entry and access to India. The monument has been called the Taj Mahal of Mumbai and is the city's main tourist attraction.

The Bangalore Palace in Bengaluru. PHOTO | JACKSON MUTINDA

Bangalore Palace

In Bengaluru, India's 'Silicon Valley' -- home of technology and the unicorns -- is a 19th-century royal palace that is still in use. It was built on land owned by the Rev John Garret, the first principal of Bangalore's Central High School, now known as Central College.

The palace was commissioned for the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, and is now owned by the current head of the Wadiyar dynasty, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.

It is famous for its beautiful woodcarvings and fascinating architecture -- it resembles the medieval castles of Normandy and England, being built in the Tudor style with Gothic influences.

On a cool Sunday afternoon, it is a great place for a family outing and also hosts exhibitions. On the day we visited, there was a wedding exhibition, complete with diamond rings and other jewellery.

The first floor is not open to the public as it is still used by the King when he visits.

Old wine in new wineskin

While visitors revel in the grandeur of the Mughals, the family of mogul Mukesh Ambani has built a unique cultural centre in downtown Mumbai that provides a multidisciplinary space for exhibitions ranging from performing arts to weddings and business conferences.

The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, the brainchild of the tycoon's wife, is part of the Jio World Centre, Mumbai's new landmark business park in the central area of the Bandra Kurla Complex.

A lover of the arts, Nita came up with the concept of a cultural centre with a 2,000-seat Grand Theatre, a 250-seat Studio Theatre and a 125-seat Cube, all equipped with modern technology to ensure world-class multilingual programmes and theatrical productions to promote Indian culture and heritage.