The Story of Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal, one of the greatest symbols of love in the history of mankind is one of the seven wonders of the world. The Taj was built by Emporor Shah Jahan in loving memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The story of Taj Mahal shows how deeply a man can love this wife. Taj Mahal of Agra is situated at the banks of River Yamuna, India. It was built in 1653,and it took almost 22 years with the help of 22000 laborares and 1000 elephants. The Tal Mahal is well known for it's beauty and the architecture. The unique designs are hand made carvings done by the workers on marble, with jewels that are embedded in between. Along with the great architecture, there are calligraphy done; which make it seem more decorative. the calligraphy mainly contains passages which are taken from the Holy book of Quran.

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The history began with the Mugal Emporer Shah Jahan who at the age of 14 fell in love with Muntaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu Begum). Muntaz was a Persian princess, and Shah Jahan was the son of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of Akbar the Great. Shah Jahan upon first sight fell in love with the Persian princess and after five years they where married in the year 1612. The name Muntaz Mahal means the "Jewel of the Palace" and it was given to her by Shah Jahan after their marriage. In 1631 Muntaz died while giving birth to their fourteenth child; and in the loving memory of his beloved wife Shah Jahan built the monument which we now call the "Taj Mahal". The Taj Mahal represents the life of Shah Jahan who spent the rest of his years mourning for his beloved wife.

During the great rebellion (India's fight for independence) that took place in the late 1800's and early 1900's Indian was under the Birtish control and during this time great damages where done to the Taj. During the rebellion, precious jewel and lapis lazuli where chiseled out wrecking the beauty of the monument. In the 19th century, the British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered to restore the damages that was caused by the rebellion.
The great love story, the beauty, the architecture of the Taj Mahal makes it one of the wonders of the world and a significant part of the Indian history.


Reference

Ahmed, A. (1993). The Taj Mahal. History Today, 43(5), 62.