All About The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal Quick Overview
The Taj Mahal is one of the most wonderful buildings ever built in the history of mankind. No wonder it is one of the seven wonders of the world. History says that Shah Jahan, the Mughal king in the early 17th century lost his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. He constructed Taj Mahal in her memory and as a resting place for her tomb. The tomb of the Emperor and his wife are placed side-by-side inside this beautiful piece of architecture.

The Taj Mahal From Above

Facts of the Taj Mahal

Years of Construction: 1631
It was Completed In: 1653
Time Taken: 22 years
The Taj Mahal Built By: Shah Jahan
Dedicated to: Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Bano Begum), the wife of Shah Jahan
Location: Agra (Uttar Pradesh), India
Building Type: Islamic tomb
Architecture: Mughal (Combination of Persian, Islamic and Indian architecture style)
Architect: Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
Cost of Construction: 32 crore rupees
Number of workers: 20,000
Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the World; A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Timings: Sunrise to Sunset (Friday closed)
Entrance Fee: Rs 750 (Foreign Tourists)
Entrance Fee Rs 510 (Citizens of SAARC & BIMSTEC Countries)
Entrance Fee Rs 20 (Domestic Indian Tourists)
No Entry Fee for children below 15 years of age (Domestic or Foreigner)

The Taj Mahal

What You May Not Know About The Taj Mahal

Before his accession to the throne, Shah Jahan was popularly known as Prince Khurram.
Arjumand Bano Begum was christened by Shah Jahan as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the “Chosen One Of The Palace” or “Jewel of the Palace”.
Shah Jahan lost Mumtaz Mahal, when she died giving birth to their 14th child.
For the transportation of the construction materials, more than 1,000 elephants were employed.
As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to adorn the Taj with exquisite inlay work.
Depending on what time of the day it is and whether or not there’s moon at night, Taj Mahal appears to be of different color every time. Some even believe that this changing pattern of colors depict different moods of a woman.
Passages from Quran have been used as decorative elements throughout the complex.
Taj Mahal was built in stages, with the plinth and the tomb taking up roughly 15 years. Building of minarets, mosque, jawab, and gateway took additional 5 years to be completed.
Many precious stones and Lapis Lazuli (a semi-precious stone) were ripped off from its walls by the British tourists and visitors during the Indian rebellion of 1857.
Taj Mahal attracts 2-4 million visitors annually with over 200,000 from overseas.

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful piece of architecture and is it any wonder it attracts 2-4 million visitors a year?

The Taj Mahal

All About The Taj Mahal