Love, Permanence And The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, the City Palace - why do old monuments draw lovers? What sanctity of timelessness does a monument of history lend that comforts a couple?

Walls of stone – how do they reassure two people that the sweet sentiments would transcend the ravages of time?

Love is short, forgetting is so long - Pablo Neruda

Why do lovers go to old forts, churches, tombs and palaces or seek out the corners of Lodi Garden to kiss and hold hands and whisper sweet nothings?

The promises made at the monuments, are they to be kept?

What draws young couples to the corners of tombs to profess love to their sweetheart in the witness of the dead?

They say permanence is the essence of true love, so do lovers seek the sanctuary of history to etch their moments on the annals of time?

Like the domes and pillars and arches which neither wars nor weather could destroy - perhaps they seek their forever as they carve their names on the mossy walls?

TN loves PS

I love you forever, Pooja

Never let me go, Amresh

Graffiti of love – the monument walls are full of them. You fall in love, you go to Victoria Memorial and take long walks.

And then that picture of a couple in front of the Taj Mahal - the fortunate ones would have one. Framed.

“Love's not Time's fool” – William Shakespeare

Does monument-gazing help console frayed hearts? Help endure the mundane perhaps?

The romance of a dead king and a dead queen, what he did for her what she did for him - what he wore, how they ate and slept - are food for love?

Love has had the power to change the course of history. Perhaps lovers go to monuments to remind themselves that if not history, their love could at least change the course of their fate.  

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Do you have photos of you and your loved one at a monument?
We would like to showcase them in a gallery. Mail them to us at sharmila@outlookindia.com. Do write your name and the date when the picture was clicked. We look forward to hearing from you.