Taj Mahal - One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal of Agra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, for reasons more than just looking magnificent. It's the history of Taj Mahal that adds a soul to its magnificence: a soul that is filled with love, loss, remorse and love again. In 1631 the emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz, who died in childbirth. The white marble mausoleum at Agra has become the monument of a man's love for a woman.
This man was the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who was head-over-heels in love with Mumtaz Mahal, his dear wife. She was a Muslim Persian princess (her name Arjumand Banu Begum before marriage) and he was the son of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir and grandson of Akbar the Great. It was at the age of 14 that he met Mumtaz and fell in love with her. Five years later in the year 1612, they got married.
He had married her when he was 21, when he already had two children by an earlier consort. In the year 1631, when Mumtaz was giving birth to their 14th child, she died due to some complications. While Mumtaz was on her deathbed, Shah Jahan Promised her that he would never remarry and will build the richest mausoleum over her grave.
It is said that Shah Jahan was so heartbroken after her death that he ordered the court into mourning for two years. Sometime after her death, Shah Jahan, undertook the task of building the world's most beautiful monument in the memory of his beloved. It took 22 years and the labor of 22,000 workers to construct the monument. When Shah Jahan died in 1666, his body was placed in a tomb next to the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. This is the true story of the Taj Mahal of India.

Interesting facts about Taj Mahal:

1. Taj Mahal appears pink in the morning, white
     in the day and changes its color to golden in
     the moon light. It is the symbol of true love.
2. The Architecture of Taj Mahal is a
     combination of Persian, Islamic and Indian
     Architecture style.
3. It is estimated to have taken more than 22,000
    people to build this impressive building
    including labourers, painters, stonecutters,
    embroidery artists.
4. The cost of construction of the Taj Mahal was around Rs.320 million.
5. The name of the architect of the Taj Mahal is Ahmed Lahauri.
6. After death, Shah Jahan was laid to rest in the Taj Mahal besides the tomb of his wife Mumtaz.
7. Around 1000 Elephants were employed for the transportation of construction material.
8. It took 22 years and 22,000 people to complete the Taj Mahal.
9. Built in memory of the Emperors third and most favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal.
10. After death of Mumtaz, Shah Jahan's all his hair and beard were said to have grown snow white
      within just few months.