Timeless, enduring symbols of love

The lengths we would go for love. Really.

When Valentine’s Day comes, you will find millions of gimmicks that attempt to quantify love with tokens and gestures. This annual event shows how love compels people to push the envelope, again and again.

However, some did their homework and came up with enduring, ultimate tributes. Their acts of love outlived their own lifetimes and inspire romantics to this very day.

Kodai-Ji Temple —KODAIJI.COM

Japan

In Kyoto, a Buddhist temple testifies to a wife’s love. In 1606, Nene had the Kodai-Ji Temple built to memorialize husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who died in 1598. She became a temple nun until her death in 1624. If you think the place looks great now, imagine the main hall covered in lacquer and gold before it burned down in 1912.

Today, it is celebrated for its cultural significance, particularly for its rock and hill gardens. We owe this to a woman, now enshrined in the temple compound with her husband.

‘Man and Woman’ —GEORGIANTRAVELGUIDE.COM

Georgia

“Ali & Nino” is a novel, a movie and an attraction in Batumi. Georgian Artist Tamara Kvesitadze debuted the monumental artwork at the Venice Biennale in 2007 as “Man and Woman.” In 2010, it was renamed after the tragic wartime tale of Azerbaijani Muslim Ali and Georgian Christian Nino. The piece has been a draw in its quarter of the city, an open seaside space that locals and tourists flock. Some watch unaware of its reference. Read about it, watch the art in action at 7 pm, and try not to cry.

Philippines

San Juanico Bridge —DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

Critics and loyalists will claim that dictator Ferdinand Marcos willed the construction of the San Juanico Bridge as a gift to wife Imelda. One of the country’s longest bridges, it was launched in 1969 and inaugurated on Imelda’s birthday in 1973. The 2.16-km marvel connects Tacloban in Leyte to Santa Rita in Samar.

The project is listed as among the proofs of the Marcos-era “edifice complex.” The San Juanico is also known as a martial-law torture method. To many Waraynons, the project is a growth driver and, as a song at the 1973 launch goes, “a symbol of love” – between the First Couple and of Imelda to her home.

France

In 1762, King Louis XV commissioned architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel to design Petit Trianon, what is now a remarkable neoclassical landmark in Versailles. He dedicated the project to Madame de Pompadour.

The mistress died before the home’s 1768 completion, so its first inhabitant was her successor, Madame du Barry, who stayed until the king died in 1774. Louis XVI then gave it to wife Marie Antoinette. She made it a private home.

The couple would be executed in the French Revolution, and the residence would turn into a hostel. Napoleon Bonaparte gave it a facelift for his sister, then his wife. In 1867, Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, turned Petit Trianon into the museum it continues to be.

Petit Trianon —OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES (EN.CHATEAUVERSAILLES.FR)

India

Does the Taj Mahal feel overrated? Then go to Delhi and visit the first Mughal tomb built for a woman, the inspiration behind Emperor Shah Jahan’s citadel for Mumtaz Mahal decades later.

Erected in 1598 is the ornate mausoleum of Mah Banu, wife of poet and diwan Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khanan. He commanded Emperor Akbar’s armies but had a soft spot for his spouse, beside whom he is buried.

It isn’t that popular yet, but the newly restored destination may catch on very quickly thanks to the craftsmanship it exhibits and its crucial precedence to the most popular tribute of love in the world.

Do-it-yourself

You don’t have to be a monarch or millionaire to come up with a thoughtful tribute for your Valentine.

Build a teepee in a corner of your home, where you can cuddle with your lover. Set up a cute rustic date night. Make your partner a wearable trinket or a nice handicraft.

Heck, whisk up a big breakfast. Come to think of it, these deeds are as timeless as those buildings (and very doable within the limited timeframe).

Besides, if the love is strong enough, it’s the thought that counts in the end.

Photos from Kodaiji.com, Georgiantravelguide.com, Department of Tourism, Official website of the Palace of Versailles (en.chateauversailles.fr), Taryn Elliott from Pexels