Do you know why Taj Mahal was built?

Prof. Know Why answers:

Taj Mahal -the spectacular mausoleum, located on the right bank of river Yamuna in Agra, India, is one of the "new seven wonders of the world". Built entirely of white marble, Taj Mahal, is said to be the “eternal symbol of love”, the world has ever seen! Historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. It appears pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These changes, people say, depict different moods of a woman. Different people may have different views of the Taj Mahal, but it is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments are linked to the passion that inspired it -"love"! Perhaps, there is no better and grand monument built ever, in the history of human civilization, dedicated to love!

But, why was the Taj Mahal built? In all, Taj Mahal covers an area of more than 60 acres. It took more than 20,000 workers, comprising of masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans from India, Central Asia and Iran, for about 17 years (1631 – 1648) to complete this spectacular work of art. Yes! So was the love of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife that he built this grand piece of history to make their love, immortal! The opulent, domed mausoleum is regarded as the finest example of Mughal art and architecture. So exquisite is the workmanship that the Taj Mahal has been described as "having been designed by giants and finished by jewelers". The Taj Mahal rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace on which rests the famous dome flanked by four minarets, each more than 13 stories tall. Within the dome lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen.

Arjumand Bano Begum (later known as Mumtaz Mahal) was the woman in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built. Shah Jahan married Arjumand Bano when she was 14 years of age, and the imperial city of Agra was already agog with the stories of her beauty. She became the third wife of Shah Jahan and remained his inseparable companion. As a symbol of her faith and love she bore Shah Jahan 14 children. She breathed her last after delivering their 14th child in 1631 at the age of 38. It is said that it was Mumtaz Mahal who on her deathbed asked Shah Jahan to create a symbol of their love for posterity. Though many historians believe that it was the grief-stricken emperor himself, who decided to build the world’s most memorable symbol of love, Taj Mahal, in the loving memory of his dearest wife.

In Shah Jahan’s later years, he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. He spent his days in confinement, by staring at the Taj Mahal from his prison cell window, till he died after eight years in captivity at the age of 74. Later, his grave was also added to the Taj Mahal.

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