About the Book: Empress of the Taj
'In the early 1980s, researching for his bestselling novel Taj, author
Timeri—Tim— Murari began the first of his journeys in the footsteps of Arjumand
Bano, the precocious daughter of a Mughal nobleman. Arjumand went on to become
Mumtaz Mahal, chief consort of Emperor Shah Jahan, and empress of the Mughal
kingdom until her death in 1631, giving birth to their fourteenth child. Over
the next two decades, the grieving emperor had the Taj Mahal built in her
memory—their final resting place, and the worlds most enduring symbol of love.
Tim went on his journeys at a time before air travel