Saturday 15 December 2012

Agra Taj Mahal

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An epitome of love, Taj Mahal was built in 1653 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world.




Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, has been the pride of India since its inception. Hailed as the ‘Epitome of Love and Beauty’, the great monument was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, after the death of his dearest wife Mumtaz Mahal, as a memorial. It is situated in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of river Yamuna. The exceptional beauty of Taj Mahal has been luring visitors to its gates since ages and will continue to mesmerize them for centuries to come. In the following lines, we have provided some fun and interesting facts about Taj Mahal.




Fun & Interesting Facts About Taj Mahal 
  • Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
  • Apart from being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
  • The name Taj Mahal, with Taj meaning Crown and Mahal meaning Palace, literally means ‘Crown Palace’.
  • The construction work on Taj Mahal was started in the year 1632 and carried on for the next 16 years, ending in 1648.
  • It is believed that 20,000 workmen, who worked on a daily basis, were involved in the construction of Taj Mahal.
  • Taj Mahal is made purely of white marble, which was brought from the quarries of Makrana, in Nagaur district of Rajasthan.
  • It is said that as many as 1000 elephants were used to transport the white marbled used in construction of Taj Mahal.
  • The main entrance gate of Taj Mahal faces the Southern gate and is 151 feet by 117 feet. It rises to a height of 100 feet.
  • A very popular myth surrounding the Taj Mahal is that after its construction, Shah Jahan ordered amputation of the hands of all the workers. It is said that he wanted to make sure that no person on this earth will ever be able to recreate the magic of ‘Taj’.
  • The cost of construction of Taj Mahal, even at that time, came to 32 crore rupees.
  • The inlay work in the Taj Mahal has been done with 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones.
  • Shah Jahan got Red sandstone from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and Diamonds from Panna, for Taj Mahal.
  • The calligrapher of Taj Mahal was Amanat Khan Shirazi, since his name appears at the end of an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj.
  • The main red sandstone gate of Taj Mahal is 30 feet high and stands adorned with verses from the Koran, in Arabic.
  • The central dome of Taj Mahal is 187 feet high at the centre.
  • The architecture of Taj Mahal represents a kind of fusion of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic architecture.
  • The main building of Taj Mahal is surrounded by gardens known as Charbagh (four gardens), measuring 300 X 300 mt.
  • Taj Mahal stands on a raised platform, with one minaret at each of the four corners of the plinth.
  • The minarets of Taj Mahal measure 41.6 m in height and have a deliberate outward slant.
  • The interior of the Taj Mahal comprises of a lofty central chamber, which has a crypt immediately below it.
  • There is a mosque on the left of Taj Mahal, made of red sandstone. It is used for conducting Friday prayers, even today.
  • There is another mosque, standing on Taj Mahal’s right hand side. Since it faces west, it is not used for prayers. It is believed to have been built for maintaining symmetry.

Everybody knows the story of the Taj Mahal. One of the great Moghul Emperors of India, Shah Jehan, built it when his beloved wife died. He ruled over almost all of India from 1628 to 1658 AD. His love for his wife is a romantic story that is like a fairy tale.
Babur, a great Mongol king, conquered India in 1526 and established the Moghul Dynasty (Moghul refers to the Mongol conquerors of India). The first four emperors developed their power and set up a system of Government that included all Indians, Hindus and Muslims. Among them was Akbar, one of the truly greatmonarchs of all time. By the time Shah Jehan became emperor he could turn his mind more fully to cultural activities too.
Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan
Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan
Emperor Shah Jehan was a handsome man. He looked every inch a Prince. His wife, Mumtaz Mahal, was half Persian and was one of the loveliest women at the Moghul Court. ‘She had long black hair, delicate eyebrows and skin like a lily.’ wrote one poet. But more than her beauty, Mumtaz Mahal was a very good woman. She was an excellent wife and mother. She was kind and helped hundreds of women in distress. She was loved by all and most of all by her husband.
Shah Jehan used to travel round his Empire a great deal. Mumtaz Mahal always went with him, taking her three daughters and four sons with her. In fact each of her four sons was born while she was on a military campaign with the Emperor.

Tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal
When Mumtaz Mahal died, Emperor Shah Jehan wept for two months. He wasinconsolable. For two months he did not come out of his room. When he did come out he was a very sad man. He decided to built a Mausoleum, that is a tomb, in her memory. He was going to place the body of Mumtaz Mahal inside this tomb,which he wanted the whole world to admire.
He began work on the Taj Mahal. The architects of this building of great beauty are unknown. Some people think they may have been Italians. Others think Shah Jehan got Persians to design this beautiful building.
The Taj Mahal took about 20 years to build. It is made of the finest white marble and the whole structure is richly decorated. Precious stones were put into the outside walls, but these were eventuallystolen away. When the lamps were lit at night the gems would gleam in the darkness. It was said to be the most beautiful sight in the world.

Main iwan and side pishtaqs
Shah Jehan spent too much money on the Taj Mahal. He spent money that could have been better used to benefitthe people of his empire. When the Taj Mahal was finished he laid the body of his wife inside and planned to build another tomb out of black marble forhimselfThis was the height of folly. His son Aurangzeb imprisoned him and stopped any further expense. When Shah Jehan was put into prison he was kept in a room in the Agra Fort which overlooked the Taj Mahal. From his prison room he could gaze upon the lovely building he had created. He died a few years after his imprisonment, and was buried in the Taj Mahal, near his beloved wife.
The Taj Mahal has been called ‘a poem in marble’. Without any doubt, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Expensive though it was, Mumtaz Mahal, his good and loyal queen, deserved her monument. And today the building is one of India’s greatest tourist attractions, providing a wonderful sight each year to thousands of Indians and foreigners. It is especially beautiful by moonlight, and you are lucky if you can see it under a full moon. It is one of the moststunning sights on earth.


Taj Mahal tour is one of the most favorable tour packages that will provides a delightful tour and travel experience to the tourists. If you are planning to visit India and still you don’t have any information regarding Taj Mahal tour then your visit towards India is totally incomplete. is one of the magical wonder of India which always increases the charm of the country. Taj Mahal is mainly located at Agra which is a small city located on the bank of Yamuna river in Uttar Pradesh state.

Taj Mahal in Agra

Taj is one of the magnificent monuments which were built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his dead lovely wife Mumtaj Mahal. So when a tourist visits this place must know about the eternal love of Shah Jahan. The city Agra is a witness of rise or fall of many kingdoms. Besides Taj some other attractions are also present in these cities that are also belonging from Mughal dynasty. After Taj Mahal tour explore the beauty and charm of Goa with a magical experience in India .Goa is worldwide famous for its clean beaches fringed swaying coconut trees that will creates a cordial environment to spend a holiday in a splendor way.




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