Shah Jahan had built Taj Mahal in the city of Agra, as a token of his love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Sikander Lodi was the first Mogul emperor to make Agra the capital of the Mogul empire, it remained the capital from 1526 to 1658. Today, Agra is one of the most populated cities of northern India, it is located on the banks of the river Yamuna in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The Taj Mahal facts and history have contributed in making it one of the seven wonders of the world.

Construction of Taj Mahal began in the year 1631 a year after the death of Mumtaz Mahal, the second wife of the emperor. The history of Taj Mahal is very intriguing, the grief stricken emperor was so enamored with the idea of a token of his love for his departed wife that he spent the next 22 years looking into the construction of the monument.

Emperor Shah Jahan enlisted more than 20,000 workers for the construction of this monument which took almost 22 years to build and was finished in 1653. The building is made from white marble which was brought to Agra from the quarry's of Rajasthan which is a state in western India. One of the interesting Taj Mahal facts for kids, is that the marble was transported for hundreds of kilometers to Agra with the help of thousands of elephants.

The structure is a mixture of complex rectangular plots and has been carefully adorned with intricate Mogul and Persian designs. The dome of the building is around 35 meters high (115 ft) and is one of the most spectacular parts of this architectural wonder. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife and today even his remains lay to rest besides his wife.

All the minarets which are situated around the tomb are around 40 meters high (130 ft) and are symbolic of Muslim mosques. They were functional when built and were used by the muezzin for the azan which is the call for the five daily prayers.

Interiors of the tomb were studded with precious stones and it must have been really opulent back in the days. Precious stones like nephrite jade and amber adorned the interiors along with decorative structures which were studded with sapphire, topaz and garnets. One very interesting Taj Mahal facts is that invaluable gemstones from across central Asia were the cynosure of the tomb.

Exterior of the building is a canvas of Hindu, Mogul and Persian art, made by artisans who were enlisted by the emperor to carve the white marble walls. The complex has other mausoleums made from red sand stones for the other wives of the emperor Shah Jahan. Soon after the construction of Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangnzeb in the Agra fort. It is said that Shah Jahan took his last breath in the prison cell looking at the Taj Mahal.

One of the Taj Mahal facts is that, it is a UNESCO world heritage site and every year 2-4 million people visit the building.

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