Taj Mahal , India ~ Solo Traveler

The Taj Mahal is a massive mausoleum complex built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 to house the bones of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The famous complex in Agra, India, was built over a 20-year period on the southern bank of the Yamuna River and is one of the most spectacular examples of Mughal architecture, which incorporated Indian, Persian, and Islamic influences. The Taj Mahal, which is made of gleaming white marble that appears to change color depending on the light, is at its heart. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983, and it is still one of the world's most famous landmarks and a breathtaking symbol of India's rich history.

Sha Jahan King

From the early 16th century to the mid-eighteenth century, the Mughal dynasty dominated most of northern India. Following the death of his father, King Jahangir, in 1627, Shah Jahan triumphed over his siblings in a long power struggle and was crowned emperor at Agra in 1628.

He was accompanied by Arjumand Banu Begum, also known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Chosen One of the Palace"), whom he married in 1612 and regarded as the most beloved of his three queens.

Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, shortly after giving birth to the couple's 14th child. Shah Jahan, who was famed for ordering numerous beautiful constructions throughout his reign, ordered the construction of a magnificent tomb across the Yamuna River from his imperial palace in Agra.

Construction on the structure began in 1632 and lasted throughout the next two decades. Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, an Indian of Persian ancestry who would eventually be credited with constructing the Red Fort in Delhi, was most likely the principal architect.

More than 20,000 workmen from India, Persia, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire were brought in to construct the mausoleum complex, along with 1,000 elephants.

The Taj Mahal's Design and Construction

The Taj Mahal was built of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (including jade, crystal, lapis lazuli, amethyst, and turquoise) producing elaborate designs in a technique known as pietra dura in honor of Mumtaz Mahal.

The central dome stands 240 feet (73 meters) tall and is encircled by four lesser domes, with four thin minarets at the corners. Verse from the Quran were etched in calligraphy on the arched entrances to the mausoleum, as well as various other areas of the complex, in accordance with Islamic traditions.

The cenotaph, or false tomb, of Mumtaz Mahal was located inside the mausoleum, in an octagonal marble chamber embellished with carvings and semi-precious stones. Below, at garden level, was the real sarcophagus containing her actual remains.

A red sandstone main gateway and a square garden separated into quarters by long pools of water, as well as a red sandstone mosque and an identical edifice called a jawab (or "mirror") right opposite from the mosque, made up the rest of the Taj Mahal complex. The complex could not be altered in the future, according to Mughal building practice.

According to legend, Shah Jahan planned to construct a second majestic mausoleum across the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal, where he would be interred after his death; the two structures were to be connected by a bridge.

In actuality, in 1658, Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan's third son with Mumtaz Mahal) toppled his father and assumed control. Shah Jahan spent his final years under house arrest in a tower of the Red Fort in Agra, with a view of the magnificent tomb he had built for his wife; when he died in 1666, he was buried close to her.

The Taj Mahal is the most famous structure in the world.

The Mughal empire reached its pinnacle of power during Aurangzeb's long reign (1658-1707). His hardline Muslim tactics, which included the destruction of many Hindu temples and shrines, however, weakened the empire's long-term strength and ultimately to its demise by the mid-eighteenth century.

During the two centuries following Shah Jahan's death, the Taj Mahal was neglected and deteriorated as Mughal rule disintegrated. Curzon, the British viceroy of India at the time, undertook a significant repair of the tomb complex around the turn of the century as part of a colonial effort to conserve India's artistic and cultural history.

The Taj Mahal now attracts over 3 million visitors per year (or around 45,000 per day during peak tourist season).

The mausoleum's beautiful white marble façade is constantly threatened by pollution from surrounding factories and autos, and India's Supreme Court ordered a variety of anti-pollution measures in 1998 to protect the structure from deterioration. Some factories were shut down, and vehicular movement was prohibited in the complex's immediate proximity.

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