How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
As the Taj Mahal was slowly revealed, we each seemed to relish its extraordinary presence with an awe surpassing even our love for Allah, or the Hindu gods. For this presence was tangible. We gasped, reached out, and touched its sweeping sides. We looked skyward and shook our heads in astonishment at the sculpted mountain above. So many of our people dressed in rags and slept in filth. To look at such beauty was beyond anything they expected to experience in their lifetimes. Hindustanis cried openly at being alive this day. (14.34)
Sometimes people who have nothing can appreciate beauty even better than those who live surrounded by riches. But there's another truth here: the experience of beauty in art (or architecture, literature, music, dance, whatever) can be so powerful you might almost call it sacred. The Taj Mahal gives these people something they can't get anywhere else.
Quote #8
The rockets ceased when the moon, ripe and glowing, rose. The night was clear, and moonlight slanted down to illuminate the Taj Mahal. The vast structure seemed to attract and magnify the light. Thousands of torches were extinguished and laughter dwindled. A few elephants trumpeted wearily, but tranquility otherwise prevailed. Elation turned to awe and awe to reverence. People sat in the mud and watched, transfixed, as the Taj Mahal brightened, so smooth and seamless that it might have been carved from a single piece of ivory. (14.41)
Ever noticed how quiet art museums are? Even the ones that don't have angry curators shushing you or reminding you to "keep behind the ropes" seem to have a hush about them. We'd like to think it's because people are in awe of what they are observing. That, or there's just not much else to say, because the art is already saying everything.
Quote #9
Furthermore, because Aurangzeb had always derided the arts and now suppressed them with his policies, many courtiers and artists had left Agra for more receptive environs. While my sibling was untroubled by these departures, nobles grumbled. Agra's intellectual aura—which Father and Dara had so diligently fostered, and which had given our city fame—soon dwindled to nothing. (18.51)
Yeah, ticking off the artists and nobles isn't a great way to build a strong empire, Aurangzeb. Sheesh. Everyone knows that a kingdom is only as great as its cultural products.