Taj Mahal
In 1631, the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan commissioned a marble mausoleum to honor his wife Mumtaz Mahal. She died on the 17th of June that year while giving birth to their fourteenth child, Gauhara Begum. The imperial court recorded Shah Jahan's profound grief after her passing. He avoided royal affairs for one week and stopped listening to music or wearing lavish clothes for two years. He chose a plot of land south of Agra where a mansion belonging to Raja Jai Singh I once stood. The emperor exchanged this land for a large palace in the center of Agra. Construction began in 1632, marking the start of an ambitious project. The first ceremony held at the site occurred on the 6th of February 1643. This event marked the twelfth anniversary of Mumtaz Mahal's death.
More than twenty thousand workers and artisans labored under the direction of Ustad Ahmad Lahori. Specialist sculptors came from Bukhara while calligraphers arrived from Syria and Persia. Stone cutters traveled from Baluchistan and Italian artisans joined the workforce. White marble sourced from Makrana in Rajasthan formed the exterior surface. Red sandstone quarried from Fatehpur Sikri lined other buildings within the complex. Twenty-eight types of precious stones were imported from across the globe including jade from China and turquoise from Tibet. Lapis lazuli arrived from Afghanistan while sapphire came from Sri Lanka. Carnelian was brought from Arabia. Workers constructed a massive brick scaffold that mirrored the tomb itself. An earthen ramp stretched one kilometer long to transport materials up to the construction site. Teams of oxen and elephants hauled specially built wagons along this path. Water rose from the Yamuna River through animal-powered devices to supply the site.
The main dome stands fifty-five meters high and sits upon a cylindrical drum with an inner diameter of fourteen meters. A gilded finial topped the structure originally before being replaced by bronze in the early nineteenth century. The dome is slightly asymmetrical yet balanced by four smaller domes at its corners. Arabic calligraphy adorns the gateway arches using florid thuluth script made of jasper or black marble. Higher panels feature larger script to reduce visual skewing when viewed from below. One southern gate inscription reads O Soul thou art at rest Return to the Lord at peace with Him. The interior walls reach thirty meters high and are topped by a false dome decorated with a sun motif. Perforated marble screens border the cenotaphs inside the upper chamber. These screens consist of eight marble panels carved through with intricate pierce work. The central room houses false sarcophagi for Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan while actual burials lie in the basement below. Ninety-nine Names of God appear on the side of the original undecorated tomb in the lower level.
In December 1652 Aurangzeb wrote to his father about extensive leaks developing during the previous rainy season. Shah Jahan was deposed by Aurangzeb in 1658 and placed under house arrest at Agra Fort. He could see the Taj Mahal from his confinement until his death in 1666. In the eighteenth century Jat rulers attacked the site and removed two chandeliers along with gold and silver screens. By the late nineteenth century parts of the buildings had fallen into disrepair. British viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a restoration project completed in 1908. He commissioned a large lamp for the interior chamber and replaced gardens with European-style lawns. Scaffolding disguised the building in 1942 against potential Japanese air attacks. Similar structures were erected during India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971 to mislead bomber pilots. Environmental pollution has turned the marble yellow-brown since the late twentieth century. Acid rain and emissions from the Mathura Oil Refinery contributed to this discoloration. Cracks appeared in parts of the tomb in 2010 while minarets showed signs of tilting.
The monument attracts more than five million visitors annually according to recent financial year data. About five million people visited the site during the 2022-23 fiscal period alone. A three-tier pricing system exists with fees set at fifty rupees for Indian citizens. Visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries pay 540 rupees while other foreign tourists pay 1,100 rupees. The complex remains open every day except Friday from one hour before sunrise until forty-five minutes before sunset. Limited night viewing occurs on full moon days excluding the month of Ramadan. In 2019 fines were instituted for visitors who stayed longer than three hours to address overtourism. A government report from 2025 indicates the Taj Mahal earned over five hundred crore rupees across five years. It stands as the highest earning monument administered by the Archaeological Survey of India. Foreign dignitaries frequently visit the site during trips to India. The small town south of the monument known as Taj Ganji was built to serve workers and visitors.
A longstanding myth claims Shah Jahan planned a black marble mausoleum called Black Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River. This idea originated from writings by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier who visited Agra in 1665. Excavations in the 1990s proved false that ruins of blackened marble existed there. They turned out to be discolored white stones. A dark reflection of the white mausoleum could clearly be seen in reconstructed pools at Mehtab Bagh. No concrete evidence supports stories about deaths or mutilations inflicted upon architects and craftsmen. Some tales claim builders signed contracts forbidding future similar designs but no proof exists. Lord William Bentinck supposedly planned to demolish the Taj Mahal yet his biographer John Rosselli says the story arose from fund-raising sales of discarded marble from Agra Fort. In 2000 India's Supreme Court dismissed a petition claiming a Hindu king built the structure. Another petition brought by Amar Nath Mishra in 2005 was also dismissed by the Allahabad High Court. The Union Minister of Culture stated in November 2015 that no evidence suggested it ever housed a temple.
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Common questions
Who commissioned the Taj Mahal and when was it built?
Shah Jahan commissioned the marble mausoleum in 1632 to honor his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began that year after he exchanged land south of Agra for a palace in the city center.
What materials were used to construct the Taj Mahal exterior and interior walls?
White marble sourced from Makrana in Rajasthan forms the exterior surface while red sandstone lines other buildings within the complex. Interior walls reach thirty meters high and feature perforated marble screens with intricate pierce work.
When did Shah Jahan die and how long was he under house arrest at Agra Fort?
Shah Jahan died in 1666 after being deposed by Aurangzeb in 1658. He remained under house arrest at Agra Fort until his death and could see the monument from his confinement.
How many visitors does the Taj Mahal attract annually and what are the entry fees?
The monument attracts more than five million visitors annually according to recent financial year data. Entry fees are set at fifty rupees for Indian citizens, 540 rupees for SAARC and BIMSTEC countries, and 1,100 rupees for other foreign tourists.
Is there any evidence supporting the myth that Shah Jahan planned a Black Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River?
No concrete evidence supports stories about a black marble mausoleum or deaths inflicted upon architects and craftsmen. Excavations in the 1990s proved ruins of discolored white stones existed rather than blackened marble.