Taj Mahal Trivia | 40 facts about the Indian landmark

Taj Mahal is one of the most easily recognized buildings all over the world, and the most popular touristic attraction in India.

Let’s find out more about Taj Mahal!

1. The Taj Maha is an ivory-white marble mausoleum.
2. Taj Mahal means Crown of the Palace.
3. It is located  on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra.
4. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who reigned from 1628 to 1658.
5. Taj Mahal’s main purpose was to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
6. It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.
7. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex.
8. It includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.
9. Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643.
10. Despite that work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years.
11. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653.
12. Approximately it is believed that it was completed at a cost that was estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2020 would be approximately 70 billion rupees (about U.S. $916 million).
13. The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.
14. The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
15. According to the designation it is “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”.
16. It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India’s rich history.
17. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year.
18. In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.
19. The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died on 17 June that year, while giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum.
20. Construction started in 1632, and the mausoleum was completed in 1648.
21. The surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later .
22. The imperial court documenting Shah Jahan’s grief after the death of Mumtaz Mahal illustrates the love story held as the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.
23. The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture.
24. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun’s Tomb which inspired the Charbagh gardens and hasht-behesht (architecture) plan of the site, Itmad-Ud-Daulah’s Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah Jahan’s own Jama Masjid in Delhi.
25. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones.
26. Buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.
27. The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal.
28. It is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial.
29. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.
30. The base structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners forming an unequal eight-sided structure that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft) on each of the four long sides.
31. Each side of the iwan is framed with a huge pishtaq or vaulted archway with two similarly shaped arched balconies stacked on either side.
32. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides of the building.
33. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth facing the chamfered corners.
34. The main chamber houses the false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan.
35. The actual graves are at a lower level.
36. The four minarets (towers) surrounding the Taj Mahal were constructed farther away from the main structure than usual.
37. The minarets also lean slightly outward rather than stand straight. This was done as a safety measure so that if any of them fell, they would fall away from the tomb rather than crash into the central structure.
38. The Taj Mahal contains a working mosque and is closed on Fridays for prayer.
39. Respect should be shown while visiting because it is an active religious structure. Dress appropriately, despite the heat.
40. There is no proof to support the long-standing myth that artists and architects involved with the construction of the Taj Mahal were later put to death so that they could never “repeat such a beautiful feat.” Instead, historians believe that they were required to sign contracts.