Revisiting the Taj Mahal from the Eyes of Lady Maria Nugent

 Source: Dr. Richa Singh

For ages, people have been captivated by the Taj Mahal, an architectural marvel that stands as a universal icon of love. Admirers from all over the world have been drawn to it by its complex intricacies and facade of white marble. Lady Maria Nugent (1771-1834), one such enthusiast and a keen observer, provides a distinct perspective on the Taj Mahal that goes beyond the archetypal tourist's look. She arrived in India in 1812 with her husband, Sir George Nugent, 1st Baronet and Commander-in-Chief in India from 1811 to 1814 when the British East India Company was attempting to expand its sphere of influence in the region. Earlier, he served in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) as a junior officer. She wrote a journal, East India Journal, recording her visits to all the places she visited during her stay in India. While explaining her intentions for writing the journal, she writes, “I keep a constant Journal of everything which I mean to leave as a Legacy to my dear children. This added to my West India Volume will serve as a History of many years of our lives and with all its imperfections it will I am sure be interesting to them […].” Little she knew that her journal years later would be counted as one of the important primary sources for the researchers dealing with the history of modern India.  

Her journal is significant from the perspective that it provides female gaze in historical reconstruction. She commissioned a number of illustrations of the Taj Mahal and the surrounding structures in Agra which were compiled into an album (now in the British Library). She, on seeing the Taj Mahal, was not of the opinion that the structure itself was beautiful—‘but after seeing the Taaje, it is difficult to be pleased with any kind of building!’ 

Through her eyes, this architectural wonder is transformed from a marvel of stone and marble into a living, breathing representation of the eternal power of human emotion and creativity. Through her words, the Taj Mahal transcends from a tomb to a tale that is ready to be told and retold for all eternity. The beautiful poem, penned down by her in her journal, dedicated to the Taj Mahal is a testament to the timeless enchantment of the Taj Mahal. She weaves a captivating narrative that reflects the architectural prowess and elegance of the monument as well as a love so intense that it is etched into the very marbles of the Taj Mahal. In the words of Lady Nugent:       

 

Here all conspires to charm the ravish’d sight,

And fill with wonder the admiring eye,

Here splendid gems and marble spotless white,

That with the sunbeam and the snow might vie,

Their various beauties so commix and blend,

As nature did to art her beat assistance lend.

The stately rising dome, the burnish’d spire,

The casements, that their soften’d light impart,

Each in turn, and all alike, conspire

To strike the wondering eye and touch the heart;

And while, wrapt in delight, I silent gaze,

My heart to wedded love its well earn’d tribute pays.

 

For not alone this pile presents to me

Proportion fair of architectural pride,

In every polish’d stone and gem I see

All that’s to love or sentiment allied;

And to the mental vision here appear,

All the affections that the feeling mind holds dear.

 

The basis, formed of marble white and pure,

Portrays the groundwork of a well-placed love,

Which firm though life unshaken shall endure,

Nor shall the hand of death that love remove—

For true affection, in the tender heart,

Stands unsubdued by time, or death’s unerring dart.

 

The pale ferosah, modest azure blue,

Emblem of truth and love the most sincere,

The brilliant sapphire’s deeper regal hue,

Tells how above all other love doth peer;

The love which, under Hymen’s blest control,

Exalts the human mind, and dignifies the soul.

 

The yellow topaz speaks the anxious cares,

That ever on affection’s steps attend,

And the rich diamond, as it brightly glares,

Shows the high value of a real friend:

But far beyond the brightest gems are found

Friendship and faithful love, in one soft union bound.

 

These pearls, the tears that fond affection shed

O’er the pale course of her he loved alone,

These rubies, precious drops that heart has bled

For her alas! For ever, ever gone!—

And pity’s eye the tribute pearl bestows,

While faintly through the heart the ruby current flows.

 

But see, the emerald glads the tearful eye,

And offers balsam to the troubled breast,

Pointing to regions far beyond the sky,

Regions of peace, the mansions of the blest—

For Hope is e’er arrayed in brightest green,

All nature too in Hope’s attire is seen!—

 

Sweet smiling Hope, thou soother of our cares,

Thou first, best boon, to hapless mortals given—

Thou, who, when miserable man despairs,

Bid’st him to look for happiness in heaven—

Whate’er of wretchedness be still my lot,

Oh! let thy cheering ray, thy smile forsake me not!

 

And ye, blest pair! so fond, so true of heart,

Who underneath this marble mouldering lie,

Ye who have known the agony to part,

Are now rewarded with eternal joy;

So may fond love and truth for ever rest,

And like Jehan and Taaje eternally be blest.

 

Lady Nugent was accompanied to the Taj Mahal by a man who too dedicated a few lines to the monument in his attempt to capture its beauty:

 

What joy to mark the feelings of a mind

Improved by sentiment, by taste refin’d,

When this stupendous monument of art

Calls forth the sudden impulse of the heart,

And gives the warm enthusiastic glow,

That only nature’s favoured few can know—

Thus was I charmed—but oh! How sweetly dear,

The soft regret that raised the ready tear—

When, mingling with the pleasures this could yield,

A mother’s speech her inmost soul revealed—

Unwilling each minuter flower to pass,

‘Yes, she exclaimed, I’ll bring the very glass,

‘That oft has lent its friendly aid, to trace

‘The lovely features of each darling’s face’.—

Who but a mother could have thought of this,

This dear refinement upon social bliss!

And such was mine, when the stem will of fate,

(for me too early, but for her too late)

Snatch’d her to prove, that not in vain were given

The virtues that had made her ripe for heaven.

Forgive a son a tribute yours may pay,

With grateful warmth, on some far distant day,

When in your records of this very scene,

He traces what his parent’s heart had been. 

Our comprehension of this architectural marvel has been deepened by Lady Nugent's exploration of the Taj Mahal. Her observations establish a connection between the past and the present, enabling us to appreciate the Taj Mahal as an alive embodiment of history, love and culture in addition to one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.   

References

Cohen, Ashley L. (Ed.). (2014). Lady Nugent’s East India Journal: Oxford University Press.