Why was the taj mahal built. Mausoleum of taj-mahal

Taj Mahal is an outstanding architectural monument and one of the main attractions in India dating back to the Mughal period. Taj was built as the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. Shah Jahal himself was later also buried in the Taj Mahal. The word Taj Mahal is translated as "The Greatest Palace": Taj in translation means a crown, mahal means a palace.

Taj Mahal - history of creation

The history of the creation of one of the main attractions of India began in 1630. The Taj Mahal was built on the banks of the Jamna River, south of the city of Agra. The Taj Mahal complex includes:

• minarets;
• mosque;
• javab;
• Large gate.

20,000 artisans and craftsmen worked on the construction of Taj. Construction lasted twelve years. The mausoleum-mosque combines Persian, Indian, Islamic architectural styles. The height of the five-domed building is 74 meters; four minarets rise at the corners of the building. The minarets are tilted to the side so as not to damage the tomb of the shah and his wife during destruction.

The mausoleum is surrounded by a beautiful garden with a fountain and a pool that reflects the entire building. The Taj Mahal mausoleum, located in the city of Agra, is famous for its optical focus: if you walk with your back to the exit, then the building looks huge compared to the surrounding trees. The center of the complex is the tomb. It is a symmetrical structure with an arch, erected on a square pedestal and topped with a large dome. The height of the main dome, built in the shape of an onion, is impressive - 35 meters. Traditional Persian figures are located on the tops of the domes.

What is the Taj Mahal made of?

The foundation consisted of wells filled with rubble stone. The materials were transported on a fifteen kilometer ramp using bulls and carts. Water was extracted from the river using a bucket-rope system. From a large reservoir, water rose into the distribution compartment, from where it was delivered to the construction site through three pipes. The construction cost was Rs 32 million.

Special attention should be paid to the majestic finish: white polished translucent marble inlaid with such gems as turquoise, agate, malachite. In total, twenty-eight types of semi-precious and precious stones are inlaid into the walls of the tomb. The marble from which the mausoleum is made was brought from quarries 300 kilometers from the city. During the day, the walls of the mosque look white, at night - silvery, and at sunset - pink.

Masters not only from India, but also from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Persia were invited to build the Taj Mahal. Ismail Afandi from the Ottoman Empire is considered the designer of the main building. There is a legend according to which on the other bank of the river Jamna there should have been a copy of Taj, but only made of black marble. The building was not completed. For the 1.2 hectare site, the soil was replaced, the site was raised 50 meters above the river level.

Taj Mahal - interesting facts

According to legend, after being overthrown by his son, Shah Jahan admired the Taj Mahal from the windows of his dungeon. An interesting fact is that Humayun's tomb in Delhi is very similar to the Taj Mahal, built like the Taj Mahal as a sign of the great love story between the spouses. Moreover, the tomb in Delhi was built earlier, and Shah Jahan used the experience of building the tomb of the Mughal emperor during its construction. There is also a smaller copy of the Taj Mahal, located in the city of Agra. This is the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daula, built in 1628.

Since 1983, the Taj Mahal has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In a 2007 poll, the Taj Mahal was included in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Currently, there is a problem of shallowing of the Jamna River, as a result of which the mausoleum subsides and cracks form on the walls. Also, because of the polluted air, the walls of the Taj, famous for their whiteness, turn yellow. The building is cleaned with special clay.

The Taj Mahal is probably the most famous and most attractive tourist destination in India. And it is clear why - he is stunningly handsome. He is a miracle. Many people want to see it, and every year from 3 to 5 million tourists visit it. Although from a formal point of view, the Taj Mahal represents not Indian, but Persian architecture. But it was he who became the hallmark of India.

As you know, the Taj Mahal was built by order of the padishah of the Mughal empire Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 14 births.

Yes, at present, I would not have given birth to this child, there are already more than enough children. And they would live happily ever after.

But who would then know about the third wife of the fifth Mughal padishah. And so the inconsolable Shah Jahan (which means "ruler of the world") ordered to build a tomb for his beloved. Which was built for over 20 years (from 1630 to 1652) by about 20,000 workers under the guidance of architects from all over the Muslim world. Up to a thousand elephants and many horses and oxen were involved in the construction of cargo transportation.

Snow-white marble was brought for construction over 300 km, and other materials for the construction of the tomb were delivered not only from all over India, but also from abroad.

When the Taj Mahal was built, the problem of dismantling the scaffolding and auxiliary structures was solved, just like after the construction of our Winter Palace. Namely, they allowed local residents to take these materials for free. This was done in a very short time (according to legend - in one night).

The names of the architects who led the creation of the miracle are well known. These are Deshenov-Anu, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The main author of the project is usually considered the Persian Lahauri. According to another version, the main architect was the Turk Isa Mohammed Efendi.

There is a legend that the masters who performed a miracle were blinded and their hands were cut off, so that they did not create anything like this. But it seems that this is just a legend, there is no confirmation of it.

So much was spent on the construction of the Taj Mahal that the treasury was practically empty, and the huge and richest Mughal state began to decline. I doubt that. Painfully rich country India.

However, after the completion of the construction, Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned. The construction of the same, but black mausoleum, symmetrical to the white one, on the other bank of the Janma River, has been discontinued. Many researchers say about the black mausoleum that this is just a legend. But agree, beautiful. And judging by the obsession of the creators of the mausoleum with the idea of \u200b\u200bsymmetry, and plausible.

Aurangzeb, although he kept his father in prison for 20 years, nevertheless buried him next to Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved wife and his mother. And the tombstone of Shah Jahan, which is larger than the tombstone of Mumtaz Mahal, is the only thing that is not symmetrical in the completely symmetrical Taj Mahal.

But the pitiful story that Shah Jahan spent 20 years in captivity in the Red Fort, looking out of the window at the mausoleum of his beloved, is just a legend. Yes, he was imprisoned in the Red Fort, but not in Agra, but in, 250 km from Agra.

The Taj Mahal, as the Mughal state declined, also began to slowly fall into desolation.

The British, who seized India after the Mughals, even though they were civilized and educated, were slowly picking out semi-precious stones from the walls of the mausoleum. And with them, his golden spire was replaced with an exact bronze copy.

After India gained independence, the Taj Mahal became an important museum, and in 1983 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Due to the excess concentration of harmful substances in the air, marble darkens. But every year the Taj Mahal is cleaned, and, in my unsophisticated opinion, it looks great. There is concern about the shallowing of the Janma River and, as a result, subsidence of the soil at the base of the mausoleum.

And further. Hindu nationalists say that the Taj Mahal is not an Indian work, that it was built on the site of a destroyed Hindu temple, and therefore it should be demolished. How serious this is, says the fact that the Deputy Prime Minister of the Indian Republic had to visit the Taj Mahal and then make a statement that it is very beautiful and, since the Indians built it, it is an Indian creation.

Excursion to Taj Mahal

The morning turned out to be somewhat hazy. Which was alarming, since they write on the Internet that in winter you might not see the Taj Mahal at all because of the fog. As one tourist wrote: "I could only touch it."

We were taken by bus with an electric motor to the ticket offices of the Taj Mahal. Machines with internal combustion engines must not be used there so as not to pollute the air.

We bought tickets, for foreigners they cost 1000 rupees, this is the most expensive excursion on the tour.

We were checked no less strictly than when boarding the plane, with passing through the frame and feeling.

At the entrance there is a huge red gate with 11 small turrets. This is a characteristic feature of Muslim buildings in India: the walled courtyard can be accessed through a gate with turrets.

After passing through a relatively small arch, you finally come out to the Mausoleum. Here is the first miracle: when you walk through the arch, the Taj Mahal seems huge and occupies the entire opening, and when you leave, you see that it is far away and it seems small. Here the first "ah" appears.

To the Taj Mahal, you walk along an elongated rectangular pool, the bottom of which is painted blue. Therefore, the water appears blue. The water, we must pay tribute, is transparent, which is very difficult to achieve in the tropics. But the bottom of the pool is not very clean.

The paths leading to the mausoleum are lined with low cypress trees, along which mowed lawns are laid out. They say that initially there were flower beds made of roses, and lawns are already an English innovation. The British do not know anything more beautiful than even lawns, but here, I think, roses would be better suited.

The Taj Mahal looks best from afar. What can I say: a miracle - it is a miracle, you need to see it.

Before going up to the mausoleum itself, you need to put on the white shoe covers issued when buying a ticket.

When you approach, the seams between the marble blocks become visible, the minarets look like ordinary lighthouses. The Taj Maahal is not perceived in parts, does not disintegrate. It must be seen in its entirety.

From a high platform paved with marble slabs around the mausoleum one can see the unsightly Jamna river with muddy water. The river from the side of the mausoleum and from the opposite bank is fenced with barbed wire. When we were there, a dead cow lay in the water near the shore. They say that you won't be able to admire the Taj Mahal from the other side. “An army lives there,” said the guide.

But also nearby Taj Mahal is beautiful. The patterns of marble and mosaics of semi-precious stones are impressive. The walls are decorated with graceful Arabic inscriptions.

You cannot take pictures inside the mausoleum. But I did not understand this and took several frames until I was told. However, there is nothing special inside. There are 2 tombstones, the larger one is the Shah, the smaller one is Mumtaz Mahal. Light penetrates through openwork marble lattices, but it is not enough. Inside - semi-darkness.

In the second third of the 17th century. the representative of the Mughal dynasty (1526-1858) Shihab ad-din Shah-Jihan I (1628-1657) built the magnificent mausoleum Taj Mahal near Agra. , erected at the behest of Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz, who died early, is considered the pinnacle of Muslim-type architectural structures. The Taj Mahal is designed in the Mughal style, a mixture of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture. The complex includes five main elements: a gate, a garden, a mosque, a javab and the mausoleum itself. Shah-Jahan carefully chose and corrected the project of the mausoleum, referring to the best architects of the East at that time. The main idea was worked out by Ustad Mohammed Isa Effendi - a Byzantine Turk, a student of the largest Turkish architect Sinan, Greek by origin. Masters from India, Central Asia, Persia, Arabia participated in the development of the project. Shah Jahan himself chose a place for an unheard of mausoleum below Agra on the right bank of the Jamuna. Construction lasted from 1631 to 1647; it permanently employed about 20 thousand workers.

The Taj Mahal mausoleum, together with the surrounding park, occupies a significant area - 17 hectares. Access to the gardens and the mausoleum is from the south side of the garden, where there are two entrance portals in one line, decorated with traditional chattri. After that, the visitor enters the territory of a clearly planned garden, which is divided into squares by four canals, at the intersection of which there is a pool. The building of the mausoleum itself is located on the north side.

The tomb was erected on an artificial platform on the banks of the Jamna River. The platform is paved with white marble. The mausoleum, attributed to the Indian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, is a compact white marble building with traditional cut corners of Indian architecture, a large dome and four chattris on the roof. The building is entirely made of white marble, which perfectly reflects the sun's rays. According to legend, the shah wanted a separate black mausoleum to be built for him on the opposite bank of the Jamna River. However, Shah Jihan was overthrown from the throne by his own son Aurangzeb.

On the eastern and western borders of the Taj Mahal complex, there are two buildings of red sandstone located strictly along the transverse axis relative to the main building. Each building is topped with three white domes. And although they have a different purpose (on the right - "Javab" - a shelter for eminent guests, and on the left - a mosque where memorial services were held), all buildings logically fit into the memorial complex.

In the center of the platform is a tomb, which has a square in plan with beveled corners. On the inner side of the wall, it bends around a bypass corridor with octagonal chambers at each corner. In the center there is an 8-sided burial chamber topped with a low dome; Portals lead inside, one on each side. The chamber contains cenotaphs (a tombstone for the deceased, whose remains lie elsewhere or have not been found) of the Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan, surrounded by an openwork marble fence (their surface is inlaid with semiprecious stones), while the original burials are in the crypt directly under the camera ... Outside, an arched portal on each façade is flanked by two tiers of niches, and the entire structure is crowned with an onion dome raised high above the gently sloping inner domed bowl of the burial chamber. Simple proportions determine the plan and the vertical ratio: the width of the building is equal to its total height of 75 m, and the distance from the floor level to the parapet above the arched portals is half of the entire height.

Above the main room (according to the tradition in Indian architecture), two domes are raised - one in the other. The outer dome is crowned with a spire, while the inner (smaller) dome is made in order to maintain harmony with the interior space. This constructive solution appeared in the Timurid era, and in India it was first used in the construction of the mausoleum (1518) of the Delhi ruler Nizam Khan Sikandar II (1489-1517) from the Lodi dynasty.

The interior decoration of the Taj Mahal is striking in its elegance. Gems and multi-colored marble were used in the decoration. So, the epigraphic decor is made in black marble, reproducing the suras of the Koran in the handwriting of suls. It is known that the Mughal emperors were fascinated by flora: they planted flower gardens and rose gardens, special plantations of ornamental plants. This love is fully present in the interior decoration of the mausoleum. The mosaic made of multi-colored pieces of agate, carnelian, lapis lazuli, onyx, turquoise, amber, jasper and coral reproduces flower garlands and bouquets that adorn the walls of the burial hall. One gets the impression that the Taj Mahal was created not as a tomb, but as a monument to the emperor's love for his incomparable wife Mumtaz Mahal (Mumtaz - "incomparable", Arabic).

The mausoleum has numerous symbols hidden in its architecture and layout. For example, on the gate through which visitors to the Taj Mahal enter the park complex surrounding the mausoleum, a quote from the Koran is carved, addressed to the righteous and ending with the words “enter my paradise”. Considering that in the language of the Mughals of that time, the words "paradise" and "garden" are spelled the same, one can understand the plan of Shah-Jahan - the construction of paradise and the placement of his beloved within it.

Opposite the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan ordered the construction of a similar mausoleum of black marble - for himself. But as soon as the builders had time to bring the first blocks of black marble, one of the eldest sons of the inconsolable shah - Jahangir - overthrew his father from the throne. He asked for only one thing - that the Taj Mahal could be seen from the place of his imprisonment.

Shah Jahan ended his days in a secluded tower two kilometers from the mausoleum he built, looking at him from a small window. When his vision weakened, a large emerald was cut into the wall opposite from the window, in which the snow-white tomb of his beloved Mumiaz was reflected.

A well-known legend claims that the Taj Mahal is the tomb of the wife of the Mughal (Mughal - dynasty of rulers of India 1526-1858) Shah Jahan. It is believed that this architectural monument was built for 22 years (1631-1653), after which the Shah wanted to build a similar structure, but of black marble, for himself. Realizing that such a construction would ruin the state in the end, the king's own son put an end to this idea, placing his father in prison. However, this is just one theory of the origin of the Taj Mahal. Beautiful, attractive to tourists. Romantic. Is she true?

alternative history

There are those who dispute the official theory, pointing out the following facts:

Muslim rulers often set up tombs in captured temples and palaces.

In the archives of the Maharaja of Jaipur at that time, there are two orders from Jahan to transfer the Taj to Jahan's property.

The name Taj Mahal is not found in the Mughal chronicles. The official theory attributes the name to the name of the deceased, Mumtaz (Mumtaj) Mahal, but her name was actually different - Mumtaz-ul-Zamani.

In the chronicles of the Mughals, nothing is said about the mad love of Jahan and Mumtaz-ul-Zamani. This story has no historical basis.

Someone Albert Mandelslo, a European who visited Agra in 1638, 7 years after the death of King Jahan, did not mention the traces of the grandiose construction, which, undoubtedly, should have remained. Another European, Peter Mundy, who was in Agra a year after Jahan's death, wrote of the Taj Mahal as a very ancient structure.

And finally, the hydrocarbon analysis shows that the building is at least 300 years older than Jahan.

Professor PN Oak believes that the name "Taj Mahal" comes from the name of Shri Shiva - "Tejo Mahalaya", and the building itself is an ancient temple of Shri Shiva.

Many of the Taj Mahal's rooms have been sealed since the time of Jahan.

It is also reported that Professor Oak's research was banned during the time of Indira Gandhi, whose name is still cursed by many Indians.

The Taj Mahal in India is located near Agra. In its stately appearance, it resembles a temple, but in fact it is a mausoleum built in honor of the second wife of Shah Jahan - Mumtaz Mahal (in other words, Arjumand Bano Begum).

History and legends of Mumtaz Mahal

In translation, Taj Mahal means the Crown of the Mughals. For some time it was also called Taj Bibi-as-Rauza or the burial place of the queen of the heart. According to an old legend, Prince Guram, the future Shah Jahan, once saw a poor girl in the market. Looking into her eyes, he immediately decided to take her as his wife. So at the age of 19, Arjumand Bano Begum acquired the status of the second wife of Prince Guram. Guram had many other wives and concubines, but it was Mumtaz who won the heart of the future ruler for a long time.

Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

During the conquest of the throne, Mumtaz became the prince's most loyal companion. But the fight was serious: the prince was opposed by his brothers, and besides, he had to hide from his own father Jahangir. But still, in 1627, Guram manages to seize the throne and obtain the status of Shah Jahan - the ruler of the world.

Mumtaz occupied an important place in the life of the government. Shah Jahan arranged various receptions and feasts in her honor. Mumtaz was present at all important state ceremonies, she was even heard at state councils.

The specific facts about the life and death of Mumtaz are confused in different sources, which over time made them a legend. So Mumtaz gave birth to nine or thirteen children, and died in 1636 or 1629. The reason is also confused - for one of them she fell ill, for the other she died during childbirth. Much boils down to the fact that this event happened during the victorious return from the Deccan. Legend also says that before she died, Mumtaz asked her husband to build a tomb equal to their love.

The history of the creation of the mausoleum

Initially, the queen was buried in Burkhan-Nur, where she died. Six months later, her remains were taken to Agra. And on the anniversary of his death, Shah Jahan began construction of the mausoleum. The best architects of the East took part in the design competition. All masters were surpassed by the architect Usto Isa Khan Effendi from Shiraz. The emperor liked his project as a whole very much, and was only partially changed later.

For 22 years, 20 thousand people built this landmark of India. The tomb itself was surrounded by a wall made of red sandstone. In front of the Taj Mahal mausoleum, a huge courtyard was built for the future garden. According to one of the beautiful legends, on the opposite side of the Jamna River, the ruler began to build another mausoleum of the same shape, but of black marble, for himself. Shah Jahan's love for symmetry is evident in this legend and in the general architecture of the building. The erection of the anticopy of the mausoleum was not destined to come true - his son Aurangzeb seizes the throne and imprisons his father in the Red Fort. So Shah Jahan spent his last years under house arrest and died in 1666.

According to his father's will, Aurangzeb transfers his body to the Taj Mahal to his wife. Many other wives of Shah Jahan were also buried here, as well as some family members and their entourage.

The Taj Mahal is indeed a very beautiful building. No description, photo or video can convey all the true beauty of this structure. The architecture of the building conveys a mixture of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture. The fortress walls in the corners are framed by pavilion towers. In the center, the tomb building itself rises in iridescent colors depending on the lighting. At night, it seems dazzlingly white, and during the flood of the river, all this beauty is evenly reflected in its course.

The building is surrounded by a park on three sides. The facade of the palace is made up of a marble portal, adjacent on the sides with two domed towers. Along the central axis of the mausoleum, in front of the façade, there is an irrigation canal divided by a basin. From the pool in the direction of the four minarets, paths are stretched, to which access was closed due to cases of suicide.

The feeling of lightness of the building from afar is reinforced by its decoration upon closer examination. So the walls are painted with a delicate pattern, marble blocks are inlaid with gems that shimmer in the light. It seems that this building was erected quite recently. Not surprisingly, according to another legend, Shah Jahan ordered the architect's hands to be cut off so that he could not repeat this.

Two side staircases lead to the second floor of the tomb, where open terraces are spread out under a huge dome that rises to a height of 74 meters. Niches are carved into the facade of the building, which further enhances the feeling of the building's weightlessness. Entering through the passage of the facade, you can see a spacious hall, in the center of which are two white marble sarcophagi.

Sarcophagi

The walls of the building are decorated with stone mosaics. They are woven into many plants, garlands of flowers, letters. The vaults of the arches are painted with fourteen suras from the Koran.

Indian Taj Mahal, the most famous monument of love, which has long become a symbol of this country. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions, perceived as an eternal love story in stone.

The Taj Mahal is a recognized symbol of eternal love, because it was created for the sake of the woman who conquered the heart of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Mumtaz Mahal was his third wife and died giving birth to their fourteenth child. To perpetuate the name of his beloved in memory, the padishah conceived a grandiose project to build a mausoleum. The construction took 22 years, but today it is an example of harmony in art, which is why tourists from all over the world dream of visiting the wonder of the world.

Taj Mahal and its construction

To build the world's greatest mausoleum, the padishah employed more than 22,000 people from all over the empire and adjacent states. The best masters worked on the mosque to bring it to perfection, observing complete symmetry according to the emperor's plans. Initially, the plot of land on which it was planned to erect the tomb belonged to Maharaja Jai \u200b\u200bSingh. Shah Jahan gave him a palace in the city of Agra in exchange for an empty territory.

First, work was carried out to prepare the soil. The territory exceeding a hectare in area was dug up, soil was replaced on it for the stability of the future building. The foundations were dug wells, which were filled with rubble stone. During the construction, white marble was used, which had to be transported not only from different parts of the country, but even from neighboring states. To solve the problem with transportation, it was necessary to specially invent carts, to design a lifting ramp.

Only the tomb and the platform to it were built for about 12 years, the rest of the complex's elements were erected over another 10 years. Over the years, the following structures have appeared:

• minarets;
• mosque;
• javab;
• Large gate.

It is because of such a length of time that disputes often arise as to how many years the Taj Mahal was built and what year is considered the moment of completion of work on the construction of the landmark. Construction began in 1632, and all work was completed by 1653, the mausoleum itself was ready already in 1643. But no matter how long the work lasted, as a result, an amazing temple with a height of 74 meters appeared in India, surrounded by gardens with an impressive pool and fountains ...

Feature of the Taj Mahal architecture

Despite the fact that the building is so significant from a cultural point of view, there is still no reliable information about who actually was the main architect of the tomb. In the course of the work, the best craftsmen were involved, a Council of Architects was created, and all decisions made came exclusively from the emperor. Many sources believe that the project for the creation of the complex came from Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. True, when discussing the question of who built the pearl of architectural art, the name of the Turk, Isa Mohammed Efendi, often comes up.

However, it does not really matter who built the palace, since it is a symbol of the padishah's love, who sought to create a unique tomb worthy of his faithful life partner. For this reason, white marble was chosen as the material, denoting the purity of the soul of the Mumtaz Mahal. The walls of the tomb are adorned with precious stones laid out in intricate pictures to convey the amazing beauty of the emperor's wife.

Several styles are intertwined in architecture, among which notes from Persia, Islam and Central Asia can be traced. The main advantages of the complex are considered to be a checkerboard floor, minarets 40 meters high, as well as an amazing dome. A special feature of the Taj Mahal is the use of optical illusions. So, for example, inscriptions from the Quran written along the arches appear to be the same size throughout the height. In fact, the letters and the distance between them at the top are much greater than at the bottom, but a person walking inside does not see this difference.

The illusions do not end there, since you need to watch the attraction at different times of the day. The marble from which it is made is translucent, so it seems white during the day, at sunset it acquires a pinkish tint, and at night under the moonlight it gives off silver.

In Islamic architecture, it is impossible to do without images of flowers, but how skillfully the monument was made from mosaics cannot but impress. If you look closely, you can see dozens of gems encrusted just a couple of centimeters away. Such details are found inside and outside, because the whole mausoleum is thought out to the smallest detail.

The whole structure is axially symmetrical on the outside, so some details were added only to maintain the general appearance. The interior is also symmetrical, but already in relation to the Mumtaz Mahal tomb. The general harmony is disturbed only by the tombstone of Shah Jahan himself, which was installed next to his beloved after his death. Although it doesn't matter for tourists what the symmetry looks like inside the premises, because it is decorated so exquisitely that the eyes diverge, and this is given that most of the treasures have been plundered by vandals.

For the construction of the Taj Mahal, it was necessary to install massive forests, and it was decided to use for this not the usual bamboo, but solid brick. The craftsmen who worked on the project argued that it would take years to disassemble the created structure. Shah Jahan went the other way and announced that everyone can take as many bricks as they can carry. As a result, the structure was dismantled by the residents of the city in a few days.

The story goes that upon completion of the construction, the emperor ordered to gouge out the eyes and cut off the hands of all the craftsmen who performed a miracle so that they could not reproduce similar elements in other works. And although in those days many really used such methods, it is believed that this is only a legend, and the padishah limited himself to a written assurance that the architects would not create a similar mausoleum.

The interesting facts do not end there, because opposite the Taj Mahal there was supposed to be the same tomb for the Indian ruler, but made of black marble. This was briefly stated in the documents of the son of the great padishah, but historians are inclined to believe that they were talking about the reflection of the existing tomb, which looks black from the pool, which also confirms the emperor's passion for illusions.

There is controversy that the museum could collapse due to the fact that the Jamna River has become shallow over the years. Cracks were recently found on the walls, but this does not mean that the reason lies only in the river. The temple is located in the city, where it is influenced by various factors related to the environment. The once snow-white marble takes on a yellow tint, so it often has to be cleaned with white clay.

For those who are interested in how the name of the complex is translated, it should be said that from Persian it means “the greatest palace”. However, there is an opinion that the secret lies in the name of the chosen one of the Indian prince. The future emperor was in love with his cousin even before marriage and called her Mumtaz Mahal, that is, the decoration of the Palace, and Taj, in turn, means "crown".

Note for tourists

It is not worth mentioning what the great mausoleum is famous for, because it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is also considered the New Wonder of the World. During the excursion, they will definitely tell a romantic story about who the temple was built in honor, as well as give a brief description of the stages of construction and reveal the secrets in which city there is a similar structure.

To visit the Taj Mahal, you need an address: in the city of Agra, you need to get to State Highway 62, Tajganj, Uttar Pradesh. Photos on the territory of the temple are allowed to be taken, but only with ordinary equipment, professional equipment is strictly prohibited here. True, many tourists take beautiful photos outside the complex, you just need to know where the observation deck is located, from which the view from above opens. The city map usually indicates from where you can see the palace and from which side the entrance to the complex is open.