Updated May 25, 2023
About The Taj Mahal, India
The Taj Mahal, India, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an acronym for the Persian phrase “Crown of Palaces.” The tomb has a rectangular layout and enters through a comprehensive gateway with an arch and alcoves on either side. The doorway has water channels and fountains that add to the monument’s beauty. This beautiful spectacle is precisely mirrored in the Yamuna, almost poetically.
Birth of The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world. It is in Agra along the bank of the river Yamuna. It was to memorialize Emperor Shah Jahan’s third wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal also has the burial of Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal, India, one of the world’s most beautiful structures, was around the 17th century with the help of white marble.
Below is the Taj Mahal’s history:
- Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal to memorialize his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. She expired in the year 1631.
- The Taj Mahal construction started in 1632. The main construction was in eight years to complete, but the entire complex was not ready until 1653.
- Soon after the construction finished, Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb ousted and imprisoned him in the Agra Fort. As a result, he could only view his great masterpiece through the window for the rest of his life. In 1666, Shah Jahan died.
- This magnificent building was built by nearly 20,000 workers from Central Asia and India. Artisans who traveled as far as Europe created beautiful marble screens and marble inlay. UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in the year 1983. It still has the perfect aspect it had at the time of construction. The monument underwent extensive renovations at the beginning of the 20th Century.
Why was The Taj Mahal Built?
Shah Jahan erected this memorial mosque to honor Mumtaz Mahal, his wife, who died in 1631. Unfounded but persistent traditions attribute the monument’s construction to a multinational crew of tens of thousands of masons, mosaicists, marble artisans, and decorators, which began in 1632 and ended in 1648. They said they worked for Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the emperor’s architect.
Architecture and Design of The Taj Mahal, India
The blooming gardens, designed after the classic Mughal Charbagh, are square gardens with water features and a magnificent marble plinth across the center. The main tomb is on an elevated marble platform near the complex’s northernmost tip. The elevated podium’s objective is to lift it above the other buildings in the complex as if reaching for the heavens. A white 40-meter-tall minaret adorns every edge of the marble platform, and all towers have a slight outward lean. It was over so they would disintegrate and leave the superstructure intact in a natural disaster such as an earthquake.
The Taj’s main entrance is a magnificent Mughal structure made primarily of white marble with tomb-like arches. Vaulted ceilings, geometric designs on the walls, and beautiful calligraphy adorn the arches. Two identical sandstone buildings exist on the opposite end of the compound; the western part has a mosque, while its predecessor is a jawab.
What is there to do at The Taj Mahal, India?
Go through the below points to know more about what to do at the Taj Mahal, India:
- Visit the tomb. It is the focal point of the ensemble. It is a vast white marble square structure with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway), a high dome, and a finial.
- If you missed photographing the Taj Mahal, India, during the full moon, sunrise, or sunset, you could get a better shot from the Yamuna River. There is a lovely view and no admission fee. Few people will bother you, and you can even bring your tripod.
- Visit the Baby Taj, which is the Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah.
Interesting Facts
Here are some of the interesting facts about the Taj Mahal, India:
- The Taj Mahal had claimed to have been in the 12th century as a Shiva temple before turning into a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal. Purushottam Nagesh Oak came up with this idea. He requested entry to the restricted basement chambers in 2000 to test his theory, but the Supreme Court refused him. Another story concerns the well-known Black Taj Mahal.
- Many assumed Shah Jahan intended to raise the monument on the opposite side because construction on a black marble duplicate had already begun when Aurangzeb imprisoned his father. Extensive excavations were out at Mehtab Bagh, but no trace of such a structure could state.
- The Taj has adorned with about 28 rare and semi-precious stones from various Indian locations. In addition, other places in India and Asia were also used to import materials for the Taj Mahal, India.
- More than 1,000 elephants are to have carried the building materials. If you look closely, instead of the four pillars, you will find them slanted outwards. Constructed in this manner to protect the main tomb from damage in the case of a natural calamity such as an earthquake.
Conclusion
Every Indian treasure the Taj Mahal’s beauty and history. This landmark is well-known throughout the world. The Taj Mahal attracts between 2 and 4 million visitors each year. The beauty and significance of the monument attract the most attention and give it a global reputation.
