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. Because if it was not for love, the world would have been robbed of a fine example upon which people base their relationships. An example of how deeply a man loved his wife, that even after she remained but a memory, he made sure that this memory would never fade away. 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.
Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It was in the memory of his beloved wife that Shah Jahan built a magnificent monument as a tribute to her, which we today know as the "Taj Mahal". The construction of Taj Mahal started in the year 1631. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran, and it took approximately 22 years to build what we see today. An epitome of love, it made use of the services of 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants. The monument was built entirely out of white marble, which was brought in from all over India and central Asia. After an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees, Taj Mahal was finally completed in the year 1653.
It was soon after the completion of Taj Mahal that Shah Jahan was deposed by his own son Aurangzeb and was put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort. Shah Jahan, himself also, lies entombed in this mausoleum along with his wife. Moving further down the history, it was at the end of the 19th century that British Viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a sweeping restoration project, which was completed in 1908, as a measure to restore what was lost during the Indian rebellion of 1857: Taj being blemished by British soldiers and government officials who also deprived the monument of its immaculate beauty by chiseling out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. Also, the British style lawns that we see today adding on to the beauty of Taj were remodeled around the same time. Despite prevailing controversies, past and present threats from Indo-Pak war and environmental pollution, this epitome of love continuous to shine and attract people from all over the world.
Why was the Taj Mahal built?
Built between 1632 and 1653, the world-famous Taj Mahal was commissioned by the Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire that ruled most of northern India between the 16th and 18th century, to commemorate his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal who died of childbirth complications.
The love story
Shah Jahan met Mumtaz Mahal at one of the booths of the royal bazaar in 1607, long before he became the emperor of the Mughal Empire. He was then 15 years old, called Prince Khurram, and Mumtaz Mahal, 14, called Arjumand Banu Baygam, whose father would later become the prime minister. It was love at first sight. However, he didn't marry her until 1612, five years after their betrothal, after marrying Kandahari Begum, his first wife. (He would later take a third wife in 1617).
On March 27, 1612, Prince Khurram and Arjumand Banu Baygam got married. The prince gave his wife the name Mumtaz Mahal, meaning "chosen one of the palace". Despite having three wives, the prince's whole delight was centered on Mumtaz Mahal, according to Inayat Khan, Shah Jahan's historian. The couple had a loving marriage, with intimacy, and deep affection for each other. Throughout Khurram's earlier military campaigns, she always accompanied him in spite of her pregnancies. Even after Shah Jahan's accession to the throne she served as a confidant and trusted advisor who often gave him advice both on private and public matters. The public was greatly enamored with Mumtaz Mahal because of her beauty, grace as well as compassion. She helped the people in need, making sure the widows and orphans got food and money.
The death of Mumtaz Mahal
In their 19 years of marriage, they had 14 children altogether, but only 7 of them lived past infancy. The birth of the 14th kid led to the death of Mumtaz Mahal. On June 17, 1631, she died in Shah Jahan's arm in a military tent after giving birth to a healthy baby girl. Her body was temporarily buried near the encampment at Burhanpur. It is said that the emperor was so sad that he started a seclusion for a year, mourning for his beloved wife. When people saw him again, his hair had turned gray and his back was bent.
In December 1631, Mumtaz Mahal's remains were carried to Agra (435 miles (700 km) from Burhanpur). Her body was escorted with thousands of soldiers, and crowds of mourners lined the road. Shah Jahan had her remains temporarily buried on a land near where Taj Mahal would be built. Still full of grief, he decided to create an exquisite mausoleum that none could rival.
The construction of Taj Mahal
The location
No one knows exactly why the final resting place of Mumtaz Mahal was chosen to be on the bank of the Yamuna River in Agra. Below are some of the possible reasons:
1) In the 17th century, this area was also where all gardens and palaces of the noble Mughals were located. It was therefore justifiable that the empress should rest in peace here.
2) The Yamuna River is one of the tributaries of the Ganges, a purifying river sacred to the Hindu population. Shah Jahan hoped the soul of her deceased wife would be purified by placing her here.
3) Shah Jahan wanted to build a huge mausoleum for her wife. Thus the structure would be extremely heavy and better be supported by large wooden slabs built over deep wells, keeping the mausoleum stable. So the banks of Yamuna River would be most suitable. The water from the river can moisturize the mausoleum's wooden foundation (mainly timber), which is key to the stabilization of the structure.
The building style
As the best example of Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal is a fusion of Hindu and Islamic architecture, interpreting many of the Hindu traditions in an Islamic form.
The architects and craftsmen
It is not known exactly who was responsible for the design of the monument because at that time it was the patron who won the credit for the design of a building. But the chief architect is said to be Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, who is also credited with the design of the famous Red Fort of Delhi.
The construction of the Taj Mahal wouldn't have been possible without the teamwork of architects, draughtsmen, stonemasons, sculptors, dome builders, calligraphers, carpenters, and other workers whose number is believed to be around 20,000. Sadly, the hands of these architects and workers were all cut off by the minions of Shah Jahan so that they could
never create a building like it, according to a story.
The length of construction
The construction of Taj Mahal took over twenty years. It was built in 1632, and in 1648, the mausoleum was finished. Another 5 years were spent on the building of the enclosure, the ancillary buildings such as gardens, so the whole complex was completed in 1653.
The cost of constructionb
There are different stories as to how much the construction of the Taj Mahal cost. Some say the monument is estimated to have cost 32 million rupees, which is about 53 billion rupees (US$827 million ) in modern values. Most of the money was spent on the stones and workers' wages. The funds were from the Royal Treasury of the Emperor and the Treasury of the Government of the Province of Agra.