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 Taj Mahal : Little needs to be said about this
architectural wonder, which is always the soul raison-de-etre
for every tourist's visit to Agra. Built by Shah Jahan, the Taj
is a white marble memorial to his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal.
This monument took 22 years to be completed and was designed,
and planned by Persian architect Ustad Isa. Apart from its
stunning design balance and perfect symmetry, the Taj is also
noted particularly for its elegant domes, intricately carved
screens and some of the best inlay work ever seen. Proceed for
sightseeing to the AGRA FORT - Built by the famed Mughal emperor
Akbar in 1565 AD, the fort is predominantly of red sandstone.
Ensconced within is the picture perfect Pearl Mosque, which is a
major tourist attraction. Visit Itmadullah's Tomb
built by Empress NOOR JEHAN in memory of her father (The interiors of
which are considered better than the Taj).
Taj Mahal. Sheer poetry in marble. Majesty and magnificence, unrivalled.
The Taj Mahal, the one and only one of its kind across the world. The
monumental labour of love of a great ruler for his beloved queen. The
ultimate realisation of Emperor Shahjahan's dream. One of the wonders of
the world. From 1631 A.D., it took 22 years in the making. An estimated
20,000 people worked to complete the enchanting mausoleum, on the banks
of the Yamuna. For a breathtaking beautiful view of the Taj Mahal, see
it by moonlight.
Open : 6 days a week (Closed on Friday's), Sunrise - 7.30 p.m. as the
world had never seen before". Thus emperor Shah Jahan set about building
this fairytale like marvel.
The construction of Taj Mahal was started in AD 1632 and
completed at the end of 1648 AD. For seventeen years, twenty
thousand workmen are said to be employed on it daily, for their
accommodation a small town, named after the deceased empress-'Mumtazabad,
now known as Taj Ganj, was built adjacent to it. Amanat Khan
Shirazi was the calligrapher of Taj Mahal, his name occurs at
the end of an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj. Poet
Ghyasuddin had designed the verses on the tombstone, while
Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad Hanif
was the superintendent of Masons.
The designer of Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The material
was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took
a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. The
central dome is 187 feet high at the centre.
Red sandstone was
brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and
Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and
Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and
diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and
precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The
chief building material, the white marble was brought from the
quarries of Makrana, in distt. Nagaur, Rajasthan.
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