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Facts that you never knew about the Taj Mahal
Arranging a trip to the Taj Mahal? In case you don't know by now, there might be a couple questions going through your head like who made the Taj? Why was it constructed? When's the best time to visit it? The timings to visit, the expense and a ton of other things that you'd need to know before your visit to the Taj.
Fret not as this section on "Facts about the Taj Mahal" will furnish you with a couple quick information to upgrade your knowledge alongside the fundamental questions that you need answers to, at the earliest. Browse the site to get some handy information and facts about the Taj and Agra. What's more, once you read through, don't squander time. Just pack your bags, book your tickets and visit the world's most astounding landmark that exemplifies eternal love at best.
Prior to his accession to the throne as the Emperor to the Mogul Empire, ShahJahan was prevalently known as Prince Khurram.
Emperor ShahJahan was born on January 15, 1592 and died on January 31, 1666. He was the fifth Emperor of the Mogul Dynasty in India and reigned between 1628 and 1658. He was born as Prince Khurram to Emperor Jahangir and a Hindu Rajput, Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani (May 13, 1573 to April 18, 1619).
ShahJahan went head over heels in love with Arjumand Bano Begum and wed her, making her his second wife and the Empress of the Mogul realm. He rechristened Arjumand Bano Begum as Mumtaz Mahal, which means the "Divinely chosen one of the Palace" or "Gem of the Palace."
Emperor ShahJahan lost Mumtaz Mahal, when she kicked the bucket while giving birth to their 14th heir. Sick with grief, Shah Jahan was first inspired to build the Taj Mahal after Mumtaz Mahal, his third wife, died while giving birth to their 14th child. His wife was in labor for 30 hours before she died at age 40. Legend has that the Emperor was so broken after her demise that within few months, his entire hair and beard became grey. Such was the heart-breaking impact of her death upon the emperor.
The architect behind all the enchantment of the Taj was Ahmed Lahori. He put more than 20,000 individuals from all over Asia to contribute to the construction of this massive project, including workers, painters, weaving specialists, stonecutters, calligraphers, and numerous others. In any case, how were the stones and materials required for the making of the tomb transported? For the transportation of the construction materials, more than a thousand mammoth elephants were utilized.
The main hall that lay perpendicularly above the tombstone of Mumtaz Mahal has a small hole on its ceiling.
There were 28 unique assortments of semi-precious and precious stones utilized to enhance the beauty of the Taj and add to its décor - an intricate art of craftsmanship. These 28 rare, semi precious and precious stones were inlaid onto the walls of the Taj. They were sourced from Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, and obviously a few parts in India. During the British reign, the landmark was exploited a few times on account of these stones and it was just in the late nineteenth century that renovation work assumed control.
The reflective tiles and white marble help the Taj change hues. In the early morning, it takes on a bashful pinkish tint, which swings to a shining white as the day moves on, and turns a polished brilliant white around evening time, especially under the moonlight. The Taj is an absolute fascination on full moon evenings.
Regardless of what time it is and whether there's moon around the late evening time, the Taj seems, by all accounts, to be exuding various hues without fail. A few even trust these changing hues portray distinctive moods of a woman – in this case, it implies the variant moods of Mumtaz Mahal.
Verses from the Holy Quran have been utilized as brightening components all through the complex.
On the sides of the real tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, 99 names of Allah can be found as calligraphic engravings.
The Taj was constructed in various stages, with the plinth and the tomb taking up around 15 years to finish. Working of the Minarets, Mosque, Jawab, and Door took an extra 5 years to finish.
The magnificent Taj is encircled by red sandstone walls on three sides. The emperor had special and best quality marbles acquired, to be utilized as a part of construction of the Taj were brought over from various districts and nations, namely Rajasthan, Punjab, Tibet, Afghanistan, Arabia, China, and Sri Lanka.
Numerous precious stones and Lapis Lazuli semi-precious stone were ripped off from its walls by the British during the 1857 Indian Sepoy Mutiny or Revolt.
The Taj draws in more than 2 to 4 million visitors yearly, with more than 2 lacs from abroad alone – and this number is only increasing. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj sees around 12,000 visitors every day.
The Taj is one of the most symmetrical structures in the world. Its four sides are splendidly indistinguishable. They were made utilizing the standards of symmetry and self-replication in geometry and design, in a way that they mirror each other on either side. However, to keep the male tomb bigger than the female, both the tombs inside are asymmetrical in size.
The four minarets (towers) encompassing the Taj Mahal were built far from the fundamental structure than usual. In case you watch closely, you'll see that the four minarets are tilting outwards. This was done as a security measure so that if any one of them fell, they would fall far and away from the tomb as opposed to colliding onto the Dome or Gumbad and main structure. It was intelligently constructed as such to prevent the destruction of the main edifice when natural calamities strike.
During the British reign in India, the greenhouse blueprint was changed to look more like the manicured gardens in London, England. The first garden was decorated with heaps of roses and daffodils.
The Taj Mahal contains a working mosque that is shut on Fridays for request to God. Respect ought to be given while walking on the grounds of the Taj as it is both a tomb and a dynamic religious structure.
The Taj Mahal being the commitment and tribute of Mumtaz Mahal, it has calligraphy everywhere throughout the inside and outside, which, among different examples and heavenly engravings, has calligraphy on the tomb that distinguishes and acclaims Mumtaz Mahal.
The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 took a toll on the Taj, which was somewhat harmed. The troopers had etched out a portion of the stones and lapis lazuli, and the patio nursery was damaged. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Lord Curzon, the past Viceroy of British India, requested its remodeling through a broad task which was finished in 1908. The patio nursery that we see today was consolidated to restore the lost components of the Chaarbagh. He designed a light fixture, which hangs in the Taj Mahal.
One of the basic myths about the Taj Mahal is that Emperor Shah Jahan had the thumbs of the artisans cleaved off, to keep them from re-creating his artful culmination. In any case, this is not valid. Another prevalent myth has that he needed to create a Black Taj Mahal; however, was unable to execute his arrangement in the wake of being put on house arrest.
The thought most likely comes from European explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier's whimsical compositions; however, there is no confirmation to support its legitimacy or the tale that craftsmen and engineers included with the construction of the Taj were later executed so they would never "repeat such an excellent deed" because the architect worked on other projects. Instead, historians state that they were required to sign contracts in those days.
The leading architect who spearheaded the construction of the Taj established the framework of the Red fort as well. Ustad Ahmed Lahauri, a Persian from Iran, was most likely the pioneer of the architect's group. Seeing that ShahJahan chose him to take a shot at a venture after Taj implies he was unmistakably using both his hands.
That said as per stories it is the work of an artisan who chose to harm ShahJahan's fantasy of making an artful culmination after he learned about his decision to cut off all the arms of the artisans involved. So, the Taj is not as perfect as we might want to think it seems to be.
The ASI needed to cover the Taj during the World War-II with a gigantic framework to misguide airplanes. False structures and platform were built around the Taj during the various conflicts to befuddle the German, Japanese, and Pakistani aircraft pilots.
A standout amongst the most glorious man-made manifestations, the Taj was secured with an enormous platform in the twentieth Century, so it resembled a stockpile of bamboo to an aircraft. At that point during the India-Pakistan war in 1971, and after the 9/11, it was covered by disguising it with a green fabric.
Islamic convention denies the improvement of both the graves, so Emperor ShahJahan and his wife are really buried in a plain tomb underneath the principle chamber of the Taj.
The Taj Mahal was worked with a mix of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles of design, and is viewed as the artful culmination of Moghul time's engineering exploits. Nevertheless, Indian essayist P. N. Oak went ahead to claim that a Shiv Temple and Rajput royal residence - Tejo Mahalaya - worked by a Hindu ruler Parmar Dev, existed where the Taj was constructed over. The area had been seized by ShahJahan for the construction of the mausoleum. In the year 2000, his request to announce the same, and unearth the site for evidence, was released by the High Court.
A temple sanctuary was constructed for the conman Natwarlal, who sold the Taj over and over.
Natwarlal, who more than once sold the Taj, has a sanctuary in his name. The general population of his local town, Bangra, in Bihar, chose to set up a statue of him as his landmark, at the spot, where his home once existed.
The foundation of Taj would have disintegrated years prior, if Yamuna wasn't there...
The foundation of the Taj is made of timber which shouldn't be lasting. The wood is expected to debilitate over a period of time and disintegrate attributable to decay and damage, yet that did not happen on the grounds that the wood is kept strong and wet by the Yamuna River.
The interior of Taj is fit for blinding anyone with its fantastic inlay work.
The Taj Mahal is around five feet taller than the famous Qutub Minar. A correlation with different landmarks around the globe can be seen in the pictorial depiction above.
The fountains have an uncommon element to guarantee uniform water weight in the wellsprings.
To guarantee undiminished and uniform water weight in the wellsprings, the fountain funnels were not connected with the copper channels that support them. Rather, a copper pot was put under every wellspring pipe so that the water first fills the pot and after that only ascent in the wellsprings. The weight in the pots is kept up, thus in the fountains, simultaneously.
PC Sorkar Jr. figured out how to make an optical figment that made the Taj vanish from the eyes of the general population at Kachhpura in Agra on November 8, 2000.
ShahJahan is generally accepted to have fancied a tomb for himself like that of the one he had commissioned in memory of his beloved consort, Mumtaz Mahal. The compositions of the European explorer, Tavernier notice that ShahJahan started to assemble his own tomb on the opposite side of the River Yamuna, yet couldn't finish it as he was ousted by his own son, Aurangzeb.
The plinth of the tomb averages at 2'10" yet fluctuates all around. This convexity has purposely been given to the plinth in the focal point of every curve. The designer completely foresaw the obvious size which a finial would exhibit from such an extraordinary height. In case this wasn't the way then the building would have showed up as though it were tumbling down.
The daughter of Emperor ShahJahan, Jahanara Begum, declined an excellent entombment like the Taj. She said: Allah is the Living, the Sustaining. Let nobody cover my grave aside from with greenery, for this very grass suffices as a tomb spread for poor people. The mortal oversimplified Princess Jahanara, Disciple of the Khwaja Moin-ud-Din Chishti, Daughter of Shah Jahan the Conqueror May Allah lights up his evidence.
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks is an American Grammy Award-winning Blues musician, who uses the stage name Taj Mahal.
The creators of the Taj utilized an optical trap so that as you draw nearer to the entrance, the Taj continues to get smaller in size. It appears to get bigger as you leave. The local guides here say when you leave you carry the Taj in your heart with you.
ShahJahan's different wives and even his most loved worker are covered in sepulchers only on the outside of the Taj.
The structure on the western side of the Taj Mahal is thought to have been utilized as a Guesthouse.
Taking after the Taj's completion, Emperor Shah Jahan was put under house arrest in 1658 by his own son, Aurangzeb. Shah Jahan could only see the Taj Mahal from his window throughout the eight years of his life in prison.
The Taj Mahal's white marble is quickly turning yellow due to shocking air contamination in Agra. Just electric vehicles are permitted close to the structure, and a 4,000-square-mile ecological fence was marked around the landmark to control outflows.
The Taj Mahal is really cracking at a disturbing rate because of absence of groundwater underneath the structure. Wooden establishments - once submerged - are thought to be getting damaged. Indeed, even the minarets are starting to incline outward.
The Taj Mahal was pronounced one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, getting more than a hundred million votes. Voting in favor of the Taj really pushed the questionable online and telephone based survey to choose new wonders into the world heritage spotlight.
A Bangladeshi movie producer developed an imitation structure of the Taj at an expense of USD 56 million in 2008, so his bankrupted kinsmen in Bangladesh could appreciate the renowned landmark without flying out to India. The replication took five years to finish with advanced gear.
A Taj-inspired lavish hotel and shopping complex is under development in Dubai. The Taj Arabia, as the imitation is called, will be four times the measure of the first and will cost an expected USD one billion.
Today, the Taj Mahal, encompassed by greenhouses, Guesthouses and a mosque on 17 hectares of area within its unpredictable walls, fights to clutch its wonderfulness, as the smooth marble experiences ecological contamination. It is bit by bit turning yellowish, especially because of the corrosive downpour.
The Yamuna, by which ShahJahan had once drew nearer the Taj Mahal in a boat and set his eyes upon his fantasy catacomb for the first time, is currently dry. In any case, Emperor ShahJahan lay in peace adjacent to his adored Mumtaz Mahal, within the enclosures of the Taj, which remains as the image of their affection, a love saga that will reverberate through all eternity.
Ever pondered what was ShahJahan's first response on seeing the colossal Taj?
"Should the guilty look for refuge here, like one exonerated, he turns out to be free from sin. Should a delinquent advance toward this house, all his past sins are to be washed away. Seeing this mansion makes saddening murmurs; and the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes. In this world, this building has been made; to show accordingly the maker's brilliance."
Do you know any unknown facts about the Taj? We look forward to you sharing those facts with us.