One of the seven wonders of the world, Taj Mahal is located on the banks of River Yamuna in Agra. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. Constructed entirely out of white marble in the 17th century, Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful monuments in the world. Every year visitors numbering more than the entire population of Agra pass through the magnificent gates to catch a glimpse of this breathtaking monument!
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal stands for the Crown of Palaces in the Persian language. The tomb is laid out in a rectangular shape and can be approached through a massive gateway which has an arch and alcoves on either side of it. There are water channels and fountains in the entrance which makes the monument even more spectacular. The reflection of this majestic spectacle in the Yamuna is almost poetic in its perfection!
Covering an area of approximately 42 Acres, the construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1631 and it took 17 years before it was completed in 1648! It was constructed using white marble obtained from Makrana in Rajasthan.
Taj Mahal: History
The Taj Mahal, the grandest mausoleum the world has ever seen, was commissioned by Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor, for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction of the mausoleum commenced in 1632, around a year after Mumtaz died, on the banks of the Yamuna River. Though the main mausoleum was constructed by 1643, it wasn’t until 1653 that the whole complex was completed. Unfortunately, the emperor was overthrown from power and imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb in 1658. Shah Jahan spent his last days in imprisonment in the nearby Agra Fort from where he looked at his marvellous creation. When he died in 1666, he was buried inside the Taj Mahal, beside his loved wife.
When the Jat rulers of Bharatpur raided Agra in the 18th century, they invaded the Taj and plundered it. During the Revolution of 1857, this memorial suffered damage at the hands of the British soldiers and officials, who removed the precious stones from its walls.
The Taj Mahal underwent massive restoration works in the early part of the 20th century under the command of Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India. After independence, the monument came under the aegis of the Government of India.
Taj Mahal Architecture
A universally admired masterpiece of art, the Taj Mahal combines elements from Islamic, Persian, and Indian architectural styles. The monument covers an area of 42 acres, bounded by crenelated walls on three sides and the Yamuna on the fourth side. It was constructed using white Makrana marble sourced from Rajasthan. Thousands of precious and semi-precious gemstones were also used to enhance the beauty of the memorial.
The Taj Mahal stands on an elevated square plinth that has four minarets standing at the four corners. The symmetrical building housing the crypts has an arch-shaped entryway that sits below a colossal dome and finial. Inside the main hall of the mausoleum, you can see the false sarcophagi of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The actual tombs are located inside a locked chamber at a lower level.
While the external decorations of the monument testify to the Mughal craftsmanship, the interiors are equally dazzling. The octagon-shaped inner chamber features jali bordering and quotations from the Quran on the cenotaphs and intricate decorative details featuring twining vines, flowers, and fruits, highlighted with 28 kinds of precious and semiprecious stones. Though the base and casket are delicately decorated, the crypts where the main bodies are kept are rather plain, in keeping with the Islamic tradition.
It took more than 22000 skilled artisans, laborers, painters, stonecutters, and a huge amount of 32 million rupees to build the Taj Mahal. Apart from the mausoleum, the Taj complex houses a mosque, a museum, a guest house, and ornamental gardens.
How to Reach:
By Air : It takes 12 minutes to travel from Taj Mahal to Kheria Airport. There is a distance of 10 km between the Taj Mahal and the Kheria Airport
By Train : There is a good network of trains connecting Agra with the rest of the country. Apart from the main railway station of Agra Cantonment, there are other two stations also, that of Raja-ki-Mandi and Agra Fort. The main trains connecting Agra with Delhi are Palace on Wheels, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express.
By Road : There are regular bus services from Agra to a number of important cities. The main bus stands of Idgah and ISBT has a number of buses running for Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri, etc. if you are coming from Delhi to Agra. you can hire Delhi to Agra Taxi on specail discounts.