Travelling to India? Why You Should Visit The Taj Mahal

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Travelling to India? Why You Should Visit The Taj Mahal

By James Hughes

The Taj Mahal is regarded as the cornerstone of Indian architecture. In fact, any trip to the country is considered incomplete without a visit to the Taj Mahal. Surprisingly, this grand building is the product of an unlikely reason for architectural magnificence; it is the product of a romance between Shah Jahan and his wife Arjumand Banu Begum, famously known as Mumtaz Mahal.It is believed that the death of his third wife, Mahal at childbirth struck Shah Jahan with inconsolable grief. He was down most of the time and knew no other way to memorialise her than to build the grand tomb.  The construction of the tomb started in 1632, a year after the death of Mahal and continued for over two decades.Image result for images of the Taj mahalBelow are some interesting facts about the construction of the Taj Mahal:
  1. It is believed that approximately 22,000 workers were involved in the construction of the mausoleum. These are laborers, stone cutters, embroidery artists, painters and many more.
  2. Legend has it that Emperor Shah Jahan had planned to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river but the war with his sons interrupted his plans.
  3. The Taj Mahal takes on different colouring; from a pinkish hue in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden at night when lit by the moon. They say the changing colour resembles the changing mood of females – in particular the Emperor’s queen.
  4. The four sides of the Taj Mahal are perfectly identical creating an astonishingly mirrored image on each side. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and symmetry of architectural elements.
  1. The name ‘Taj Mahal’ is translated to mean ‘Crown of Palaces’. It was named as such to refer to the beauty of the deceased Persian princess and wife to Shah Jahan.
  2. Taj Mahal is 171 meters (561 feet) tall. The building was constructed by material hauled by a whopping 1000-elephants.Image result for images of the Taj mahal
  3. Despite many of the precious stones on the mausoleum being plucked off by the British Army during the Indian War of 1857, the mausoleum is still beautiful.
   

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