The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal, the monument of immeasurable beauty is one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World. It is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and considered the finest example of Mughal architecture.

 The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. The entire complex, with gardens, gateway structures, and mosque, was completed in 1653, which took almost 22 years to complete.

History of Taj Mahal :

The Taj Mahal was built by the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.she died while giving birth to their 14th child. It is believed that during her last moments, Mumtaz Mahal obtained a promise from Shah Jahan that he will build world's most beautiful monument in her memory. Taj Mahal symbolizes eternal love of a man for his wife. The body of the queen was buried temporarily in the Zainabadi Garden in Burhanpur and moved to Agra after six months.

The land on which the Taj Mahal was built was acquired from Raja Jai Singh. The construction began in 1631 AD and completed in 22 years. 20,000 labors and artisans were employed for the work. The material for the mausoleum was brought from all over India and central Asia. Taj Mahal was designed by the Iranian architect Ustad Isa.

Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the mausoluem next to his wife.

Architecture of Taj Mahal Taj Mahal architecture is a kind of fusion of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic architecture. The Taj Mahal is situated 900 ft away from the entrance gate. The tomb is built over a marble plinth, which rests over a high sandstone base. And there are four tapering minarets on the four corners of the marble plinth flank the tomb. The minarets height is of 138 ft and is crowned by with eight windowed cupolas over the marble plinth.

The main building is built of marble and is square in plan with chamfered corners. Each side of the corner has an iwan adorned with calligraphy. There are small rectangular double arches one over the other on both sides of the iwan. The arched alcoves of equal sizes are semi-octagonal. The pilasters demark each section of the façade on both side, which rises from plinth of the tomb up to the frieze and are topped by beautiful pinnacles with lotus buds and finials. A shadowy burial crypt inside the Taj Mahal houses the tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Above these tombs is the main chamber that has the false tombs, typical of mausoleums of the Mughals. Perforated marble screens were used to transmit light into the central chamber.