Taj Mahal

On the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra, The Taj Mahal is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum. The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan was commissioned in 1632, to house the tomb of his favorite wife; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. Love is symbolized by the Taj-Mahal. Emperor Shah Jahan built this in memory of his wife. The Taj Mahal was named after Mumtaz Begum, the wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. It took 22 years of 22,000 workers to build this. In addition, about 1000 elephants were used to carry the building materials of this place. From Makrana of Rajasthan, the white stone of the Taj-Mahal was brought. Various types of sapphires come from Punjab, China, Tibbat, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. In addition to Indian experts, architects from around the world were brought in to complete this remarkable construction of the Taj Mahal. Although the Taj-Mahal has its characteristics, the construction of this monument has a touch of various religious architecture. With light at different times of the day, the Taj Mahal also contains different colors.

Attraction

On the bank of the river Yamuna, Agra is an old heritage city, that finds mentioned in the Epic Mahabharata as Agravan. It is marked as Agra on the World map, by the famous 2nd Century Geographer Ptolemy. Rudyard Kipling said of the Taj Mahal’s beauty, “The embodiment of all things pure” and that is no wordplay as the Taj is undoubtedly a pure epitome of beauty. It is the finest expression of the love of an emperor for his queen and is an immortal poem in white marble. The Taj Mahal is one of the three World Heritage Sites in India. With its back towards Yamuna River, set in a serene Mughal Garden, the monument stands on a raised marble platform.

Nearby Places

History

Unique architectural details of Taj Mahal.

The main design for the construction of the Taj Mahal was made by Ustad Ahmed Lahori. At that time most of the Mughal buildings were made of red sand and stone. Shah Jahan was the first to use white stone in the construction of the Taj Mahal. As a white stone monument, the Taj-Mahal has worldwide significance. The site of the Taj Mahal was the property of Maharaja Jaisingh. Emperor Shah Jahan decided to acquire this land. He acquired land in exchange for a huge palace in central Agra.

The land of the Taj-Mahal on the banks of the river Yamuna was very scarce, and lots of fields were played to make the place suitable for the construction of this special tomb. That low land rose about 160 feet above the banks of the river Yamuna. For the construction of the Taj Mahal, 22,000 workers were employed, who were ordinary workers, stonecutters, painters, embroiderers, and calligraphers. A total of 28 types of rare and precious stones were brought from different parts of the world to be placed on the white stone. The original shape of the Taj Mahal is octagonal. This monument is built entirely of stone. The Crafts on its head is the most amazing part of the Taj-Mahal. No iron structure was used in the construction of this dome. This huge dome is built with small pieces of stone. The main building of the Taj Mahal is surrounded by four minarets about 130 feet high. The minarets are divided into three parts. There is a round porch at the end of each section. After 17 years of continuous construction, the initial construction of the memorial was completed in 1848. Even after the completion of the construction work, its beauty continued to increase. It takes another five years to complete the work. One of the most common misconceptions about the Taj Mahal is that after its construction of the Taj Mahal, Emperor Shah Jahan ordered the workers to cut off their hands so that no one could rebuild the Taj-Mahal.

But this is a story that is completely baseless. Another misconception was that he wanted to build a second Taj Mahal with black marble on the opposite side of the Taj-Mahal, but it was not possible because he was deposed. In fact, there is also no evidence of this story. The Taj Mahal is one of the finest examples of Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic architecture.

Inside/Outside Views

Taj Mahal Agra on the banks of river Yamuna at sunset as seen from Mehtab Bagh. Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan at Agra.

There is excellent calligraphy inside and outside the Taj Mahal. The wall of the monument has calligraphy of 99 names of Allah. However, the real beauty of the Taj Mahal is the huge calligraphy at the entrance. This calligraphy depicts various verses of the Holy Quran. The height of the Taj-Mahal is 240 feet.

The present Taj Mahal consists of 17 hectares of land surrounded by gardens, guesthouses, and mosques.

Entry & Others Fees

Entry Fee for Domestic/Indian/OCI Cardholder 50 Rupee.
The entry Fee for Citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC Countries is 540 Rupees.
The entry Fee for Foreign tourists is 1100 Rupees.

( One has to buy an additional ticket of Rs.200/- along with a regular ticket for visiting the main mausoleum of the Taj-Mahal.)

How to Reach

By Air: The nearest airport to the Taj Mahal is Agra Airport which is about 8.2 km away. Other nearby airports include Gwalior 99.7 km and Delhi 180 km.

By Train: On the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Chennai route Agra is situated and is well connected to most cities across India. The Taj-Mahal is a short distance away from Agra Cantt railway station. One can hire a pre-paid taxi, auto rickshaw, or even a cycle rickshaw to reach there.

By Road: Agra has two major interstate bus terminals, one is called Idgah Bus Stand, which is located right in the center of the city and is about 8 kilometers from the Taj Mahal, and another one ISBT which is located at a distance of 12 kilometers from the Taj Mahal.