 | A perfume of essential oils to keep the mind young and to preserve quality of life. A youthful body comes from a youthful mind. For an eternal revival of youth, a permanent re-awakening of our femininity and the awareness that a woman can fulfil any role. The Taj Mahal’s blue water lily is a manifestation of eternal love and timeless beauty. Its perfume’s sought-after virtues have inspired ballads and help to preserve youth, eluding the passage of time to fulfil the conscience. BERGAMOT GRAPEFRUIT MELON-BLACKCURRANT CRUSHED GREEN LEAFY NOTES LILY OF THE VALLEY-SEA BREAM TAJ-MAHAL BLUE LOTUS ROSE-JASMINE IRIS-VETIVER RASPBERRY-PEACH VANILLA-MUSK | The mogul empire of India, on the slopes of the Himalayas The year is 1610 and the Emperor Shah Jahan could not be happier. His fairytale marriage fills him with joy and he vows eternal love to his wife. Such is the splendour of his gardens that it is impossible not to think of paradise. Fruits, flowers, rare essences and precious wood grow in abundance to the great delight of the guests who wonder at the legendary perfumed water that trickles gently in pools around them.
Unfortunately the sudden death in 1631 of queen Arjumand Banu shatters this peaceful harmony and the Shah Jahan tirelessly sets about to honour the memory of his wife in a manner worthy of his great love for her.
Architects in their numbers present him with sketches of mausoleums but not even one is able to lift his spirits. Wars break out one after the other across the kingdom, its former stability becoming just a distant memory. On his return from a victorious campaign, a lieutenant informs the king that he has met a talented builder from Lahore. The news immediately interests the monarch.
When they meet, the young man presents the king with a piece of bamboo instead of a gift as is the custom. On the piece of bamboo can be seen a sketch of a palace that the young builder hastily drew only an hour before meeting the king so as not to suffer the embarrassment of arriving empty-handed.
Having been told in detail of the monumental size the young builder had in mind for the construction, a glimmer of hope lights up in the mind of the monarch, just as the rays of the sun are reflected on white polished marble.
Ustad Ahmad leaves carrying with him only the weight of this immense challenge.
Construction starts almost immediately and a site is chosen for the mausoleum on the banks of the river Yamuna near the capital Agra.
Tens of thousands participate in the construction of the monument, among them experts from Europe and Asia. Elephants are used in their thousands as are countless materials and precious stones from all over the world to be inlaid into the building’s facades. Nothing on the entire continent will surpass its beauty.
The final stone is put in place fourteen years later. Aside from visiting the tomb, Shah Jahan enjoys wandering down the walkways and around the numerous fountains where the queen’s favourite citrus trees have been abundantly planted. Blue Lotuses form magnificent decorations on the ponds and their fragrance merges as though by magic with the mineral smell of white marble.
In order to recreate the ephemeral trace of his wife and to embody every one of his happy memories, the king has a unique perfume made which will be dedicated to her. He forbids anyone from wearing it and only he and the chief perfumer are allowed to smell the unique scent, capable of transporting him momentarily into a dream. Its power and richness equal those of the place named after his loved one “Mumtaz Mahal”, meaning “beloved ornament of the palace” in Persian.
Unfortunately, two centuries later the four Persian gardens were replaced by English lawns under the orders of the British Viceroy Lord Curzon.
A journey into the original temple dedicated to the Great Loves and to youth nevertheless exalts the memory of this great perfume.
Carrying with it emotion and imagination, the fragrance lives on through the centuries causing hearts to beat, such as the one shaped by India itself. |
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