Taj Mahal in Agra
Location:The Taj Mahal is the mausoleum - mosque, situated in Agra, India, on the banks of river Yamuna. Taj Mahal was constructed on the behest of Great Mughal rule Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, who died during child delivery (in labors) later, even Shah Jahan was also buried next to his wife.
Significance:
Tajmahal, one of the seven wonders of world signifies the immortal love of Mughal king Shahjahan. Also known as Mumtaz Mahal, actually, it took around twenty years and a huge force of laborers to build this monument. The saga of love in the Indian history will be incomplete without the mention of Shah Jahan who is the father of this quintessential piece of work.
Tajmahal- Masterpiece of Mughal Architecture
Taj Mahal was constructed by Shah Jahan in honor of his wife. According to some sources, the name of one of the main architect of Tajmahal was Ustad Isa .Two tombs of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal are present inside the mausoleum Tajmahal. It was constructed between 1630 and 1652 with a five-dome structure with height of 74 m on a platform, with 4 minarets on corners and garden with fountains and pool adjoining the Taj Mahal. Main material for the construction of mausoleum was white Jodhpur marble, which was brought to the construction site from 300 km. With the incrustation of semi-precious stones, walls are polished with transparent marble. Turquoise, agate, malachite and cornelian etc have been used. More than 20000 workers joined to complete this venture.
Tajmahal seen through arch of Jawab
Mausoleum symbolizes numerous terminology, whether in its architecture and or in layout. For example, citation from Quran is carved on the gates, through which, the Taj Mahal visitors enter into the park complex, surrounding the mausoleum. Citation of "Enter into my Paradise" connotes the fact of Shahjahan's paradise like premises of Tajmahal during that period.
Taj Mahal was constructed in Mogul style but it is an example of pure amalgamation of traditions of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture.
The architect of the Taj Mahal was made blind after he constructed it so that he could never again conceive anything so beautiful and many of the people who built it had their hands cut off in Shah Jahan's obsession that the Taj would be replicated.
Legend associated with it:
According to a legend, Shah Jahan ordered to enclose her body and sat beside it in field camp for months. As he grew old he lost interest in human life. Within two years, he ordered to start the construction of mausoleum to bury remains of his beloved wife. Shah Jahan ordered to construct similar mausoleum made from black marble for himself just opposite to the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan requested just one thing - the Taj Mahal should be visible from the place of imprisonment. Shah Jahan spent his final days in a lonely tower, which is just two kilometers away from the mausoleum, built by him and looking at it from a small window. After that when his eyesight deteriorated, a huge emerald was embedded in the wall, opposite to the window so that the snow-white tomb of beloved Mumtaz Mahal would be reflected in huge emerald.
Tajmahal at the International level:
Besides being a treasury of love, in 1983, mausoleum Taj Mahal was brought under UNESCO World Heritage Site. Everyday thousands of tourists visit the tomb. The Supreme Court ordered to stop the large-scale activities in immediate proximity from Taj Mahal in order to protect Tajmahal from the pollution. To prevent the Taj from discoloration, such as, diesel or petrol vehicles are prohibited in the vicinity. Therefore, it is appreciating to opt for environment-friendly battery-operated buses, horse carts or rickshaws in and around the Taj campus.
Best Time To Visit:
With the summer and winter temperatures going extreme, the best time to visit the city are from mid January to April or in the months of September to mid December.
How to Reach
As Agra is well connected with Air, Rail and road, so, one can visit Agra with any convenient mode. From the capital of India that is Delhi it takes only 6-7 hr of journey by road and 2-3 hr journey by rail to reach the place