Taj Mahal It was as much of a symbol of power as it was of love. Taj Mahal means a “Crown Palace” and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful an immense mausoleum of white marble tomb in the world.  The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the greatest architectural achievements in the entire world of Indo-Islamic architecture. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim architecture in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage. For first-time visitors to India, it’s almost impossible to skip.

Taj Mahal a Wonder of the world: Over View

Even after over 400 years since it was built, this breath-taking poetry in white marble is still one of the most fascinating pieces of architecture ever known to mankind. Rudyard Kipling described the Taj Mahal so poetic as ‘the embodiment of all things pure’, he echoed the romance, the beauty and the glory of the Taj as a masterpiece that shone brilliant on full moon nights, and threw up an evocative reflection in the still on the waves of the river Yamuna. Famous Hindi poet scholar Rabindranath Tagore said the Taj Mahal is like ‘a teardrop on the cheek of eternity’. Millions of tourists even today find a beautiful reason to visit the Taj Mahal each year, and stand in breath-taking Taj before its eternal beauty. English poet  Edwin Arnold describes it so wonderful as “Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but this is a proud passion of  Shahjahan’s love wrought in living stones.”

Every Indian takes pride in the beauty, the tourist symbol of India the Taj Mahal and its majestic heritage. Taj Mahal is famous all over the world. Every year Around 3 to 4 million people come to see the most amazing monument of love with their own eyes. The beauty and history of the Taj Mahal attracts people the most and makes it famous all over the world.

Taj Mahal built for Queen Mumtaj Mahal

Queen Mumtaz Mahal was born as Arjumand Banu on 27th April 1593 in Agra to Abu’l-Hasan Asaf Khan a wealthy Persian noble who held high office in the Mughal Empire.

Mumtaz Mahal was engaged to Shah Jahan around 5th April 1607, when she was 14 years old at the time and prince was 15. They were, however, married five years after the year of their betrothal on 10th May 1612 or 7th June 1612 at Agra with a great pomp and show. After their wedding celebrations, Shah Jahan, “finding her in appearance and character beautiful among all the women of that time”, gave her a title of “Mumtaz Mahal” Begum “the Exalted One of the Palace”.  This is the reason that beauty of the Taj is also taken as a representation of queen Mumtaz Mahal’s beauty and this leads many writers and poets to describe the Taj Mahal appears as a feminine.

Mumtaz had a love marriage with prince Shah Jahan. Even during her lifetime, poets would praise her beauty and grace. Despite she was frequently pregnant, Mumtaz Mahal travelled with Shah Jahan’s throughout his military campaigns. She was his constant companion and trusted confidant The leading court historians of that time go to unheard lengths to document the intimate and erotic relationship the couple enjoyed. In their 19 years of marriage, they had a family of fourteen children. Queen Mumtaz Mahal died from postpartum haemorrhage in Berhampur deccan part of India on 17th June 1631.

Sha Jahan buits the Taj Mahal a wonder of the world

Taj Mahal was built by the fifth emperor in the dynasty of Mughals in India, Shah Jahan to be built as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal in 1631 at Cost of is Thirty-five million Indian Rupees, in the memory of his most beloved wife, and a soul-mate Queen Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess. The love between Emperor Shah Jahan and his queen Mumtaz mahal, made this beautiful monument which is counted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  The Taj Mahal is widely considered one of the most beautiful buildings ever created on earth.

Taj Mahal :Architecture

Master Architect of the Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Taj Mahal is Located at Agra in a city of Uttar Pradesh India. Two hundred kilo meters from Delhi [capital]. The Taj Mahal is the pinnacle of Mughal architecture, constructed with impeccable symmetry according to the doctrines of the period’s style. Minarets on each side flank the domed tomb, and a central pool reflects the main building. The gardens an earthly representation of paradise. The stunning Taj Mahal was built on a land on the banks of the river to the south of the walled city of Agra. The Taj was constructed using materials from all over his empire and other parts of Asia. It is believed that over a thousand elephants were used to drag to transport building materials. It took the endeavour of approximately twenty-two thousand labourer’s, Artisans, painters, embroidery artists and stonecutters to shape up the Taj Mahal. The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana [Jaipur] in Rajasthan, the Jasper from the state of Punjab, jade and crystal was imported from China. The turquoise stone was brought from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli comes from the mines of Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from [Cyclone] Sri Lanka and the most amazing red stone in Taj is carnelian procure from the deserts of Arabia. Total twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious gem stones were inlaid by special technique, into the white marble. A fifteen-kilometre tamped-earth ramp was built to transport marble and materials to the construction site and teams of twenty or thirty oxen pulled the blocks on specially constructed wagons an elaborate post and a beam pulley system was set to raise the blocks into desired position. Water was drawn from the river by a series of purs, an animal-powered rope and bucket mechanism, into a large storage tank and raised to a large distribution tank. It was passed into three subsidiary tanks, from which it was piped to the complex. The main entrance to the Taj is an ornamentally rich Mughal structure made of white marble with tomb like archways. The arches are rich in calligraphy and have vaulted ceilings and walls with geometric patterns in designs. On the other end of the structure there are two identical red sandstone buildings, the western building is actually a mosque, and its prototype, on the opposite is a jawab an answer. tricks of the eye. When you first approach the main gate that frames the Taj, for example, the monument appears incredibly close and large. But as you get closer, it shrinks in size.

In conclusion, The Taj always welcomes each of its visitors with an inscription, written in beautiful handwriting, on the great gate that reads “O Soul, thou art at rest. The Ninety-Nine Names of God are found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides of the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal in the crypt including, “O Noble, O Magnificent, O Majestic, O Unique, O Eternal, O Glorious… It’s recognized as architectonic beauty has a rhythmic amalgamation of solids and voids, concave and convex with effects of light and shadow. As arches and domes of the Taj Mahal further increases the aesthetic aspect. The colour combination of lush green scape, reddish pathway and turquoise blue sky over it show cases the monument in ever changing its tints and moods.  From dawn to dusk, the sun transforms the mausoleum. It may seem pearly grey and pale pink at sunrise, dazzling white at high noon, and an orange-bronze when the sun sets. In the evenings, the relief work in white marble and inlay with precious and semi-precious gem stones make it a monument apart. Main material used to build was material White marble. Taj Mahal represents the finest architectural and artistic achievement through perfect harmony and excellent craftsmanship. It is a masterpiece of architectural style in conception, treatment and execution and has a unique aesthetic quality in balance, symmetry and harmonious blending of various natural elements. The exquisite marble structure in Agra, India, is a mausoleum, an enduring monument to the love of a husband for his favourite wife. It’s also an eternal testament to the artistic and scientific accomplishments of a wealth of the Mughal empire. Taj Mahal reaches far beyond traditional decorative elements. The inlay work is not pietra dura, but a lapidary of precious and semiprecious gemstones.

A popular myth around the Taj Mahal is that after the construction of the Taj, Shah Jahan cut off the hands of all the workers so that such a structure could not be built again. Fortunately, this is a fake story and not true.

Black Taj Mahal

Local lore says that the Shah Jahan originally intended to build another mausoleum in black marble across the river to house his own remains. And a marble bridge with the Taj Mahal some says that Shah Jahan wanted to construct a shadow image across the Yamuna River an identical, but opposite Taj Mahal with black marble. where he would be entombed. Chronicles of the court, said that construction came to a halt after Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his own son Aurangzeb., at the nearby the red fort of Agra Fort. Emperor’s wish didn’t fulfil and he was buried on the side of his wife queen in the Taj Mahal in 1658.

Entrance fee for Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal Entree Ticket

Entry Fee: Foreign Tourist Type Amount Rs.1100/- + 200/-
Citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC Countries Rs 540/- + 200/-

Taj Mahal Timings:

Taj Mahal opens 30 Minutes before sunrise and closes 30 Minutes before sunset during normal operating days). Taj Mahal is closed on Friday.

More Information: Best Tourist Guide for Delhi Agra Jaipur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal

http://www.tajmahal.gov.in/