The Taj Mahal: A Timeless Monument of Love The Taj Mahal is an iconic white marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century as a memorial for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who passed away during childbirth. This architectural masterpiece is renowned for its symmetrical design, intricate carvings, and stunning gardens. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful buildings and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Taj Mahal's historical and cultural significance, along with its breathtaking beauty, make it a symbol of love and a must-visit tourist attraction in India.

1. TAJ MAHAL
The Taj Mahal (Crown of Palaces) is an
ivory-white marble mausoleum located in
Agra, India, on the south bank of the
Yamuna river. In 1632, the Mughal emperor
Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658)
ordered his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal
(Mumtaz Mahal or Ercümend Banu Begum,
Shah Jahan, the 6th ruler of the

2. Indo-Turkish-Mongol Mughal Empire). It
was built to host the tomb of the 3rd and
most favorite wife of the Prophet (PBUH)
and the tomb of Shah Cihan is also here.
The mausoleum is the center of a
17-hectare (42-acre) complex that includes
a mosque and a guesthouse, and is set
within gardens, bounded on three sides by
a crenelated wall.
Artistic depiction of Mumtaz Mahal
The construction of the mausoleum was
essentially completed in 1643, but work on
other phases of the project continued for
another 10 years. The entire Taj Mahal
complex is believed to have been
completed in 1653 at an estimated cost of
around 32 million rupees at the time, which
is about 70 billion rupees (about 916 million
US dollars) in 2020. The construction

3. project employed approximately 20,000
artisans
under the
guidance of
a board of
architects
led by the
Mughal-ruling architect Ustad Ahmad
Lahauri.
The Taj Mahal was inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983 for
being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and
one of the universally admired
masterpieces of world heritage." It is
considered by many to be the best example

4. of Mughal architecture and a symbol of
India's rich history.
The Taj Mahal attracts 7-8 million visitors a
year and was one of the winners of the New
7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007)
initiative in 2007.
INSPIRATION
The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in
1631 to commemorate
his wife, Mumtaz
Mahal, who died
giving birth to their
14th child, Gauhara
Begum, on 17 June
that year. Construction
began in 1632 and the
shrine was completed

5. in 1648, while the surrounding buildings
and garden were completed five years later.
Documenting the grief of Shah Jahan after
the death of Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal
is one of the most magnificent monuments
of a passionate love story.
ARCHITECTURE
AND DESIGN
The Taj Mahal is a fusion of Mughal,
Turkish, and Persian architecture, as well
as a magnificent reflection of the Indian
architectural tradition. Mughal successful
structures , including Gur-e Amir (the tomb
of Timur, the ancestor of the Mughal
dynasty in Samarkand), Humayun's Tomb,
which inspired the Charbagh gardens, and
the hasht-behesht architectural plan, are his
greatest sources of inspiration. While earlier

6. Mughal structures were built primarily of red
sandstone, Shah Jahan sought the use of
white marble inlaid with semi-precious
stones. Buildings under his auspices
reached new levels of architectural
refinement.
GRAVE
The
tomb is the central focal point of the entire
complex of the Taj Mahal. It is a large, white
marble structure standing on a square
plinth and consists of a symmetrical
structure with an iwan (an arch-shaped
door) with a large dome and finial above it .

7. Like most Mughal tombs, the key elements
are of Turkish origin.
The basic structure is a large
multi-compartment cube with chamfered
corners forming an unequal octagonal
structure measuring approximately 55
meters on each of the four long sides. Two
balconies with similarly shaped arches
stacked on either side of the iwan are
framed by a giant pishtaq or vaulted arch.
This stacked pishtaq motif is copied into the
chamfered corner areas, making the design
completely symmetrical throughout the
building. Four minarets frame the tomb
facing chamfered corners at each corner of
the plinth. The main chamber houses the
false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and
Shah Jahan, and the real tombs are on the
lower level.
The
most

8. notable feature is the marble dome
surrounding the mausoleum. The dome is
about 35 meters high, which is close in
measurement to the length of the base and
is accentuated by the approximately
7-meter-high cylindrical “drum” on which it
sits. Because of its shape, the dome is
often called an onion dome or amrud
(guava dome).The top is decorated with a
lotus design, which also serves to
emphasize its height.
The shape of the dome is emphasized by
four small domed domes (mansions) placed
at its corners, mimicking the onion shape of
the main dome . The dome is somewhat
asymmetrical. Its column bases open from
the roof of the tomb and provide light inside.
Tall decorative towers ( guldastas ) extend
from the sides of the floor walls and add
visual emphasis to the height of the dome.
The lotus motif is repeated as well. At the
top of the dome and chattris is a gilded

9. finial that blends traditional Turkish, Persian
and Hindustani decorative elements.
The main finial was originally made of gold,
but was replaced by a replica made in
gilded bronze in the early 19th century. This
feature provides a clear example of the
integration of traditional decorative

10. elements.At the top of the finial is a moon,
whose horns indicate heaven, a typical
Islamic motif.
The minarets, each over 40 meters high,
demonstrate the designer's passion for
symmetry. Each minaret is effectively
divided into three equal parts by two
working balconies surrounding the tower. At
the top of the tower is a final balcony
covered with a chattri that reflects the
design of those above the tomb. All of
Chattris share the same decorative
elements of a lotus design topped with a
gilded finial. The minarets were built slightly
outside the plinth so that in the event of
collapse, typical of many tall structures of
the period, materials from the towers would
have tended to fall out of the tomb.

11. EXTERIOR
DECORATIONS
The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal
are among the best in Mughal architecture.
As the surface area changes, the
decorations are proportionally refined.
Decorative
elements are created by applying paint,

12. plaster, stone inlay or carvings. In
accordance with the Islamic prohibition
against the use of anthropomorphic forms,
decorative elements can be grouped into
calligraphy, abstract forms or floral motifs.
Calligraphy on the Great Gate “O Spirit,
you are resting. Return to God at peace
with Him, and He at peace with
you.”Calligraphy was made in 1609 by a
calligrapher named Abdul Haq. Shah Jahan
gave himself the title of "Amanat Khan" as a
reward for his "dizzying virtuosity". At the
bottom of the inner dome, near the
remaining lines from the Qur'an, is the
inscription “Written by the insignificant
Amanat Khan Shirazi”. Most calligraphy
consists of an ornate thuluth script made of
jasper or black marble.The higher panels
are in a slightly larger script to reduce the
skewing effect when viewed from below.
The calligraphy on the marble tombstones

13. in the tomb
is
particularly detailed and elegant.
Abstract forms were used especially on the
surfaces of the pedestal, minaret, passage,
mosque, chin and, to a lesser extent, the
tomb. The incision painting of leaf-shaped
carvings worked with the domes and vaults
of sandstone buildings creates elaborate
geometric forms. Herringbone fills define
the space between many adjacent
elements. White inlays are used in
sandstone structures, and dark or black
inlays are used on white marbles. The

14. mortared areas of marble buildings are
painted or painted in a contrasting color that
creates an intricate array of geometric
patterns. Floors and walkways use
contrasting tiles or blocks in mosaic
patterns.
On the lower walls of the tomb are carved
white marble dados with realistic bas relief
depictions of flowers and vines. The marble
has been polished to highlight the exquisite
details of the carvings. A highly stylized,
almost geometric inlay of vines, flowers and
fruits, pietra dura decorated with dado
frames and belt spandrels. The inlays are
yellow marble, jasper and jade, polished
and aligned to the surface of the walls.

15. INTERIOR
DECORATION
The interior of the Taj Mahal goes far
beyond traditional decorative elements. Not
inlaid with stony dura but with concise
precious and semi-precious stones.The
interior
partition is an
octagon with a
design
allowing
access from all
sides, although
only the
south-facing
door to the
garden is
used. The

16. inner walls are about 25 meters high and
are covered by a "fake" inner dome
decorated with a sun motif. Eight pishtaq
arches define the space at ground level,
and as on the exterior, each lower pishtaq
is crowned by a second pishtaq towards the
middle of the wall.
Four central upper arches form balconies or
viewing areas, and each balcony's outer
window has an intricate screen or marble
jalis. In addition to the light from the balcony
curtains, the light enters through the roof
openings lined with chattris in the corners.
The octagonal marble curtain or jali
surrounding the cenotaphs is made of eight
marble panels carved by intricate drilling.
The remaining surfaces are worked with
delicate details with semi-precious stones
that form vines, fruits and flowers. Each

17. room wall is highly decorated with dado
bas-reliefs, intricate stonework inlays, and
elegant calligraphy panels that reflect, with
little detail, the design elements seen on the
complex's exterior.
Muslim
tradition
forbids
elaborate
decoration of
tombs. For
this reason,
the bodies of
Mumtaz and
Shah Jahan
were placed
in a relatively
plain crypt under the inner chamber, facing
Mecca. The cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal is

18. placed in the very center of the inner
chamber on a rectangular marble base of
1.5 x 2.5 meters. Both the base and the
coffin are elaborate inlaid with precious and
semi-precious stones. The calligraphic
inscriptions on the coffin describe and
praise Mumtaz. The lid of the coffin has a
raised rectangular lozenge, reminiscent of a
writing tablet.
Shah Jahan's cenotaph is next to the
western side of Mumtaz and is the only
visible asymmetrical element of the entire
complex. His cenotaph is a larger coffin
larger than his wife's, but on a slightly
longer base reflecting the same elements,
fully embellished with the stone and
calligraphy that defines it. On the lid of the
coffin is a traditional sculpture of a small
pencil case.

19. The pencil case and writing tablet are
traditional Mughal funeral symbols that
adorn the coffins of men and women,
respectively. The Ninety-Nine Names of
God are calligraphic inscriptions on the
sides of Mumtaz Mahal's actual tomb. Other
inscriptions inside the tomb include the
phrases ``O Noble, O Magnificent, O
Magnificent, O Unique, O Eternal, O
Glorious …” . Shah Cihan's tomb bears a
calligraphic inscription; It is written, “On the

20. twenty-sixth night of Rajab, in Hijri 1076, he
left this world to the banquet hall of eternity”
GARDEN
The complex is set
around a 300
square meter
charbagh or
Mughal garden .
The garden uses
elevated pathways that divide a quarter of
the garden into 16 sunken parterres or

21. flower beds. In the middle of the walkway
with the tomb in the middle of the garden is
a raised marble water tank with a reflecting
pool positioned on a north-south axis to
reflect the image of the tomb. Raised
marble water tank Hz. It has been named
Al Havz Al-Kevser, in reference to the "Tank
of Abundance" promised to Muhammad .
Elsewhere, the garden is organized with
tree avenues and fountains labeled
according to common and scientific names.
A design inspired by Persian gardens, the
charbagh garden was introduced to India by
the first Mughal emperor, Babur. It
symbolizes the four flowing rivers of
paradise (Heaven) and reflects the Garden
of Eden, which means pairidaeza , derived
from the Persian walled garden. ' In the
mystical Islamic texts of the Mughal period,

22. Paradise is described as the ideal garden of
abundance flowing from a central arc or
mountain, separating the garden into four
rivers south and east, north, west.
Most Mughal charbagh are rectangular with
a tomb or pavilion in the middle. The Taj
Mahal garden is unusual in that the main
element, the tomb, is located at the end of
the garden. With the discovery of the
Mahtab Bagh or
"Moonlight Garden"
on the other side of
the Yamuna, the
Archaeological
Survey of India's interpretation is that the
Yamuna river was included in the design of
the garden and should be seen as a
reflection of heaven with its depiction of the
rivers.The similarities in settlement and

23. architectural features with the Şalimar
Gardens suggest that both gardens may
have been designed by the same architect,
Ali Mardan. Early accounts of the garden
describe an abundance of vegetation,
including abundant roses, daffodils, and
fruit trees.As the Mughal Empire declined,
so did the Taj Mahal and its gardens. At the
end of the 19th century, the British Empire
controlled more than three-fifths of India
and assumed the administration of the Taj
Mahal. They altered the landscaping to suit
their own tastes, more like London's official
lawn.

24. EXTERIOR
BUILDINGS
The Taj Mahal complex
is surrounded on three
sides by crenelated red
sandstone walls; The
side facing the river is
open. Outside the walls are several
additional shrines, including those of Shah
Jahan's other wives and a larger tomb for
Mumtaz's favorite servant. Composed
primarily of red sandstone, these structures
are typical of the smaller Mughal tombs of
the period. The garden-facing interior of the
wall is surrounded by columnar arches, a
characteristic feature of Hindu temples that
were later incorporated into Mughal
mosques. The wall is interspersed with

25. domed chattris and small structures that
overlook areas such as the Music House,
which is now used as a museum, or watch
the towers.
The main gateway ( darwaza ) is a
monumental structure built primarily of
marble and reminiscent of Mughal
architecture of previous emperors. The
arches reflect the shape of the tomb's
arches , and the pishtaq arches include
the calligraphy that adorns the tomb. It uses
floral motif bas-reliefs and embroidered
pietra dura embellishments. The vaulted
ceilings and walls feature elaborate
geometric designs like those found in other
sandstone buildings in the complex.
At the far end of the complex are two large
red sandstone buildings mirroring each

26. other and facing the sides of the tomb. The
backs of the buildings are parallel to the
west and east walls. Although the western
building was used as a mosque and the
other as a guesthouse, it is in the form of a
chin (answer), which is thought to have
been built for architectural balance. The
differences between the two buildings
include the absence of a chin mihrab and
its geometrically designed floor, while the
floor of the mosque is paved with the
outlines of 569 prayer rugs made of black
marble. The basic design of the mosque, a
long hall covered with three domes, was
especially Masjid-i Jahān-Numā by Shah
Cihan.or similar to the Friday Masjid in
Delhi. Mughal mosques of this period divide
the sanctuary into three areas containing a
main sanctuary and slightly smaller
sanctuaries on either side. In the Taj Mahal,

27. each sanctuary opens into a large vault
dome. The outer buildings were completed
in 1643.
PRODUCTION
The Taj Mahal was
built on a plot of land
south of the walled
city of Agra. Shah
Jahan offered
Maharaja Jai Singh a
large palace in the center of Agra in
exchange for land.Approximately 1.2
hectares (3 acres) was excavated, filled
with earth to reduce seepage, and leveled
50 meters (160 ft) above the riverbank.
Wells were dug in the tomb area and filled
with stones and rubble to form the
foundations of the tomb. Instead of whipped
bamboo, the workers built a massive brick

28. scaffolding that mirrored the tomb. The pier
was so large that the foramen estimated it
would take years to dismantle.
The Taj Mahal was built using materials
from all over India and Asia. It was believed
that more than 1,000 elephants were used
to transport building materials. It took the
efforts of 22,000 workers, painters,
embroiderers and stonemasons to shape
the Taj Mahal. The translucent white marble
was brought from Makrana, Rajasthan,
jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from
China.The pedestal and tomb took about 12
years to complete. The remaining parts of
the complex took another 10 years and the
minaret, mosque, chin and passage were
completed in order. As the complex is built
in stages, there are differences in
completion dates due to differing views on

29. "completeness". Construction of the
mausoleum was essentially completed by
1643,while work on the exterior buildings
continued for years. Estimates of
construction cost change over time due to
difficulties in estimating costs.The total cost
at that time is estimated to be around 32
million Indian rupees,which is around 52.8
billion Indian rupees (US$827 million) in
2015 values.
Turquoise was from Tibet and lapis lazuli
from Afghanistan, while sapphires were
brought from Sri Lanka and Arabian
Carnelian stone. A total of twenty-eight
kinds of precious and semi-precious stones
were carved into the white marble.
Legend has it that Shah Jahan decreed that
anyone could hide the bricks taken from the
scaffolding, so they were dismantled
overnight by the villagers. A 15 kilometer

30. rammed earth ramp was built to transport
marble and materials to the construction
site, and teams of twenty or thirty oxen
hauled the blocks in specially constructed
wagons.An elaborate post-and-beam pulley
system was used to raise the blocks to the
desired position. Water from the river was
drawn into a large storage tank by a series
of purses , an animal-powered rope and
bucket mechanism, and raised into a large
distribution tank. It moved to three auxiliary
tanks, from which it was piped into the
complex.

31. AFTER
Shortly after the
completion of the
rauza -i
munavvara
(Ravza-i
Münevvere) Taj
Mahal, the name of Abdulhamid Lahauri
Padshahnama (Padisahname) is a
reference to the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan
was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and
was placed under house arrest in the
nearby Agra Fort. Upon Shah Jahan's
death, Aurangzeb buried him in the
mausoleum next to his wife.In the 18th
century, the Jat rulers of Bharatpur invaded
Agra and attacked the Taj Mahal, where two
chandeliers, one in agate and the other in
silver, were taken by them, along with the

32. gold and silver screen hung over the main
cenotaph. Kanbo, a Mughal historian, said
that the golden shield covering the
4.6-metre-high crest atop the main dome
was also removed during the looting of the
Jat.
In the late 19th century, parts of the
buildings fell into disrepair. At the end of the
19th century, the British governor-general,
Lord Curzon, ordered an extensive
restoration project that was completed in
1908. He also commissioned the large lamp
in the inner room, modeled after the one in
the Cairo mosque. During this time the
garden was remodeled with European-style
lawns that are still in place today.

33. THREATS
In 1942, the government erected scaffolding
to hide the building in anticipation of air
raids by the Japanese Air Force.During the
1965 and 1971 India-Pakistan wars,
scaffolding was rebuilt to mislead bomber
pilots.
Acid rains from the Mathura Oil Refinery
threatened many things, including the
Yamuna River, and environmental pollution
began to change the white color of the Taj
Mahal to Yellow Brown.To help contain
pollution, the Indian government has set up
the "Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ)", a 10,400
square kilometer area around the
monument with stringent emissions
standards.

34. Concerns regarding the structural integrity
of the tomb have been raised recently, as
the groundwater level in the Yamuna river
basin is decreasing at a rate of
approximately 1.5 m per year. In 2010,
cracks appeared in parts of the mausoleum,
and the monument's wooden foundation
could rot from thirst, showing signs of
bending in the minarets surrounding the
monument. However, it was stated by
politicians that the minarets were designed
to tilt slightly outward in order to prevent the
minarets from falling over the top of the
tomb in the event of an earthquake. It was
reported in 2011 that some estimates
indicated that the tomb could be
demolished within five years.
Small minarets in two of the outer buildings
were reportedly damaged in a storm on

35. April 11, 2018.On May 31, 2020, another
severe storm did some damage to the
complex.
TOURISM
The Taj Mahal attracts many tourists.
UNESCO documented more than 2 million
visitors in 2001,this number increased to
about 7-8 million in 2014.A two-tier pricing
system is available for Indian citizens with a
significantly lower entry fee and more. In

36. 2018, the fee was INR 50 for Indian citizens
and INR 1,100 for foreign tourists.Most
tourists come during the colder months of
October, November and February. It is not
allowed to pollute the traffic near the
complex, and tourists must either walk
through the parking areas or take the
electric bus. The Khawaspur (northern
courtyards) are currently being restored for
use as a new visitor center.In 2019, to curb
overtourism, the site will be fined for visitors
staying more than three hours.
Known as Taj Ganji or Mumtazabad, the
small town south of Taj was originally built
with caravanserais, bazaars and markets to
serve the needs of visitors and workers.
Lists of recommended travel destinations
frequently include the Taj Mahal, a new poll
that received 100 million votes, topped
various lists of the seven wonders of the

37. modern world, including the recently
announced New Seven Wonders of the
World.
The grounds are open from 06:00 to 19:00
on weekdays, except on Fridays, when the
complex is open for worship at the mosque
from 12:00 to 14:00. The complex is open
to night view on the day of the full moon
and two days before and after,excluding
Fridays and the month of Ramadan.
Foreign dignitaries often visit the Taj Mahal
on their trips to India. Notable people
visiting the site include Dwight Eisenhower,
Jacqueline Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, George
HW Bush, George Harrison, Barack and
Michelle Obama, Mark Zuckerberg,
Vladimir Putin, Princess Diana, Donald
Trump and Justin Trudeau.

38. LEGENDS
Since its construction,
the building has been a
source of fascination
that transcends culture
and geography, and so
personal and emotional
responses have
consistently eclipsed
scholastic evaluations of the monument.A
long-standing legend holds that Shah
Jahan planned to build a black marble
mausoleum across the Yamuna river as the
Black Taj Mahal.The idea originates from
the imaginative writings of Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier, a European traveler who visited
Agra in 1665. It has been suggested that
his son Aurangzeb overthrew Shah Jahan
before it was built. Blackened marble ruins

39. across the river in the Moonlight
GardenMahtab Bagh seemed to support
this legend. However, during excavations in
the 1990s, it was seen that these were
white stones that turned black. A more
credible theory about the origins of the
black mausoleum was demonstrated by
archaeologists who reconstructed part of
the pool in the Moonlight Garden in 2006. A
dark reflection of the white mausoleum was
clearly visible, befitting Shah Jahan's
obsession with symmetry and the
positioning of the pool.
There is no evidence for the allegations,
which describe, often in gruesome detail,
the deaths, dismemberments, and
mutilations that Shah Jahan supposedly
inflicted on the various architects and
artisans associated with the tomb. Some
stories claim that those involved in

40. construction contracts promised they would
not be involved in a similar design. Similar
claims are made for many famous
buildings.There is no evidence that Lord
William Bentinck, viceroy of India in the
1830s, planned to demolish the Taj Mahal
and sell the marbles at auction. Bentinck's
biographer, John Rosselli, says that the
story came about by Bentinck raising funds
from the sale of discarded marble from the
Agra Fort.
Another legend suggests that tattooing the
silhouette of the finial will cause water to
appear. To this day, authorities have found
broken bracelets surrounding the silhouette.
In 2000, the Supreme Court of India
rejected PN Oak's petition declaring that a
Hindu king had built the Taj Mahal . In

41. 2005, a similar petition was rejected by the
Allahabad High Court. This case was filed
by Amar Nath Mishra, a social worker and
preacher who said that the Taj Mahal was
built by Hindu King Parmal Dev in 1196.
A theory that the Taj Mahal was designed
by an Italian, Geronimo Vereneo, was
briefly influential after being first introduced
by Henry George Keene in 1879, and was
based on a Spanish work, Itinerario (The
Travels of Fray Sebastian Manrique,
1629–1643 ). Another theory that Austin of
Bordeaux, a Frenchman, designed the Taj
was supported by William Henry Sleeman,
based on the work of Jean-Baptiste
Tavernier. These ideas were revived by
Father Hosten and discussed again by E.
B. Havell and formed the basis for later
theories and debates.

42. DISCUSSIONS
As
of 2017, there have been several court
cases claiming that the Taj Mahal is a Hindu
temple, inspired by PN Oak's theory.In
August 2017, the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) stated that there was no
evidence to suggest that the monument
housed a temple.The 17th century
monument was built by Mughal Emperor
Shah Jahan after the Bharatiya Janata
Party's Vinay Katiyar destroyed a Hindu
temple named 'Tejo Mahalaya' in 2017. This
claim was also made by another BJP
member Laxmikant Bajpai in 2014. Mahesh

43. Sharma, the union culture minister in the
BJP government, stated at a session of
parliament in November 2015 that there
was no evidence of a temple. Theories that
the Taj Mahal was a Shiva temple began
circulating when Oak published his 1989
book “Taj Mahal: The True Story.” It claimed
that it was built in 1155 AD and not in the
17th century as stated by the ASI.
In 2017, a controversy arose when the Uttar
Pradesh government did not include it in its
official tourism booklet “Uttar Pradesh
Tourism – Unlimited Possibilities”. Chief

44. Minister Yogi Adityanath had earlier claimed
that it did not represent Indian culture.In the
midst of this controversy, BJP MLA Sangeet
Som had claimed that those who built the
Taj Mahal were traitors and that it was a
"stain" on the culture of the country. He
claimed it was done by a man who
imprisoned his own father and wanted to kill
Hindus. BJP MP Anshul Verma supported
his comments. AIMIM MP Asaduddin
Owaisi, Jammu & Kashmir National
Conference leader Omar Abdullah and
Azam Khan criticized him. CM Adityanath
stated that Som's comments were personal
and the government will focus on the
tourism potential of each monument.