Taj Mahal Story – The Seventh Wonder of the World

Taj Mahal India:

Taj Mahal, one of the world’s wonders, is located on the bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttara Pradesh. Shah Jahan, the famous Moghul Emperor, built this Monument during 1631-1653. It took 22 long years to complete the construction entirely. Shah Jahan had a deep love for his wife, Mumtaz. After her death of her, he felt deep sorrow and, for two years, did not come out from the lamentation. Then he wanted to build a monument to pay tribute to Mumtaz Mahal. Due to this sequence of events, the present Taj Mahal was built in Agra.

The Taj Mahal is the house of a Tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal construction occupied 42 acres of land. Three sides of the world wonder. They spread around a beautiful garden.

Why was the Taj Mahal built?

Mumtaz Mahal was the thirteenth wife to Emperor Shah Jahan. He deeply loved her and had thirteen children; she died on the way to giving birth to his fourteenth child. Her death made Shah Jahan deep lamentation. Hence, he wanted to build a magnificent monument as a tribute to her. The construction of the Tomb started in the year 1631. Many stone cutters, painters, carvers, dome builders and artisans participated in bringing a shape of love. All the workers were obtained from various places in his kingdom, central Asia, and Iran.

White marble was used in the entire construction, brought from the quarries of Makrana, Rajasthan. The 22,000 labourers, with the help of 1000 Elephants, worked for 22 years to construct the Magnificent Monument. Approximately 32 million rupees were used in those days to complete the construction. Entire work of the Taj Mahal in the year 1653. Historians believe that Ustad Ahamed Lahauri, the chief architect to manage the whole design and overview of the construction of this magnificent symbol of love.

Taj Mahal Inside Architecture:

The most spectacular feature of the construction was the marble dome. The dome is nearly 35 meters (115) feet high and another 7 meters (23) feet cylindrical formed stone seated on a cylindrical shape, called an Onion dome or Amrud(guava) dome. The marble dome is emphasized by four domed kiosks placed at its corners. The top of the dome was decorated with lotus designs, making it more beautiful to see. The tall decorative pillars (Spires) extend from the edges of the base walls. This created a visual emphasis on the height of the dome. Four Miners were also built in the four corners of the Taj Mahal. These symbolized the traditional elements of the Mosque and indicated the Islamic faith in prayer. Traditional Persian and Hindustani decorative elements inspire the whole monument decoration.

Garden:

A garden was also brought up on the three sides of the construction. The park was laid out with avenues of trees and fountains, and the designers followed the style of Persian Gardens. The Mughals maintained the greens in a rectangular shape, with the Tomb in the centre. The gardens are decorated with a variety of trees and flower plants. By the end of the 19th century in India, the administration came under the control of the British Raj. The Britishers took control over the management of the Tomb and redesigned the garden to resemble the London lawns closely.

The exterior and Taj Mahal interior designs are carved at a high quality of Technic, which makes us astonished while looking at them. Some gems were also studded on the walls; later, they fell into the hands of robbers. But the Persian style of designs on the border with bright colours brought a lot of beauty to the Taj Mahal. The slender carvings on the stones seem us how the sculptures delicately worked to get those shapes. The entrance, the greenery lawns, and the white-coloured marble construction stand proudly in history by making history.

Taj Mahal over the years

During the rule of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire reached its zenith of strength and height. However, under the lair, the neighbouring strengthened and increased their military power to defy Aurangzeb’s unfair policies. He destroyed many Hindu temples, imposed a jizya tax on the Hindus made Shivaji Maharaj to found the Maratha Kingdom. Finally, in the mid of 18th century, the Mughal Empire started its glory to the dust. Later, Agra came under the rule of the British East India Company. Then the British viceroy of India preserved the Taj Mahal by restoring the Mausoleum complex. Since then, the Taj Mahal has symbolized India’s artistic and Cultural heritage.

Even as Mughal power crumbled, the Taj Mahal suffered from neglect and disrepair in the two centuries after Shah Jahan’s death. Near the turn of the 19th century, Lord Curzon, then British viceroy of India, ordered a significant restoration of the mausoleum complex as part of a colonial effort to preserve India’s artistic and cultural heritage. Today, the Taj is one of the famous destination places for tourists; daily, around 35 to 40 thousand tourists visit to see the beauty of the Taj Mahal.