History of Taj Mahal – One of the greatest man-made creations, a place which yearly attracts millions of people from all the world is a magnificent and wonderful place of Taj Mahal is considered to be a real symbol of India.
Taj Mahal is an amazing whitewashed building which was built as a tomb for the emperor Shah Jahan’s, Mumtaz Majal, the third and most lovely wife that is located on the southern bank of Yamuna River in the Indian city of Agra. Despite his numerous harem, Mumtaz Majal was a woman he loved most of all. She gave birth to 13 children and died in 1631, when the 14th was born. The governor was grieving so much after his lovely wife’s death and that’s why he ordered to gather all the skilled craftsmen at that time for them to build mausoleum which would become a symbol of his love to Mumtaz. The construction was commissioned in 1632 and lasted for 20 years: the main part was finished in 1648 and the subsidiary buildings and the yard were completed five years later. The peculiar prototypes of this great tomb became Guri Amir, a Tamerlan’s mausoleum, the founder of the dynasty of the Mughal rulers, which is located in Samarkand and Shah Jahan’s own Jama Masjid in Delhi as well as Ilmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb which belongs to one of the Moghul rulers.
Originally the mausoleum was decorated with big amount of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and the entrance door was made of sterling silver. Unfortunately, only a small amount of the stones and decorations still remain, and the rest was robbed by unfair “tourists”.
Rendering from the Persian “Taj Mahal” means “crown of palaces”. And it is really considered then to be the “pearl of the Muslim art in India and one of the masterpieces of the world heritage that is internationally recognized”. In 1983 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is also worth mentioning that tourists are allowed to take photos of the Taj Mahal only from one side of the building i.e. the opposite side from the main entrance.