The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Construction of the white marble mausoleum took over 20 years to complete. Seen as a symbol of eternal love, the Taj Mahal is a fusion of Islamic and Hindu architectural styles that attracts millions of visitors annually to Agra, India.

1. By
Rajesh Rachakonda
Wilmington University

3.  Taj Mahal -----> The Symbol Of Eternal Love!
 As everyone know, Taj Mahal made to the list of New
Seven Wonders earlier.
 This marble marvel remains one of the most loved
tourist spots in the world.
 The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh,
India, was actually built as a tomb by Mogul ruler
Shah jahan for his wife, Arjuman Banu Begum.
She was born in April, 1593 in Agra, India.

5.  Shah Jahan had been married to Arjuman Banu Begum at
age of 36 and ascended
 the peacock throne of India in
1628.
 she was more familiarly known as
Mumtaz Mahal, or "beloved
ornament of the palace“
and she was one of the most
beautiful women in India.
 Within three years, their love
story had ended.

7.  Mumtaz died on June 17, 1631 AD while accompanying
Shah during a battle campaign in Burhanpur in the
Deccan (now in Madhya Pradesh) giving birth to her
fourteenth child.
 Whether it is true that Arjuman asked on her
deathbed for a symbol of their love, nobody seems to
know. But the Shah went ahead and erected an
immortal tribute in the form of the most magnificent
tomb in the world.
 It would take 22 years to be completed.

8.  Taj Mahal actually contains many separate areas inside, as
well as outer buildings and extensive gardens.
 The name is said to have been derived from his wife's
nickname, Mumtaz Mahal.
 Her empty tomb, rests in the exact middle of the main
chamber, keeping the symmetrical design of the entire
structure.
 Four years after the tomb was completed, the Shah was
deposed and imprisoned by his son.
 When he died on 22 January 1666 (aged 74), his son had a
cenotaph created beside that of his wife, upsetting the
balance of the chamber.

10.  The actual bodies, in true Muslim tradition, are buried in
plain graves in the basement, wrapped in white
shrouds, with faces turned towards Mecca.

11.  A labour force of about twenty thousand workers was
recruited from across the Northern India.
 Sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and
Persia, inlayers from southern India, stone cutters
from Baluchistan, a specialist in building turrets,
another who carved only marble flowers were part of
the thirty-seven men who formed the creative unit.
 The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from
all over India and Asia and over 1,000 elephants were
used to transport building materials.

12.  The translucent white marble was brought from
Makrana, Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and
crystal from China.
 In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious
stones were inlaid into the white marble.
 The main finial was originally made of gold but was
replaced by a copy made of gilded bronze in the early 19th
century.
 This feature provides a clear example of integration of
traditional Persian and Hindu decorative elements.
 The finial is topped by a moon, a typical Islamic motif
whose horns point heavenward.

14.  In 1942, the government erected a temporary structure
in anticipation of an air attack by German and later by
Japanese Air Force.
 During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and
1971, temporary structure was again erected to mislead
bomber pilots.
 More recent threats have come from environmental
pollutions