The Taj mahal

Taj Mahal Facts

The Taj Mahal is one of the most wonderful buildings ever built in the history of mankind. No wonder it is one of the seven wonders of the world. History says that Shah Jahan, the Mughal king in the early 17th century lost his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. He constructed Taj Mahal in her memory and as a resting place for her tomb.  The tombs of the Emperor and his wife are placed side-by-side inside this beautiful piece of architecture.

Taj Mahal from the banks of river yamuna
Taj Mahal, from the banks of Yamuna, Image Credit: WikiMedia Commons

Interesting Taj Mahal Facts

Shah Jahan poured a lot of his wealth during the creation of this great monument.

  • Situated at the banks of Agra’s Yamuna River, Taj Mahal is an achievement of almost 20,000 stone carvers, masons, and artists.
  • These workers were employed from all over India, and some came from as far as Turkey and Iraq.
  • It took them almost 20 years to complete the monument and its lush gardens in year 1654.
  • Sadly, all the artists were rewarded for their good work in a very unusual way – their hands were chopped off so that could never recreate a beautiful monument like the Taj Mahal again.
Taj mahal is made up of marble
An all marbel piece of marvel, Image Credit: Flickr User friarsbalsam

More Information about Taj Mahal 

The Taj Mahal is made from white marble stone with precious gems and stones embedded in its walls. The precious stones were plundered and looted by foreign invaders in recent times.

The monument appears pink in the morning, white during daytime and golden during evening. The four pillars (called minarets) around the main dome are slightly tilted so that they fall away from the central tomb, in case they were to collapse.

The Taj Mahal is a perfectly symmetrical building except at one place, and that is the tomb of the Emperor and his Queen. This is because Taj Mahal was to have the tomb of only the Emperor’s wife when it was planned. Shah Jahan died in 1666, about 12 years after Taj Mahal was built and was then buried right next to Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb.

Two redstone buildings on each side of Taj Mahal
Two redstone buildings on each side of Taj Mahal, Image Credit: Flickr User friarsbalsam, via CC

Two red sandstone buildings stand beside the main mausoleum on either side. One, to the west, is a mosque. The other is a former guesthouse.

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Reflection of Taj Mahal
Reflection of Taj Mahal, Image Credit: Flickr User Bruno Girin

The lush gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal have an enormous reflecting pool which doubles the beauty of Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 (See another example of a world heritage site). The monument is threatened by environmental pollution due to being on the banks of the river, including chance of acid rain from a nearby oil refinery. Recently, there is increasing evidence of other types of organic smoke that might be affecting the Taj Mahal that we must watch out for.

Useful Resource:

If you are visiting Taj Mahal we suggest you use Audio Compass‘s Travel Audio Guide App created in partnership with the Archeological Survey of India. The App has audio stories to accompany your visit that bring alive the history, culture and heritage of this great monument.

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Comments

38 responses to “Taj Mahal Facts”

  1. NAOMI Avatar
    NAOMI

    I LUV THE TAJ MAHAL.

  2. ellie Avatar
    ellie

    wow how amazing i loive in there im used to it

  3. angus nerdinson Avatar
    angus nerdinson

    this place is cool i have been there 52 times

  4. sky Avatar
    sky

    the mahal is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool

  5. shyna Avatar

    i luv the taj mahal and i feel so bad for the emperrors wife:(

  6. jasmine Avatar
    jasmine

    thanks for this, it really helped me for my hmwk and akso i am going to the taj mahal near december any tips on what to do in india anyone??? thanks xxxx <3

  7. maria Avatar
    maria

    iiiiiiiiii llloooovvveee tttaaajjjj mmmaaahhhaal

  8. Anne Avatar
    Anne

    Thx for uploading

  9. Taj Mahal Facts Avatar
    Taj Mahal Facts

    I love it and I love to collect new information about Taj Mahal.

  10. student:research Avatar
    student:research

    hello i have a proyect in my school about the taj mahal and i need to have alot of information to start typing my paper , please give me more info about the taj mahal thanks

  11. Zeal2000 Avatar
    Zeal2000

    I also love Taj mahal. But I have never visited Taj mahal :)

    ZEAL

  12. akanksha pattnaik Avatar
    akanksha pattnaik

    very nice………..

  13. Shobika Avatar
    Shobika

    I Luv The Taj Mahal Very Much

  14. kiki Avatar
    kiki

    nice information given ;)

  15. Awesome girl Avatar
    Awesome girl

    It is beautiful
    A monument representing never ending love

  16. senuri123 Avatar
    senuri123

    I’ve never been but I would love to

  17. harold Avatar
    harold

    it is very intresting!

  18. Kaleb Avatar
    Kaleb

    THE TAJ MAHAL IS SO COOL

  19. senuri123 Avatar
    senuri123

    really?

  20. cameron Avatar
    cameron

    im doing it for hwk too

  21. yogesh mishra Avatar
    yogesh mishra

    this is good information.

  22. Wade Garratt Avatar

    I love the taj mahal and how it’s built

  23. James Avatar
    James

    Nice pics loving this website

  24. aiden Avatar
    aiden

    I luv it been there and needed this for my homework

  25. vj Avatar
    vj

    I have been there

  26. cuti Avatar
    cuti

    Not in my destinity to visit Taj mahal

  27. Derick Rivers jr. Avatar
    Derick Rivers jr.

    The taj mahel is big

  28. Robert Mitchell Avatar
    Robert Mitchell

    i love the Taj Mahal

  29. abi Avatar
    abi

    I need it for hmwk too

  30. abi Avatar
    abi

    thank u for making this website

  31. Zahra Avatar
    Zahra

    I think Shah Jahan was the cruelest of all!

  32. ashley Avatar
    ashley

    same here but i do feel sad for Mumtaz Mahal or Shah Jahan`s wife

    :( :( :( :( :( :*( p.s i love the Taj Mahal

  33. gowtham Avatar
    gowtham

    Wow this is extremely so good I need this for my homework

  34. Olivia Avatar
    Olivia

    You could ride on an elephant and you could also go on some tours there are also great places to go and visit

  35. Aubrie Castilleja Avatar
    Aubrie Castilleja

    Wow. A Lot of these things I didn’t know. Yeah I knew that it was one of the seven wonders, but some facts are pretty cool.

  36. Lily Avatar
    Lily

    This is such a beautiful place, I hope to visit there someday!

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