TAJ MAHAL is one of the seven wonders of the world. Any one who knows India is familiar with the name Taj Mahal . The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”
While the white domed marble and tile mausoleum is most familiar, Taj Mahal is an integrated symmetric complex of structures that was completed around 1648. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered as the principal designer of Taj Mahal.
History of Taj Mahal
It is a symbol of the eternal andeverlasting love that Shah Jehan showed for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal married Shah Jehan in 1612 . This was his second marriage, and the couple loved each other greatly. Mumtaz Mahal had fourteen children while with Shah Jehan, and died in child birth in 1630 while away on a battle with Shah Jehan . Legend has it that Shah Jehan was so devastated by her death that in the course of only a few months, his beard and hair had turned completely white. Mumtaz Mahal’s body was buried for six months, then was returned to Agra, later to be permanently buried in the Taj Mahamumtaz1.
The Taj Mahal, designed by two Persian architects, was built by Shah Jehan to create a memorial for Mumtaz Mahal. This monument was constructed as a display of Shah Jehan’s eternal love for his wife . The building of the Taj began in 1632. An army of 20,000 workers labored on this structure . The Taj Mahal is often referred to as “the greatest single work of Safavid art ever constructed”. In 1648, on the exact anniversary of Mumtaz’s death, this wonderful monument was completed . The Taj Mahal is located on the river Yamuna in Agra
The garden
The complex is set around a large 300 meters square charbagh, a Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the center of the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway, with a reflecting pool on North-South axis reflect the image of Taj Mahal. Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and fountains. The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by the first Mughal emperor Babur. It symbolizes four flowing rivers of Paradise and reflects the gardens of Paradise and derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning ‘a walled garden’.
Tourism
The Taj Mahal attracts 2 to 3 million visitors every year with more than 200,000 from overseas. Most tourists visit during the cooler months of October, November and February. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the complex and tourist must either walk from the carparks or catch an electric bus. Lists of recommended travel destinations often feature Taj Mahal, which also appears in several listings of seven wonders of the modern world, including the recently announced New Seven Wonders of the World, a recent poll with 100 million votes.
For security reasons , only five items – water in transparent bottles, small video cameras, still cameras, mobile phones and small ladies-purse – are allowed inside the Taj Mahal.
