The Taj Mahal is a stunning white marble mausoleum commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Located on the south bank of the Yamuna River near Agra, India and  the Taj Mahal took 22 years to build which  was completed in 1653. 

Considered one of his New Wonders of the World, this exquisite monument amazes visitors with its symmetry, architectural beauty, intricate calligraphy, inlaid gemstones and magnificent gardens. The Taj Mahal was not only a memorial to her spouse's name, but a lasting declaration of love from Shah Jahan to her beloved soulmate. 

History Of Taj Mahal

Agra's Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world, more than just its grandeur. Adding soul to its grandeur is the history of the Taj Mahal.

Love, loss, regret, and a loving soul again. Without love, the world would be deprived of a good example for people to build relationships. An example of how much a man loved his wife.The man gave birth to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who was madly in love. She was a Muslim Persian princess (her name before marriage was Arjumand Banu Begum) and Shah Jahan  was the son of Mughal emperor Jahangir and grandson of Akbar the Great.

Mumtaz  Mahal, who was inseparable from Shah  Jahan, died in 1631 giving birth to her 14th child. In memory of her beloved wife, Shah Jahan erected her magnificent monument in her honour. This monument is now known as the 'Taj Mahal'. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1631. Masons, inlayers, sculptors, painters, calligraphers, dome builders, and other craftsmen were conscripted not only from the empire, but also from Central Asia and Iran, and spent some 22 years building what we built. constructed. See today The epitome of love, he employed 22,000 workers and his 1,000 elephants. 

The monument was built entirely of white marble brought from all over India and Central Asia. At a cost of around 32 million rupees, the Taj Mahal was completed in 1653. Shortly after completing the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was banished by his son Aurangzeb  placed under house arrest in the nearby Agra Fort. Shah Jahan himself is buried in this mausoleum along with his wife. Further down the story, in the late 19th century, the British Governor- General Lord Curzon ordered a major restoration project, completed in 1908, to restore what was lost during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 

The Taj was defiled by British soldiers and government officials who robbed the monument of its pristine beauty by carving gemstones and lapis lazuli from its walls. The English lawn seen today, which adds to the beauty of the Taj, was also redesigned around the same time. Despite past and present Indo-Pakistani wars and threats of pollution, this epitome of love continues to shine and fascinate people around the world.  

Taj Mahal Construction

The plans for the complex have been attributed to various architects of the time, but the principal architect was probably Ustad Aḥmad Lahawrī, a Persian-Indian. His five main elements of the complex - the main gate, the gardens, the mosque, the jawab (literally "answer", a building reflecting the mosque) and the mausoleum (including four minarets) - were conceived as a united entity according to principles. 

A practice of Mughal architecture that did not allow subsequent additions or alterations. Construction began around 1632 on him. Over 20,000 workers were employed from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire and Europe, and he completed the mausoleum itself by about 1638-39. The out building was completed by him in 1643, and decoration work continued until at least 1647. In all, it took him 22 years to build the 17-acre complex. 

 According to one tradition, Shah Jahan originally intended to build another mausoleum across the river to house his remains. The structure was supposed to be made of black marble and connected to the Taj Mahal by a bridge. However, he was banished by his son Aurangzeb in 1658 and spent the rest of his life imprisoned in the Agra Fort.   

What is the Taj Mahal Symbolise?

When Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631 at the age of 38, the emperor is said to have postponed the wedding of his two sons, refusing to attend court festivities. It continued until the construction of the Taj was completed. Stories like this have led to the Taj Mahal being mentioned in popular literature as an architectural "symbol of love". 

Some have suggested that the Taj was not a funerary monument and that Shah Jahan may have erected a similar structure even though his wife had not died. Another theory, based on the metaphorical peculiarities of the Quran and other inscriptions and the emperor's love for the throne, is that the Taj Mahal is a symbolic representation of God's throne - the throne of God - on the Day of Judgment. A third view holds that the monument was built to represent a replica of the Paradise House. In the "mansion of paradise" theory, the Taj was something of a vanity project built to glorify Mughal rule and the emperor himself.

If his accession to the throne had gone smoothly, Shah Jahan's exit had not. The emperor died not as a ruler, but as a prisoner. Shah Jahan was exiled to the Agra Fort under his house arrest for eight years until his death in 1666, and could only enjoy distant views of the Taj His Mahal. But the magnificent marble mausoleum he built "with posterity in mind" survived more than 350 years after its construction and is now considered one of the world's most recognizable landmarks. Buried next to the Taj Mahal's beloved wife, the man once called Padshah - King of the World - has enduring fame for commissioning one of the world's most extravagant and memorable mausoleums.  

Destruction Of Taj Mahal 

When Shah Jahan died on January 22, 1666, Aurangzeb buried his father with Mumtaz Mahal in a crypt beneath the Taj Mahal. Two cenotaphs (empty public tombs) are now located on the ground floor of the Taj Mahal above the crypt. The middle of the room belongs to Mumtaz Mahal and the west belongs to Shah Jahan.

An elaborately carved lacy marble screen surrounds the memorial. It was originally a golden screen, but Shah Jahan replaced it so that thieves would not try to steal it. Shah Jahan was wealthy enough to support the Taj Mahal and its staggering upkeep, but over the centuries the Mughals lost their wealth and the Taj Mahal fell into disrepair.

Around the year 1800, Britain expelled the Mughal Empire and occupied India. The Taj Mahal was dissected because of its beauty. Birch cut jewels from walls, stole silver sconces and doors, and even tried to sell white marble abroad. Contributing to this was the British Governor of India, Lord Curzon. Instead of looting the Taj Mahal, Curzon worked to restore it.  

Conclusion And Taj Mahal Now 

The Taj Mahal has become an amazing place that is visited by 2.5 million people a year. Visitors can stop by during the day to watch the white marble take on different shades throughout his day. Once a month, visitors have the chance to make a short visit during the full moon and see the Taj Mahal seemingly glowing in the moonlight.

The Taj Mahal was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1983, but this protection does not guarantee its safety. Now it's at the mercy of pollutants from nearby factories and excess moisture from visitors' breath.