Our very own Taj Mahal

The tomb of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz

Isnt it totally awesome! The symbol of love for all. The changing light and shadows affect the colour and patterns of the Taj Mahal. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines.

Location: Agra, India. Set on the banks of river Jamuna (Yamuna)

Short History:
The construction of this marble masterpiece is credited to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who erected this mausoleum in memory of his beloved wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb. Legend has it that he spent the remainder of his days gazing through the window at the Taj Mahal. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the Taj Mahal next to his wife, the only disruption of the otherwise perfect symmetry in the architecture.

Construction began in: 1632 A.D.

Completed in: 1648 A.D.

Cost: 32 million Rupees

No of Workers: 20,000

Material:
The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials during the construction. The translucent white marble was brought from Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.

Myths associated with the Taj:
Myth No 1: Numerous stories describe — often in horrific detail — the deaths, dismemberments and mutilations which Shah Jahan inflicted on various architects and craftsmen associated with the tomb. No evidence for these claims exists.
Myth No 2: Shah Jahan planned a duplicate mausoleum to be built in black marble across the Jumna river.