Eternal love: The Taj Mahal stands the test of time in all of its glory in Agra, India.

Most people associate India with Hinduism and the grandeur of the Taj Mahal, the ivory-white marble mausoleum the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built in 1632 as a testament of his love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahalan.

The Taj Mahal, which continues to withstand the test of time, is in Agra and is an icon of Indian history and culture.

The Mughal dynasty was an Islamic empire that ruled for 600 years, and the Taj Mahal is also a symbol of India’s efforts to preserve the legacies of both its Hindustan empires as well as its Islamic regimes.

Muslims in Delhi, for example, regularly perform their dawn prayer at Jama Masjid, which Shah Jahan built on the naturally elevated landscape from 1651 to 1656. This mosque is one of the largest in India and features magnificent architecture.

Then, there is the mausoleum of Hazrat Khwaja Syed Nizamuddin Auliya, a Sufi holly man, in the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah complex. The mausoleum is a holy shrine and a pilgrimage site, where Indian Muslims come regularly to pray.

The Qutab Minar is another historical Islamic structure that is located in southwest Delhi. It is a five-story minaret that stands 73 meters tall, built in 1199 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak.

India, the second most populous country in the world, is home to Muslims as well as the people of many other religions, including Sikhism and Christianity.

In this sense, India shares similarities with Indonesia, which is home to many different religions and indigenous faiths, and where most people try their best to live in harmony, despite their differences. Visiting India as an Indonesian is like visiting home.

Purification: A Sikh prays before entering the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib house of worship in Delhi, India.

Holy ground: Indian Muslims pay a visit to the mausoleum of Syed Sufi Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya in the Nizamuddin Dargah complex.

Greetings: A nun greets a visitor at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi, India.

Resting place: The tomb of a legendary sufist, Salim Chishti, in Agra, India.

Start the day: Indian muslims conduct their morning prayer at Delhi’s Jama Mosque, one of the largest ones in India.

— Photos by JP/P.J. Leo

The Jakarta Post was invited by the Indian Embassy