The Taj Mahal needs no introduction. It is one of the seven wonders of the world. It is a landmark of India to all the foreign countries. It is one of the most beautiful constructions ever made and is probably the most ornate mausoleum. We all know that the Taj Mahal was built in the memory of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal. But here are some of the unheard Taj Mahal facts that you did not see coming.
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Taj Mahal Facts
1. The Construction Time
Taj Mahal's construction started in 1632 and ended in 1653. So, it took nearly 22 years to completely design it.
2. The Construction Workers
If one considers the main construction workers, laborers, painters, stonecutters, calligraphers and embroidery workers and others, it will surpass a total of 20 thousand people. Over one thousand elephants were used to carry the stones.
3. The Construction Cost
Well, with so many workers, elephants and most important 22 years of construction, it cost nearly 32 million. If you consider the value of money at present, it would cross 1 billion.
4. The Optical Illusion
The more close you go towards the gate, the smaller the Taj Mahal would look. As you would walk away, you will grow bigger. Take a note of it next time you visit.
5. The Color Illusion
Taj Mahal is said to be changing color based on the time of the day. In the morning, it is pinkish. In the evening, it is milky white and during a full moon, it is golden in color.
6. The Black Taj Mahal
It is said that Shah Jahan wanted to build his own tomb opposite to the Taj Mahal but he wanted it to be completely black. But it was his son, Aurangzeb, who toppled the construction.
7. Construction Material
It is made up of completely with white marbles. The marbles were brought from Rajasthan, Afghanistan, China and Tibet. They have the best quality in the world. Furthermore, there are 28 varieties of precious stone embedded inside.
8. Geometric Construction
The Taj Mahal is one of the most symmetrical constructions in the world. It has four identical sides and it would look same from the four sides. The four minarets are tilting outside the main construction so that if they were to fall during Earthquake, they would fall outside the main structure.
9. Fate Of The Construction Workers
It is believed that Shah Jahan ordered to chop off the thumbs of all the workers involved in its construction so that its replica cannot be built. But, there is no evidence for such execution.
10. The Worsening Condition
Tae Taj Mahal is slowly turning yellowish from milky white because of the environmental air pollution. Furthermore, due to environmental changes, the Yamuna river flows by it is completely dry now. Shah Jahan first visited Taj Mahal by boat through the river.
11. Questioning The Creation Of The Taj Mahal
Two scholars P.N. Oak and Amarnath Mishra question the involvement of Shah Jahan in the construction of the Taj Mahal. According to them, Taj Mahal is a Shiva temple and was built by Hindu King Raja Parmar Dev. But their petition was rejected by the Supreme Court.
12. Hiding The Taj Mahal
To protect the Taj Mahal from airborne attacks, there are scaffolding that will hide Taj Mahal and it would look like a pile of bamboos from the sky.
13. Taj Mahal Renovation
Lord Curzon renovated the garden area near the Taj Mahal towards the end of 19th Century. It had suffered quite a lot during the rebellion of 1857.
14. The Grave
Only the grave site is not a perfect symmetry and has no decoration as it goes against Muslim laws.
15. Taj Mahal Vanished
This is one of the Taj Mahal facts you would not hear a lot. In the year 2000, PC Sarker Jr., a renowned magician vanished the Taj Mahal in front of thousands of visitors by creating an amazing optical illusion.
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