Taj Mahal Agra

The Taj Mahal reigns absolute as one of the most known and iconic imagery of India. Its gracefully curved archways, ice cream scoop domes, and delicate minarets have led many to make the pilgrimage to stand at its entrance and wonder at its grandeur. The wonder is not only seen in its construction. Here stands a structure that is as rich history as it is in opulent marble.

·         It is approximately said to have taken more than 22,000 people to build this extraordinary building including painters, labourers, embroidery artists, stonecutters, and many others.

·         According to history books it is believed that Emperor Shah Jahan had considered constructing another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other end of the river but the war with his sons intervallic his plans.

·         The Taj Mahal is said to take on diverse colouring at different times of the day, from a pinkish hue in the morning, to milky white in the evening, to golden at night when light by the moon falls. The legends say that the varying colour resembles the changing mood of a woman - particularly the Emperor's queen.

·         The Taj Mahal took 17 years to be completed and was built in memory of the Shah Jahan’s third and most beloved wife Mumtāz Mahal.

·         It is said that the death of his third wife so crushed the Emperor that all his beard and hair were grown snow white in just few months.

·         All the four sides of the Taj Mahal are absolutely identical forming an astoundingly mirrored image on each side. It uses the ideology of self replicating symmetry and geometry of architectural elements.

·         The Taj Mahal is bounded by noteworthy gardens and a number of other buildings including a mosque and guest houses which make up the 17 hectares of land within the complex walls.

·         The full height of the Taj Mahal is 171 metres i.e., 561 feet.

·         To transport the construction materials that was use to build the Taj - more than 1,000 elephants were employed.

·         The British ripped off many valuable stones from its walls, during the Indian rebellion of 1857.

A visit to the Taj Mahal is simply integrated as part of a Golden Triangle tour of North India. The Taj Mahal is situated in Agra which is roughly about two hours from Delhi, so as a day trip it can easily be arranged.