Behind The Construction Of 'Taj Mahal'

In the early seventeenth century, India was ruled by a Mughal emperor name Shah jehan. In 1612, he married a beautiful and intelligent princess called Mumtaz Mahal. He loved her deeply.

 

According to a legend the marvelous building of the Taj appeared to Mumtaz in a dream. She told Shah Jehan about it and expressed a wish that after her death such a building should be constructed as a symbol of their love. In the year 1631 Mumtaz died in childbirth in the town of Burhanpur. The emperor was so heartbroken that he decided to immortalize his love by building the most beautiful tomb that had ever been built.

 

In order to do this he summoned some of the best artists and architects not only from India but also from Persia, Central Asia and European experts from France and Italy. Finally, with the initial design ready, the construction of the Taj started in 1632. More than 20,000 men spent around 22 years to complete the tomb and laying out its garden. It was built at a cost of 40 million rupees.

 

The Taj Mahal complex, rectangular in shape, measures 580 x 304 meters. It stands on a 94 meters square marble plinth which is 7 meters high. There are four minarets which stand on its four corners. The Taj itself soars to a height of 60 meters. It is an eight-sided building made of white marble and was inlaid with twelve kinds of semi-precious stones in floral design, as well as with marble inscriptions from the Koran. The building material was brought from many countries, including Arabia, Egypt, Tibet and different parts of India. In the basement of the building the Begum and Shah Jehan lie buried. Their graves were decorated with precious stones.

 

The emperor wanted to build an identical tomb of black marble for himself on the other bank of river Yamuna. However, he was imprisoned by his son before he could fulfill his wish.

 

Today the Taj Mahal is a world renowned monument and is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful buildings. Thousands of tourists from India and other Countries come to see it every year. In the moonlit nights, with its white marble shining in diffused light, it appears like a sight out of dream.

Article Posted By : aneeshmissulView All Articles

Article Source :

http://www.veethi.com/articles/behind-the-construction-of-taj-mahal-article-2406.htm

Keywords :
Taj Mahal

Comments

Submit an Article

Related Articles

Mysore

Mysore, which is in the state of Karnataka, can be found at foothills of Chamundi. It is very wel..