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| Taj Mahal |
The Taj Mahal
The meaning of Taj Mahal
is "Crown of the
Palace", it is an ivory white marble mausoleum complex in Agra, in western
Uttar Pradesh, northern India. It is situated in the eastern part of the city
on the southern right bank of the Yamuna (Jumna) River. Agra Fort, also on
the right bank of the Yamuna about 1.6km (1mi) west of Taj Mahal is situated
there. It was commissioned in 1632 by the
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628 to 1658) to house the tomb of his
favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan
himself. The tomb is the centerpiece of a 17 hectare (42acre) complex, which
includes a mosque and a guest house and is set in formal gardens bounded
on three sides by a crenellated wall. Construction of the mausoleum
was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the
project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been
completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at that time to be around
32 million Indian Rupees, which in 2020 would be approximately
70 billion Indian rupees ($916 million). The construction project
employed about 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led
by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahamad Lahauri.
Taj Mahal was constructed
using materials from all over India and Asia. It is believed over 1,000
elephants were used to transport building materials. It took the efforts of
22,000 labourers, painters, embroidery artists and stonecutters to shape the
Taj Mahal. The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana,
Rajasthan, Jasper from Punjab whereas Jade and Crystal from China.
The Turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan,
while the Sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the Carnelian from
Arabia. In all, twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were
inlaid into the white marble.
Tomb:
The Tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of Taj
Mahal. It is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth and
consists of a symmetrical building with an Iwab (an arch-shaped
doorway) topped by a large dome and final. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic
elements are Persian in origin. The base structure is a large multi-chambered
cube with chamfered corners forming an unequal eight-sided structure
that is approximately 55M(180 ft) on each of the four long sides.
The most spectacular feature
includes the marble dome that surmounts the tomb. The dome is nearly 35M (115ft)
high which is close in measurement to the length of the base, and accentuated
by the cylindrical "drum" on which it sits on and is approximately 7M
(23ft) high. The main finial was originally made of gold but was replaced by a
copy made of gilded bronze in the early 19th century. The minarets which
are each more than 40M(130ft) tall, display the designer's penchant for
symmetry.
Design:
The exterior decorations of
the Taj Mahal are among the finest in Mughal architecture. As the surface area
changes, the decorations are refined proportionally. The decorative elements
were created by applying paint, stucco, stone inlays and carvings. In line
with the Islamic prohibition against the use of anthropomorphic forms, the
decorative elements can be grouped into either calligraphy, abstract forms or
vegetative motifs. The Taj Mahal complex is bordered on three sides by
crenellated red sandstone walls and the side facing the river is open.
Outside the walls are several additional mausoleums, including those of Shah
Jahan's other wives and a larger tomb for Mumtaz's favourite servant.
The Taj Mahal was designated
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the Jewel of
Muslim Art in India and is one of the universally admired masterpieces of the
world's heritage". It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal
Architecture and a symbol of India's rich history. Taj Mahal attracts
7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the
new 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.
Agra Fort:
Agra
Fort is a historical fort in the
city of Agra, Uttar Pradesh in India. It was the main residence of the
emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638 when the capital was shifted
from Agra to Delhi. In 1983, the Agra fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World
Heritage site. It is about 2.5 km (1.5mi) northwest of its more famous
sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a
walled city.
It had been used by the early
Mughal rulers. The Fort stands on an ancient site and was traditionally known
as Badalgarh. It was captured by Ghaznavi for some time but in
the 15th century A.D. the Chauhan Rajputs occupied it. Soon after,
Agra assumed the status of capital when Sikandar Lodi (1487–1517) shifted his
capital from Delhi and constructed few buildings in the pre-existing Fort in
Agra. After many battles, Agra Fort was completed by Akbar (Abu'l-Fath
Jalal-Ud-Din Muhammad Akbar) in 1573. It took 4,000 workers on daily basis for
8 years to complete this Marvel Fort.
Tourism:
The Taj Mahal attracts a
large number of tourists. UNESCO documented more than 2 million visitors in
2001, which had increased to about 7–8 million in 2014. A two-tier the pricing system is in place with a significantly lower entrance fee for Indian
citizens and higher expensive one for foreigners. Most tourists visit in the
cooler months of October, November, and February.
How to Visit:
Since
Taj Mahal is located 233km (145mi) away from India’s capital, Delhi. If you are
planning a visit by road you can use Taj express highway/ Yamuna Expressway or
Chenna- Delhi Highway/ Mathura Road (NH 02) to reach Agra. It will take you approximately
3hours & 40 minutes to reach there.
By Train:
The most
popular way of getting from Delhi to Agra is by train. It's possible to visit Taj
Mahal in a day from Delhi if you catch the right trains, the fastest of which can
get you from city to city in two hours. The main railway station in Delhi is New
Delhi Railway Station (NDLS) near Paharganj. Although some trains to Agra also
depart from Delhi from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station (NZM). You can buy
tickets on the official website of Indian Railways but it requires signing up
for an account and paying a small registration fee. Other travel websites are
more user friendly but they don't always show all available trains and even charge
a commission fee too. There are several trains throughout the day from Delhi to
Agra but some of the most popular ones for Taj Mahal visitors are the following
trains you should try to catch up if you Wanner complete Agra tour in just one
day.
- The Gatimaan Express (12050): It takes approximately 100 minutes to reach
Agra. The train departs Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station at 8:10
a.m. and makes you reach Agra by 9:50 a.m.
- The New Delhi Habibganj Shatabdi
Express (12002):
It departs New Delhi Railway Station at 6 a.m and arrives at Agra by 7:57
a.m. The train runs every day.
- The Taj Express Superfast (12280):
It's departs from New Delhi Railway
Station & it stops at Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station too but the
trip takes nearly three hours. It departs at 6:45 a.m. and arrives in Agra
at 9:32 a.m.
Places to Visit In Agra:
Ø
The
Taj Mahal
Ø
The
Agra Fort (Red Fort)
Ø
Fatehpur
Sikri (36km (22mi) away from Agra City)
Ø
Mehtab
Bagh
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| Taj Mahal |
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| Taj Mahal |
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| Taj Mahal Pool |
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| Taj Mahal |
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| Taj Mahal |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Agra Fort (Red Fort) |
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| Fatehpur Sikri |
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| Mehtab Bagh |
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| Mehtab Bagh |
