Taj Mahal Taj Mahal is a mausoleum complex in Agra, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal ("Chosen One of the Palace"), who died in childbirth in 1631, having been the emperor's inseparable companion since their marriage in 1612. India's most famed building, it is situated in the eastern part of the city on the southern (right) bank of the Yamuna River, about 1.6 km east of the Agra Fort, also on the right bank of the Yamuna. The Taj Mahal is distinguished as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles. Other attractions include twin mosque buildings (placed symmetrically on either side of the mausoleum), pleasant gardens, and a museum. The complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, and is one of the
New Seven Wonders of the world. The Taj Mahal is the most visited tourist spot in the India, attracting nearly 6.9 million visitors in 2018–19. The chief architect was probably the Persian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori. Designed as a unified entity according to the principles of Mughal architecture, the five principal elements of the complex were the main gateway, garden, mosque,
jawab (literally 'answer', a building mirroring the mosque), and the mausoleum, with its four minarets. The construction commenced in 1632 with upwards of twenty thousand workers from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe working to complete the mausoleum itself by 1639, the adjunct buildings by 1643, with decoration work continuing until at least 1647. In total, construction of the 42 acre (17 hectare) complex spanned 22 years. A number of measures have been taken to reduce the threat to the monument, among them the closing of some foundries and the installation of pollution-control equipment at others, the creation of a parkland buffer zone around the complex, and the banning of nearby vehicular traffic, and more recently, use of 'mud pack' therapy. Perhaps most importantly, the Taj Trapezium Zone has been created around the Taj Mahal and other nearby monuments where strict pollution restrictions are in place on industries, following a 1996 Supreme Court of India ruling. Some antique views were published in the Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Books, namely by
Samuel Prout from a mid-distant angle (1832) and by S. Austin from those said ruins (1836). Both are accompanied by poetical illustrations by
Letitia Elizabeth Landon. File:Taj Mahal (Edited).jpeg|The most common front view of the Taj Mahal File:Taj Mahal-10 (cropped).jpg|Taj Mahal and outlying buildings as seen from across the
Yamuna River (northern view) File:Persian prince tomb taj mahal.jpg|Tombs of
Shah Jahan and his beloved wife,
Mumtaz Mahal File:TM from Red Fort.jpg|
Taj Mahal from
Agra fort Agra Fort The Agra Fort is a large 16th-century fortress of red sandstone located by the
Yamuna River in Agra. It was first established by the Mughal Emperor
Akbar and served as the seat of royal government when Agra was the capital of the Mughal empire in addition to being a military base and a royal residence. Built on the site of earlier fortifications by
Islam Shah Suri(son of
Sher Shah Suri), the Agra Fort lies on the right bank of the Yamuna River and is connected to the
Taj Mahal (downstream, around a bend in the Yamuna), by a stretch of parkland. The fort was commissioned by Akbar in 1565, taking around eight years to build. The red sandstone walls of the roughly semi-circular structure have a perimeter of about 2.5 km, rise 21 metres high, and are surrounded by a moat. Among the major attractions in the fort is
Jahangiri Mahal, the largest residence in the complex, built by Akbar as a private palace for his
Rajput wives. In the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), the emperor would listen to public petitions and meet state officials. The Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) was used for receiving distinguished visitors. The famous
Peacock Throne was once kept there, before
Aurangzeb took it to Delhi. Near the Diwan-i-Khas stands the
Musamman Burj, an octagonal Tower which was the residence of Shah Jahan's favourite empress,
Mumtaz Maḥal. The
Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque), constructed by Shah Jahan, is a structure made entirely of white marble. The emperor's private residence was the Khas Mahal, whose marble walls were once adorned with flowers depicted by precious gems. Located to its northeast is the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), its walls and ceilings inlaid with thousands of small mirrors. The four-storied tomb combines both marble and sandstone in its exterior. The construction of Sikandra was commenced in Akbar's reign and was completed by his heir and son
Jahangir in 1613. The tomb is set amidst a large garden and is enclosed by four battlemented walls, each with a large gateway. The 99 names of Allah have been inscribed on the tomb. The tomb has seen some damage to its minarets and other aspects, which was inflicted in 1688 by the
Jats under
Rajaram Jat, to avenge his uncle
Gokula Jat, who was executed by the Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb. The Jats plundered the tomb's gold, jewels, silver, and carpets, and also burned Akbar's bones. The vast gardens around Sikandra are inhabited by several
Blackbucks, which are in the process of being shifted to the
Etawah Safari Park. Next to Akbar's tomb, stands the
Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani, the favourite wife of Akbar.
Other places of Interest Agra also has several other places of interest, most of them from its Mughal past. They include the
Battis Khamba, Jama Masjid, Chini Ka Rauza, Aram Bagh, Mariam's Tomb, and Mehtab Bagh among others. The
Jama Masjid is a large mosque attributed to Shah Jahan's daughter
Jahanara Begum, built-in 1648, notable for its unusual dome and absence of minarets. The
Chini Ka Rauza, notable for its
Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, is dedicated to the prime minister of Shah Jahan, Afzal Khan. The
Aram Bagh, commonly known as Ram Bagh today, is one of the oldest
Mughal garden in India, and was built by the Mughal emperor
Babur in 1528 on the bank of the Yamuna. It lies about north of the Taj Mahal. The original name of the gardens was Aram Bagh, or 'Garden of Relaxation', and this was where Babur used to spend his leisure time. Tomb of Mariam-uz-Zamani is the tomb of Mariam, the favourite wife of Emperor
Akbar. The tomb is within the compound of the Christian Missionary Society. The
Mehtab Bagh, or 'Moonlight Garden', is on the opposite bank of the
River Yamuna from the Taj Mahal. Agra also has a nearby bird sanctuary,
Keetham Lake. Also known as Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, it is situated within the Surdas Reserved Forest. The lake has nearly two dozen varieties of migratory and resident birds.
City Around ==Culture==