January 16th, 2010
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a catacomb built in Agra, India by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the loving remembrance of his spouse, Mumtaz. It is the finest example of Mughal era architecture. The Taj Mahal is a wonderful example of the amalgamation of three architectural techniques. These are Indian, Islamic and Persian. It is a combination of incorporated intricate of constructions. Shah Jahan started the construction of this monument in the year 1632 and it was finished in the year 1653. There were thousands of craftsmen and artisans who were engaged to design the structure. There were three architects who were appointed to design the structure. Their names are Ustad Ahmed Lahauri, Abdul Karim Khan and Makramat Khan. However Ustad Ahmed Lahauri was considered the main designer of the structure.
In the year 1631, the third wife of Mughal Emperor Mumtaz died during the birth of a child. Mughal Emperor decided to prepare a monument in the loving memory of his wife. He ordered to start the construction in the year 1632 which is one year later after his wife’s death. After looking on to the monument, we will see that the main focal point is the tomb section. The finial section was made of gold but later on reinstated by bronze in 19th century. The top section of finial consists of a moon which is the symbol of Muslim tradition. The upper section of the moon resembles to the symbol of Hindu Lord ‘Shiva’. The base section of The Taj Mahal is like a Persian architecture. Mughal Emperor used white marble stone in every section of the construction. The beauty of this marvelous architecture is not comparable to any structure of the world. The total cost of construction was 32 million Rupees in the year of 1948 and about a team of twenty thousand people constructed it.
