15 facts about
Tajmahal
1. Tajmahal is a World Heritage Tomb located in the city of Agra, India. According to history, it was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
2. The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build. The work of making this started in 1632 and ended in 1653.
3. It is said that about 22000 laborers were involved in building the Taj Mahal. It is also said that Shah Jahan had done the amputation, or killed, of the craftsmen who built the Taj Mahal. But full evidence is not available.
4. Taj Mahal was built on a small land plateau at the south end of Agra city. According to historians, Shah Jahan gave Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur a large palace in the center of Agra city.
5. Taj Mahal is an excellent specimen of Mughal architecture. Its architectural style is a unique blend of components of Indian, Persian, Ottoman and Islamic architecture.
6. There are also variations in the estimated cost of construction of the Taj Mahal, yet the total value is estimated at around Rs. 3 billion 20 crores, which can be more than trillion rupees at present.
7. The Taj Mahal was constructed from materials brought from all over India and Asia. Altogether twenty-eight types of precious stones and gems were studded in white marble.
8. The center of the Taj Mahal is the white marble tower on a square foundation base. Which has a huge curved doorway. A large dome is adorned above this building. Four huge towers are located at the four corners of the main base.
9. The image of the Taj Mahal is visible in a pond built on a high level in the middle of the garden. It is built between the mausoleum and the main gateway. This image adds beauty to its beauty.
10. During the Indian War of Independence of 1857, the Taj Mahal suffered a lot of adversity by British soldiers and government officials. They dug up precious stones and gems from the walls.
11. Around the year 1908, the gardens here were converted to the British style. The same style is still seen today.
12. The complex surrounds the sprawling 300 square meter Charbagh, a Mughal garden. This garden has a raised path. This tract divides this Char Bagh into 16 low level beds.
13. Many buildings and monuments of the world are inspired by the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal has a replica at the Window of the World theme park located in the western part of the city of Shenzhen, China.
14. The Taj Mahal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1983.
15. The Taj Mahal attracts 2 to 4 million visitors each year, of which over 2,00,000 are foreigners.
16. Taj Mahal has always been at the top of the list of acclaimed tourist destinations. Now it has got the first place among the seven wonders of the modern world. This place was obtained by worldwide polling where it got 100 million votes.
