Taj Mahal Facts – 12 Amazing Facts That Will Astonish You

Taj Mahal is the wonder about which a lot is written and discovered. The architectural marvel is a symbol of love and one of the seven wonders of the world. The place is visited by thousands of native and foreign nationals. Around 12,000 visitors come to see Taj Mahal every day. There are plenty of hotels in Agra to accommodate the tourists. Shahjahan built Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal houses the tomb of Mumtaz.

The most prominent Mughal structure stands with all its beauty in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. In Arabic, Taj Mahal is known as “Crown of Palaces“. The unusual structure showcases the expanse of the Mughal Empire as it combines architectures from Islam, Persia, Turkey, and India. Do read what top things you can do once visit India.

Following are some of the Astonishing Taj Mahal Facts:

1. The Taj Mahal was built by 22,000 workers including laborer’s, stonecutters, painters and embroidery artists and took about 20 years to complete.
2. It is believed that Shah Jahan intended to build another Taj Mahal in black marble across the river. Nevertheless, his son, Aurangzeb thought different, and Taj Mahal stayed unrivalled.
3. Shah Jahan spent about 32 million rupees during the years 1632-1653 on building this architectural marvel. Today that amount would have been more than a billion USD.
4. The changing hues of the mausoleum at different times of the day shows the changing moods of the Mumtaz. The structure takes a pinkish shade in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden at night.
5. The makers employed an optical trick that is, as you move closer to the gate, Taj Mahal keeps getting smaller.
6. The most prominent feature of the mausoleum is the white dome at its peak. The dome is also called as the ‘onion dome’. It rises to 35 meters and is surrounded by four other domes.
7. Taj Mahal is the most famous Indian landmark. So well-known that it is one of the reasons for foreigners to visit India. It attracts more than a million tourists every year. Also, 4 Things that Travellers MUST do when traveling to India?
8. Different types of 28 rare and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. They were sourced from Sri Lanka, Tibet, China and several parts of India.
9. It is believed that Emperor Shah Jahan ordered to chop hands of all the workers who worked on the mausoleum so that no one could replicate anything like that ever.
10. The minarets of the mausoleum are built tilting outwards to protect the Taj from calamities like earthquakes.
11. The materials that were used to build Taj Mahal were transported to the site by 1000 elephants.
12. Taj’s foundation is made of timber, not supposed to be last long. But that did not happen because the wood is kept secure and moist by the Yamuna River.

Taj Mahal is a real wonder. No matter how many times you visit it, you want to visit again. Next time on your visit to Agra, opt for visiting Taj in the moonlight. I assure you, you will witness Taj in a whole different light. There are plenty of hotels in Agra to accommodate the ever-increasing visitors.

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