Located in the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is undeniably the most-recognized landmark in India. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, this magnificent structure is a testament of the undying love of a man for his wife. Recently designated one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal – for more than 350 years – has attracted visitors from far and wide who come to admire the opulence and amazing craftsmanship of the building, which serves not only as a shrine but also a tomb.
Built between 1631 and 1648, the Taj Mahal was the dream of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul Emperor of India, who built the structure to honor his second wife – Mumtaz Mahal – who died at age 39 while delivering the couple’s fourteenth child. Mumtaz had been a great partner to the emperor, influencing his policies and making a great difference in his life. Her final request was that her husband “build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before.” So Shah Jahan went about the task, employing some 20,000 workers who lived in a makeshift town known as “Mumtazabad”, situated beside the building site so that work could be continuous. Supposedly, 1,000 elephants carried materials to the building site from all over India and central Asia, including 28 different kinds of stones such as jade, crystal, turquoise, sapphire, lapis lazuli, and diamonds. The emperor spared no expense. The rich white marble from which the Taj Mahal is fashioned, the precious stones, and the quality of the workmanship make this magnificent building the best example of Mughal architecture in the world. (Mughal architecture is a combination of the distinctive styles of Islamic, Persian and Indian architecture, developed by the Mughal Empire in India in the 16th and 17th centuries.) The most striking feature of the Taj Mahal – the central dome – is 187 feet high in the middle. The finial atop the dome was originally made of gold but is now bronze. Below is the tomb, built with basic Persian elements. It’s a symmetrical building with an arch-shaped doorway. The base is a multi-chambered structure, with the main chamber housing the cenotaphs (monuments) of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Their burial places are underground.
The beautiful gardens of the Taj Mahal measure about 1,000 feet by 1,000 feet. Each quarter of the garden is divided by pathways and each contains 16 flowerbeds. A marble water tank sits in the center and a reflecting pool sits on the North-South axis. Elsewhere, trees and water fountains are placed symmetrically. Because the designer imagined the colors of the sky as the backdrop for the Taj Mahal, the gardens sit in front on the building, not behind.
The Taj Mahal attracts approximately 2 to 3 million visitors each year, many of which arrive in the cooler months of the fall and winter. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the grounds, so visitors must take electric buses or park in a distant lot and walk to the Taj Mahal.
