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The Taj Mahal is a monument with a rich and colorful history.
An immortal love story inspired the Taj Mahal and there's
lots more Taj Mahal trivia and interesting details about this
wondrous monument.
- It is said that Shah Jahan wanted to build an equally
grand tomb for himself on the other bank of the River Yamuna
in Agra. His mausoleum would be made in black marble and
the two monuments would complement each other in their design.
- Mumtaz Mahal means "Exalted one of the Palace." This
was what Shah Jahan called her. Her actual name was Arjumand
Banu Begum.
- The term Taj Mahal is possible a contraction of the Empress's
name and means "Crown of the Palace"
- Shah Jahan was known as Khurram before he ascended to
the Mughal Throne.
- Mumtaz Mahal was Shah Jahan's second wife, but was his
favorite.
- Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan had 14 children
- 20,000 laborers worked for 22 years to build the Taj
Mahal.
- 1000 elephants were used to transport the materials required
for the construction of the Taj Mahal.
- The Taj Mahal is said to have been built at a cost of
32 million rupees.
- The white marble used to construct the Taj Mahal, was
brought from Makrana in Rajasthan India.
- 28 different kinds of semi-precious stones were used
in the inlay work in the Taj Mahal.
- These included Turquoise from Tibet, Sapphires from Sri
Lanka and Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan.
- The inlay work on the inner walls of the Taj Mahal is
called pietra dura, which refers to the embedding of hard
or durable stones within soft stones for decorative effect.
- It is said that Shah Jahan wanted to ensure that his
master craftsmen would not build anything as beautiful again
and had their hands amputated or eyes put out, after the
completion of the Taj Mahal.
- The Taj mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was
added to the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in 1983,
and described as "The jewel of Muslim art in India"
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