The tomb at Agra, about 200 kilometres south-east of Delhi, is famed as a monument to love. It was built in the mid-17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. About 20,000 men took 22 years to construct it. The hands of many of the workers were later said to have been mutilated to prevent them from duplicating their work elsewhere.

The construction of this marble masterpiece is credited to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who erected this mausoleum in the memory of his beloved wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in AH 1040 (AD 1631). Her last wish to her husband was "to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before". Thus emperor Shah Jahan set about building this fairytale like marvel.

Mumtaz Mahal was the second, and favorite, wife of Shah Jahan (1628-1658). A Persian princess born as Arjuman Banu Begum, she was a significant influence in his life and in his policies. She died at age thirty-nine while giving birth to their fourteenth (some say thirteenth) child in 1631. The ruler went into deep mourning and much of his empire was compelled to do the same.

The Taj Mahal is set on a raised platform that is 6.6 meters (20 ft) high and covers an area of 93.9 sq. meters (313 sq ft). The corner minarets are 41.1 meters (137 ft) high. The main structure is 62 meters (186 ft) on each side. In contast to the gleaming white marble of the mausoleum, there is a pair of red sandstone buildings flanking the tomb to the west and to the east; the western building is a mosque, while the other, sometimes called the guest house or museum, was built to complete the symmetry of the scene. The water causeway and fountains beautifully join the gateway and the tomb in perfect symmetry.

The architect of the Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad, a native of Lahore who was awarded the title of "Nadir-ul Asr" (Wonder of the Age) by Shah Jahan. Poet Ghyasuddin had designed the verses on the tombstone, while Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad Hanif was the superintendent of Masons. The designer of Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The material was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. The central dome is 187 feet high at the centre. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The chief building material, the white marble was brought from the quarries of Makrana, in distt. Nagaur, Rajasthan.

The tomb at Agra, about 200 kilometres south-east of Delhi, is famed as a monument to love. It was built in the mid-17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. About 20,000 men took 22 years to construct it. The hands of many of the workers were later said to have been mutilated to prevent them from duplicating their work elsewhere.

Archaeologists have long battled against pollution to defend the building's beauty. Acid rain and fumes from nearby coke-fuelled factories and a large oil refinery have been blamed for eating into the surface of the marble and turning it the colour of neglected teeth.

Some factories have closed on the orders of the supreme court of India, but the basic problem remains. In June, 300,000 dead fish, killed by industrial pollutants and raw sewage, washed up on the banks of the Yamuna river behind the Taj Mahal.

Worldroom: Agra City Guide

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