Facts About Taj Mahal

, , Leave a comment

800px-The_Taj_Mahal,Agra

Taj Mahal is one of India’s greatest treasures in terms of tourism. The magnificent architecture of this building has made it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Built sometime in 1632, this building is actually a mausoleum created by then-Emperor Shan Jahan for his wife, Arjumand Begum. Stories were told that the Emperor wanted a place for solitude after his 3rd wife’s death and so he ordered building the most famous mausoleum in the world. Aside from being India’s most famous structure, here are other facts related to the Taj Mahal:

Fact 1: About 20 years was all it took to build the Taj Mahal in the city of Agra in India. Over two decades, regular laborers worked with masons, artists, and painters to build one of the greatest structures in the world.

Fact 2: The Taj Mahal is not just one building. Many refer to the white-domed building or mausoleum as the Taj Mahal when in fact the whole complex surrounding this building is the true Taj Mahal. This complex includes the garden and pool surrounding the main mausoleum and other structures like mosques and inns.

Fact 3: Tourists can visit the Taj Mahal and go inside the mausoleum every single day except Fridays. Fridays are often reserved as prayer days and at this time tourists may only roam around or outside the main mausoleum.

Fact 4: Taj Mahal may be made with white marble but it is known to change hues depending on the time of day. Many tourists see it as pinkish in the mornings and bright white in the evenings. Some also see it having a golden color when under the bright moon.

Fact 5: All four sides of the Taj Mahal complex are geometrically identical. This makes the Taj Mahal an architectural marvel that allows mirror images on each side or corner.

Fact 6: Numerous elephants were used in the building of the Taj Mahal complex for about 20 years. Records put the number at more than 1000 of these large animals were used to help transport heavy materials into the Taj Mahal site from various locations in India.

Fact 7: The British were said to have removed some precious stones that were put in the walls of the Taj Mahal. During the rebellion between India and the UK back in 1857, many precious stones adorn the walls of the great mausoleum of Taj Mahal and some of them were forcibly removed by the British side.

Fact 8: The wife of Emperor Shan Jahan actually died while giving birth to their 14th child. Most people only know that her death led to the creation of the mausoleum but not many are aware of this fact in history.

Fact 9:
Aside from precious gem stones, words and phrases taken from the Quran also adorn the many walls of the Taj Mahal. These Quran passages add to the aesthetic and decorative appeal of the inside walls of the world’s most mausoleum.

Fact 10: The white marbles that were used in building the Taj Mahal were sourced not only from India but also from other countries as well. The marble came from as far as China, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia among many other regions and countries around the world.

Tea Time Quiz

[forminator_poll id="23176"]
 

Leave a Reply