Taj Mahal is one among the ‘Eight Wonder of the World’. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built this mega structure in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is considered one of those few objects which are recognized as India’s identity. And almost most of us have read at least once about it either in school history books or somewhere else for sure. But here we are going to meet some information related to the Taj Mahal, which one has hardly known or cared about ever!
Information 1:
As we know that Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal only in the memory of her beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal it may leave you astounded that the emperor’s five wives were also buried here along with Mumtaz Mahal. And Mumtaz Mahal died during giving birth to her 14th child.
Information 2:
It was 1632 when the construction of Taj Mahal started and it lasted until 1653. Approximately 22,000 workers were involved in this construction, many of whom were from Turkey and Persia also.
Information 3:
Though Taj Mahal is made of White Marble its base is made of wood. Yes! You read it right. It is said that the woods in the foundation remain strong due to the water of Yamuna when other wood logs normally get ruined in an identical condition.
Information 4:
There are four minarets around Taj Mahal, which help the construction keep balance. It seems that these 41.6-meter high minarets go up straight. But they have some outward inclination so that if the minarets fall down due to earthquake they do not strike the main structure in the middle.
Information 5:
The materials like white marbles, gems, stones etc which Taj Mahal is made with were brought off from distant places in the country and abroad as well. White marbles were brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, Jasper was from Punjab, Jate and Crystal from China, Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan, Turquoise from Tibet, Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Carnelian from Arab and many more. 28 kinds of such materials were used in the construction.
Information 6:
Britishers stole precious gems and stones during the Indian Revolt of 1857. They damaged the structure.
Information 7:
A speculation almost every one of us has heard that Shah Jahan ordered to cut the workers’ hands. However, it’s a false story. Rather historians say that the workers were signed a contract so that they would not build a similar structure like Taj Mahal. They were also paid lifetime salary for the making of the construction.
Information 8:
Taj Mahal (73 meter high) is even taller than Qutb Minar (72.5 meters high).
Information 9:
The calligraphy engraved on the walls of Taj Mahal is considered the best among the all of the monuments built in the Mughal era. The calligraphy on the large gate of it is in Thuluth script and it was designed by Abdul Haq who was later entitled Amanat Khan by Shah Jahan.
Information 10:
Thousand of visitors come to visit Taj Mahal and take photographs. What is funny is that the side we usually see as the front of Taj Mahal is actually the backside of it. The riverside portion of Taj was the only entrance in those days. The Yamuna was the medium of communication.
Information 11:
The dome of Taj Mahal was hidden with some green material twice by ASI in 1971 during the Indo-Pak war and in 2001 after the attack on the World Trade Centre, USA.
Information 12:
All 24 fountains on all four sides of Taj work together at the same time. There is a tank installed under every fountain which gets filled together. And fountains release water when pressure is created in the tanks. Thus the fountains work without artificial machinery.
