Sterling Silver Personalized Indian Cigarette Case with Taj Mahal Cover - 4.575 ozt. Marked inside "Presented by V.C.O.s 25 Ind. H.A.A. Regt." From 1905 until 1947 when India achieved its independence, the British Indian Army VCOs were senior in rank to warrant officers in the British Army, and held a commission issued solely by the viceroy. Also known as "Indian officers" or "native officers," they had authority only over Indian troops and were subordinate to all British King's (or Queen's) commissioned officers (K/QCOs). H.A.A. stands for "Heavy Anti-Aircraft" which was formed during World War II, making them one of the most short-lived prior to the Indian people obtaining their freedom. On the back is a map of India with certain areas named in English. 

Size: 3 x 4 1/4 in. 

Weight: 4.575 ozt. 

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India that has become a symbol of love, peace, and the long and vibrant history of the country itself. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) to house the tomb of his beloved second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after her death during the birth of their fourteenth child. It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself, and rumors persist that he intended to build an identical black Taj Mahal on the other side of the river for himself, though no evidence of this has ever been found. This is likely based on his lifelong and frequently recorded obsession with balance and symmetry, which led him to commission and have a direct hand in the building of the tomb itself. The tomb is the centerpiece of an enormous 42 acre complex that includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. Construction of the mausoleum was completed in 1648, but work continued on other phases of the project for another five years. The Taj Mahal, when completely finished, is believed to have cost the equivalent of $77.8 million today, and has been hailed as one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture ever created. The mausoleum at center is 240 feet tall including its crescent-moon finial on top of the iconic asymmetrical onion shaped dome, with the four identical iwans (arch-shaped doorways) decorated with Arabic calligraphy and passages from the Qur’an. The meticulous attention to detail stretches through every aspect of the design, from the four matching minarets surrounding it to the reflection created in the pool that bisects the charbagh. The design was so inspiring that British conquerors initiated an effort to restore it in the early 20th Century, and the design has been imitated and paid homage to by many designers and architects over the past four centuries on multiple continents, including over a dozen replicas throughout Eurasia and the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. To this day it is one of the primary tourist attractions in India, attracting more than five million visitors a year, and was declared one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007.