Description of the attraction
One of the most wonderful creations of human hands, a place that annually attracts millions of people from all over the world - the majestic and beautiful Taj Mahal - is rightfully a real symbol of India.
Construction history
Taj Mahal is an amazing white building that was built as a tomb for the third and beloved wife of the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan Mumtaz Mahal, on the banks of the Jamna River in Agra. Despite the large harem, the emperor loved Mumtaz Mahal most of all. She bore him thirteen children, and died in 1631, at the birth of the fourteenth. The ruler greatly grieved after the death of his beloved wife, so he ordered to gather the most skilled craftsmen of that time to create a mausoleum that would become a symbol of his endless love for Mumtaz. Construction began in 1632 and lasted over 20 years: the main complex was completed by 1648, while the secondary buildings and garden were completed five years later. Guri-Amir, the mausoleum of Tamerlane, the founder of the dynasty of Mughal rulers, located in Samarkand, the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, as well as the tomb of Humayun, one of the Mughal rulers, became a kind of "prototypes" of this grandiose tomb.
Architectural miracle
Taj Mahal is made in traditional Persian style and is a complex of luxurious and stately structures built of white marble. The main place in it is occupied by the mausoleum itself, located in the center of the site. It has the shape of a cube with "cut" corners and is crowned with a huge dome. The structure stands on a square "pedestal" with high minarets at its four corners. The mausoleum inside has a large number of rooms and halls, decorated with amazing mosaics, painted with delicate patterns and ornate ornaments. The coffin of Mumtaz Mahal is located in one of these rooms. And next to him is the coffin of Shah Jahan himself, who wished after death to be buried next to his beloved. Initially, the ruler was going to build an exact copy of the tomb on the other side of the Jamnah for himself, only from black marble, but he failed to bring his idea to life, so he bequeathed to bury himself in the Taj Mahal next to his wife. But it is worth noting that both of these coffins are empty, and the real burial place is in an underground crypt.
Initially, the mausoleum was decorated with a huge number of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, and its main door was made of pure silver. But, unfortunately, to our time all these treasures have practically not survived, "settled" in the pockets of not very honest "tourists".
On three sides, the Taj Mahal is surrounded by a beautiful park, the gate to which is also an architectural masterpiece. Through the park, roads leading along a wide canal lead to the main entrance. There are two mosques on both sides of the mausoleum.
Translated from Persian, “Taj Mahal” means “the crown of all palaces”. And it is truly "the pearl of Muslim art in India and one of the world's recognized masterpieces of world heritage."
The Taj Mahal was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
It is also worth noting that officially tourists are allowed to take pictures of the Taj Mahal only from one side - opposite the main entrance.
On a note
- Location: the city of Agra, 200 km from Delhi.
- How to get there: by train or express to the railway station "Agra Cantt."
- Official website: www.tajmahal.gov.in
- Opening hours: daily from 6.00 to 19.00, except Friday. Two days before and two days after the full moon, the mausoleum is open in the evening hours - from 20.30 to midnight.
- Tickets: foreigners - 750 rupees, locals - 20 rupees, children under 15 years old - free. Tickets for visiting at night are purchased per day.
