One of the Great Moguls of India, who at Agra built the lovely, white
marble Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, who died in 1629.
Near the city of Aurangabad, in the northwestern part of the state of
Hyderabad, is the so-called “Little Taj,” the Mausoleum of Rabi’a
Durrani, the wife of a later Great Mogul, Auraugzeb. Though built only
of stucco, and not kept in the same immaculate condition as the Taj
Mahal, the “Little Taj,” with its inset, pointed arches, viewed at an
advantageous distance of several hundred feet, from just within the
ground’s entrance, is to me really more beautiful than the splendid Taj
Mahal itself, because the height of the “Little Taj,” and, inclusively,
of its arches, is greater in proportion to its base than is that of its
famous predecessor. The result is a more delicate, lofty and inspiring
effect--which effect appears, obviously, to be the most apropos and
essential one to obtain in erecting mausoleums of this nature.
Close, detailed inspection of the two tombs would present a
diametrically opposite analysis, but in work such as this, it would seem
that the most crucial aspect is the ensemble and not the minutiæ or
finis.
_Rajputana stars_ 57.
When in Rajputana, a great state of northwestern India, I was impressed
by the brilliancy of the stars on a clear night. It may have been due to
atmospheric or other conditions, but whatever the cause, in no other
part of the World have I seen such magnificent stars.
_tulwar_ 57.
The large, splendid, curved sword of India.
_Flaming Trees_ 57.
The trees that spread out like great umbrellas, covered on top with
masses of blood-orange colored blossoms, and called “Flame of the
Forest,” though in the Philippines we usually nicknamed them “Fire
Trees.”