State tour team visits Taj Mahal
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 14 2012:
The exuberant and jubilant group of 20 school children and five teachers that had left Imphal on a 15 days tour to Delhi and Agra on March 9, today reached Agra to visit the 'Taj Mahal', the White Marble Mausoleum also called the Monument to Love, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The tour is being conducted by 27 Assam Rifles of 9 Sector under HQ IGAR(S) .
According to an IGAR (S) statement, the children were awestruck when they saw the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal, the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural styles.
These students had only read about the Taj Mahal till now but never got a chance to visit it.
The students viewed and touched the intricate marble work and became motivated to learn more in depth about the architecture as well as the technology involved in the construction.
This visit stimulated learning beyond what textbooks and videos can provide to the learning environment.
They were flabbergasted to know that this UNESCO World Heritage Site is actually an integrated complex of structures whose construction began around 1632 and was completed around 16-53, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.
Excited teachers and student had their pictures clicked at this spectacular and ageless monument, it said.
The visit to the Agra Fort was also truly rewarding as the children's eager queries were readily answered with a smile by the guide.
The children were also able to collect a lot of information and one could see a few of them keen to pursue History as a subject, the statement added.