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Archive for the ‘CULTURE’ Category

Taj Mahal | Music of Ancient India


FACTS, FIGURES & TRIVIA:                                                                                           Year of Construction: 1631

Completed In: 1653
Time Taken: 22 years
Built By: Shah Jahan
Dedicated to: Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Bano Begum), the wife of Shah Jahan
Location: Agra (Uttar Pradesh)
Building Type: Islamic tomb
Architecture: Islamic
Cost of Construction: 32 crore rupees
Number of workers: 20,000
Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the World
A UNESCO World Heritage site

Some more Taj Mahal trivia:
Before his accession to the throne, Shah Jahan was popularly known as Prince Khurram.
Shah Jahan fell in love with the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum and married her, making her his third wife.
Arjumand Bano Begum christened by Shah Jahan as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the “chosen one”.
Shah Jahan lost Mumtaz Mahal when she got giving birth to their 14h child.
It is believed that in her last breath Mumtaz secured a promise from Shah Jahan that he would construct the most beautiful monument in the her memory.
For the transportation of the construction materials, more than 1,000 elephants were made use of.
As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to adorn the Taj with exquisite inlay work.

Category:

Art, CULTURE, India

MEXICAN TRADITIONAL DRESS— Favourite world costumes-2


Traditional Mexican clothing combines native and European elements. The fibers of choice among the Mexicans are cotton,bark and agave (which were known and used by native Mexican pre-Hispanic civilizations to make their clothes), as well as wool and silk (introduced by the Spanish later).

Typical women clothing includes a multicolored frilled skirt, a “huipil” (a kind of sleeve-less tunic), a “quechquémitl” (a closed shoulder cape) and a “rebozo” (a kind of shawl).
Mexican clothing for men is mostly “European-like”, which means that both the trousers and the shirt are European garments, and possibly the only native addition to the men’s wardrobe is a large blanket cape, called “Sarape”. Men often wear Mexican boots too.
During the Carnival, the Mexican clothing of choice is the “Charro” suit, popularized by the famous musical ensembles known as the Maroachi. Originally the word “Mariachi” was used to refer to a dance performed by a group of dancers on a wooden platform. Nowadays, however, Mariachi refers to a certain music style, and also to the band that plays that music

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Category:

Art, CULTURE, International, Social Issues