Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is a symbol of love built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the fond memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz. It is located in Agra in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its remarkable architecture.
Now let us discuss about the history of Taj Mahal. Building of this beautiful monument began around 1632 and was completed in 1653. Thousands of artisans and craftsmen were employed. Taj Mahal was constructed under imperial supervision by a board of architects including Makramat Khan, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri and Abd ul-Karim Ma’mur Khan. In 1631, a sorrowing tragedy took place in the life of the mughal emperor Shah Jahan. His third wife, Mumtaz died while giving birth to their fourteenth child. Shah Jahan loved her so much that he decided to build a monument.
And thus started the construction of the marvelous wonder of the world, Taj Mahal, after one year of Mumtaj’s death. It is said that the word ‘Taj’ in the name of this famous monument is derived from the last part of the word ‘Mumtaj’. The word ‘Mahal’ translates to ‘palace’ in English. Thus, the complete name Taj Mahal refers to Mumtaj’s palace.
How long could a lover live without his love? As days passed there was again a moment of sorrow. The emperor Shah Jahan, himself died of grief. Both the tombs, that of Shah Jahan, as well as, Mumtaz are kept in Taj Mahal.
As mentioned earlier, Taj Mahal is a beautiful monument. It is surrounded by buildings and garden. In front of this, there is a beautiful pond. It is dome shaped in middle and there are four pillars around it. The top is in the design of lotus. It is built with white marbles & bronze. It soon became famous the world over as a symbol of love. People from all over the world started visiting this masterpiece. Slowly this became one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
As time passed, the colour of this monument started changing from white to yellow. Efforts are on to prevent the beauty of this great monument from declining. So far there is love in the world, the love of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz will be alive in the form of Taj Mahal.
