Top 10 Taj Mahal Facts To Know!
The Taj Mahal is one of the most popular Agra tourist attractions and one of the finest examples of the Muslim architecture built in India. Located in the city of Agra in the northern province of Uttar Pradesh, it’s among the busiest Agra tourist places drawing heavy crowds of tourists.
1. One of the readily recognizable symbols of India, Taj Mahal was built as the manifestation of love to Queen Mumtaz Mahal by her loving husband Shah Jahan. After the untimely passing of his 3rd wife during childbirth, Shah Jahan ordered to erect this magnificent structure to depict his love and sorrow.
2. One of the most interesting Taj Mahal facts is that the building appears to be a different color depending on what time of day it is, and whether or not there is a moon at night. Constructed from the finest snow white marble pieces brought from various parts of the world, the structures are meticulously decorated with ornate designs, stone inlays, gemstones, tile, mosaics and Quran passages carved in stone.
3. No Golden Triangle tours in India would be complete without a visit to the Taj Mahal. This building is recognized by people all around the world, even those who have never been to India. Every year over two million visitors come to see this magnificent structure and to learn unique Taj Mahal facts.
4. Taj Mahal facts which are fascinating include the fact that all of the artisans and skilled workers went missing or had their hands removed when the building was finally finished. This was to ensure no other structure could compare to the magnificent Taj Mahal. Others do not believe this is a fact but rather a myth, one of many that surround the long history of this India landmark.
5. The construction of the Taj Mahal took twenty two years to complete, and required more than twenty two thousand workers who were brought in from all over Asia. There were more than one thousand elephants that were used just to haul the materials needed. It’s believed that at the time of construction 28 types of gemstones were inlaid inside the walls which were later chiseled away by British soldiers around year 1857 during one of Indian rebellions.
6. Interesting Taj Mahal facts include the symmetry of the structure, which is perfect except for the interior tombs. Tradition dictated that the tomb for the male must be larger than the one for the female and that the actual tombs must not be heavily decorated. To go around this rule, two cenotaphs (empty tombs) were created elaborately embellished with gems and carvings but the actual bodies were buried in plain graves in the lower level of the structure.
7. Many historians challenged the romantic story of Taj Mahal creation wrong and provided quite different explanations of how this magnificent structure came to be. According to their findings, Taj Mahal could very well be a captured Shiva temple called Tejo mahalaya because the samples of the rocks and material had been proven to be several hundred years older than 1632, the beginning of Taj Mahal contruction. They further believe that Shah Jahan simply renovated a captured by him temple to house the remains of his wife.
8. The Taj Mahal has been designated as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and it draws people from everywhere on the globe along with the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Colosseum in Italy and Petra in Jordan.
9. One of the really fascinating Taj Mahal facts has to do with the preservation efforts of this astounding structure throughout the history. Pillars were placed at an outward tilt, so if an earthquake occurred the fall of the pillars could be controlled. Traffic and factory emissions are strictly prohibited around 4,000 sq mile perimeter because the smog and pollutants give white marble a yellow tint. During various wars the structure was protected with a special scaffolding to mislead pilots and prevent the structure to be destroyed by aviation bombs.
10. One of the less common known Taj Mahal facts is that many Shah Jahan had planned to build a black marble mausoleum across the river to further support his obsession with symmetry that is perfectly portrayed in Taj Mahal. However, his efforts went unfulfilled because he was overthrown by his son and kept imprisoned in the Agra Fort until the end of his days.