The Taj Mahal is located on the right bank of the Yamuna River in the approximately 17 hectares of the Mughal Gardens in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan of the Mughal Empire in commemoration of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 AD and was completed in 1648 AD, with the addition of a mosque, guesthouse, main gate, then courtyard and its corridor to the south, and was completed in 1653 AD. The presence of several historical and quarter inscriptions in the Arabic script made it easier to establish the Taj Mahal chronology. Craftsmen from masons, elephants, sculptures, painters, calligraphers, cupola architects and other empires, as well as from Central Asia and Iran, have been recruited for construction. Usterd Ahmad Rahori was the main architect of the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is considered the greatest architectural achievement in the entire range of Indo-Islamic architecture. It's recognized architectural beauty has a rhythmic combination of solids and voids, concaves and convexes, and bright shadows. Arches and domes add aesthetic aspects. The combination of lush landscapes, reddish paths and the colors of the blue sky above represents a monument to ever changing shades and moods. Marble reliefs and studded with precious and semi-precious stones are special monuments.

The Taj Mahal's uniqueness lies in some truly amazing innovations carried out by Shah Jahan's gardening planners and architects. One such ingenious plan is to place the tomb on one end, not in the middle of the four part garden. This adds a rich depth and perspective to the distant view of the monument. It is also one of the best examples of various raised tombs. The tomb is raised further on a square platform, with the four sides of the bottom of the Minaretz octagon protruding beyond the square of the corners. The top of the platform is reached via the side stairs in the center of the south side. The Taj Mahal layout is structurally perfectly balanced, with a central octagonal burial chamber surrounded by a portal hall and four corner rooms. The plan is repeated on the second floor. The appearance of the tomb is a plan view of a square with beloved corners. The large two-story dome-shaped room that houses the Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan memorials is a perfect octagon in plan view. The exquisite octagonal marble grid screen that surrounds both memorials is part of a great workmanship. It is highly polishedpolished and abundantly inlaid. The edges of the frame are adorned with jewels that represent flowers with great perfection. The colors and shades of the stones used to make the leaves and flowers look almost realistic. Mumtaz Mahal's cenotaph is located in the perfect center of the burial chamber.

TAGS : #Taj Mahal #Shah Jahan #Mumtaz Mahal #World Heritage #7 wonders