If you have not visited the Great Wall, you are not a true man. If you have not visited the Taj Mahal, you have not been to India. The Taj Mahal is located outside Agra.
The Taj Mahal in India is one of the seven architectural wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, also known as the Taj Mahal. It is a testimony of the love of Shah Jahan, the fifth generation of Mughal monarch, for his beloved queen, Mamtaz Mahal. There is actually a touching story behind the construction of the Taj Mahal. It is said that Shah Jahan and the queen were married for 19 years. The queen died during her 14th childbirth in 1630. Before her death, she asked the emperor for four promises, one of which was Build her a beautiful mausoleum that everyone can admire. So Shah Jahan spent 5 million rupees, 20,000 craftsmen, and 22 years to complete this marble art building that shocked the world as the resting place of his beloved concubine.
In 1633, construction of the Taj Mahal began in the large garden at the bend of the Yamuna River in northern India selected by Shah Jahan. It is located on the lower reaches of the Yamuna River and is very empty. Shah Jahan can be seen from a distance from the Agra Fort upstream of the river. Shah Jahan loved architecture and jewelry the most, so he chose marble to build the Taj Mahal and decorated it with countless gemstones inlaid with exquisite craftsmanship.
A total of more than 20,000 architects, mosaics, calligraphers, carvers, and masons from China, Persia, Turkey, and Baghdad participated in the construction of the Taj Mahal. This project selected domestic marble, Chinese gems, crystals and jade, agates from Baghdad and Yemen, emeralds from Tibet, gems from Sri Lanka, corals from Arabia, etc.
The Taj Mahal changes with the seasons and time. At dawn, the Taj Mahal appears pink, like a blooming flower; at noon, the Taj Mahal appears white and dazzling; in the evening, the Taj Mahal appears gray-white, with a soft color like pearls. When the full moon recedes and the stars twinkle, the Taj Mahal can appear white, amber, gray, or golden. On a cloudy day, the Taj Mahal flickers in and out like a mirage floating in the winter mist.
Architectural Features
The Taj Mahal occupies a large area and consists of a vestibule, a main entrance, a Mughal garden, the main body of the mausoleum, and two mosques. There is a cylindrical tower at the four corners of the main hall of the mausoleum. The special thing is that each tower tilts outward at 12 degrees. If there is an earthquake, it will only fall in all directions without affecting the main hall. No matter from any angle, the pure white Taj Mahal is magnificent and perfectly shaped. Coupled with the reflection in the pool in front of the mausoleum, it is like two Taj Mahals reflecting each other. No wonder it is known as one of the seven wonders of the world. .
The Taj Mahal architecture embodies the architectural art characteristics of India, the Middle East, and Persia. The entire layout is perfect and harmonious, making it a rare masterpiece in the history of architecture.
Mughal Garden
This garden is a typical Persian garden, located in front of the main body, with a water fountain in the center and two rows of trees bordering it. The garden is divided into four rectangles of the same size, because the word "4" has the meaning of holiness and peace in Islam.
The main body of the mausoleum
The main building is octagonal, with a hemispherical dome in the center. The entire main body is built with Shah Jahan’s favorite white marble, and in white The marble is inlaid with gemstones of various colors, stitched together into some beautiful patterns and patterns. During the construction, 18 wells were dug under the main body. Each well was built with a layer of stone and a layer of teak to stack up the foundation layers to reduce the damage of earthquakes to the main body. This shows Shah Jahan's love for the queen. . The interior of the mausoleum is illuminated only by sunlight penetrating from the outside. There are two empty sarcophagi inside the marble screen. The real resting place of Shah Jahan and the queen is in another underground crypt.
After Shah Jahan was imprisoned, he looked at the Taj Mahal from this angle every day
The romantic and poignant White Love Song
Taj Mahal has been in the palace for 19 years , died in the military camp of the Southern Expedition after giving birth to her 14th child in 1630.
Shah Jahan was extremely sad. In order to express his thoughts for her, he recruited craftsmen from all over the world to build this unique building. It is said that after he completed the Taj Mahal, he even intended to build a mausoleum for himself made of pure black marble with the same structure, far away from it.
However, his son Aurangzeb usurped the throne in his later years and imprisoned him in Agra Fort, not even allowing him to see the Taj Mahal. It is said that Shah Jahan could only gaze at the mausoleum several kilometers away through the refraction of a large crystal stone every night. Shah Jahan was imprisoned until his death seven years later, and his body was buried next to Taj Mahal in the Taj Mahal. Perhaps this is a more fitting ending to this love story than being buried in a new mausoleum.
Mosque
There is a mosque on both sides of the main body. It is built of red sandstone with a typical white dome on the top. The main purpose of building these two mosques is to Maintain the balance effect of the entire Taj Mahal building to achieve the beauty of symmetry.
It is said that the most beautiful time of the Taj Mahal is at night when the moon is shining brightly, because the white marble mausoleum will emit a faint purple under the moonlight. Fairy. However, there are not many good opportunities in a year. Whether you can appreciate them depends on your own luck. However, the Taj Mahal is equally charming both in the morning and at night.
Because the Taj Mahal presents different scenery in the morning, middle and evening, it has become the only tourist attraction in the world with different ticket prices for morning, middle and evening tours. For Indian tourists, only one ticket during the day 20 rupees, but it rose to 110 rupees before 7 am or after 17 pm. Also, remember not to go on a Friday as it is only open to local Muslims on that day.
Opening hours: 6:00-20:00
Tickets: 500 rupees + 250 rupees tax for foreigners; 30 rupees for Indians. It is only open to local Muslims every Friday.