12 surprising secrets of Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is considered a symbol of love and affection all over the world. This building was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, which is a living example of the emperor’s love and respect for his wife.
The viral story of hands cutting of labourer is not true
After the death of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan wanted to build a building in the memory of his wife which would be unique in the whole world and as a result of this, Taj Mahal is in front of us today. The construction of this palace was started by Emperor Shahjahan in 1632. For which 22000 laborers worked hard day and night and completed the construction of this building in 1653 AD i.e. in about 22 years. Various types of precious stones, lavas, carvings and construction materials have been used in making this building. It is just a story which has no evidence that Shah jahan had cut the hands of labourer so that they can never built such a beauty again.
The foundation of the Taj Mahal rests on the Yamuna
Even though it may sound a bit strange, it is true that the foundation of the Taj Mahal rests on the Yamuna. In fact, the wood on which the Taj Mahal rests requires moisture for strength, hence these woods get the necessary moisture from the water of Yamuna. While other types of wood lose their shape in contact with water, moisture is essential for the strength of the wood used for the foundation of the Taj Mahal. In such a situation, the foundation of Taj Mahal rests on the Yamuna river.
It took 22 years
It took 22000 workers 22 years to build the Taj Mahal. Apart from this, more than 1000 elephants were used in the construction of this building, through which they were used to carry huge stones and construction materials for this building.
Taj is multicolored
Even though the Taj Mahal seems to be a building made of white marble only, it changes its color several times a day. While the color of Taj Mahal is pink in the morning, it looks completely white in its original color during the day. When seen at night, the Taj Mahal appears golden in colour.
A gold urn was once present
During the construction of the Taj Mahal, a 30 point 6 inch gold urn was installed on the top of the building by the emperor, which was made of 40 thousand tola gold. However, at present no concrete information is available regarding this Kalash.
Taj is precious
It took a total of 22 years to build the Taj Mahal, hence a total expenditure of Rs 32 million i.e. Rs 3.2 crore was incurred during its construction. If calculated according to the current calculations, the price of this building is more than one crore dollars, which shows its preciousness.
The workmanship of the four minarets is special:- Its four minarets which add to the beauty of the Taj Mahal are also special. These minarets have been designed in such a way that if they are damaged due to any natural disaster like earthquake, flood or lightning, then these minarets will fall outwards only so that there will be no damage to the main building.
Taj Mahal is global for its design
Taj Mahal is not only global in terms of popularity but also construction materials from every corner of the world have been used in its construction. Red-sandstone has been made only for the security walls of the Tajmahal, which is completely made of marble, whereas the marble for this was imported from China, Afghanistan and Tibet.
The carving is amazing
The carving done on the walls of Tajmahal is also amazing. Here, 99 names of Allah are beautifully carved on various pillars and walls along with which other holy sentences have also been given place in the carvings.
It is taller than Qutub Minar
When it comes to minarets, the first name that comes to our mind is Qutub Minar. Qutub Minar is one of the tallest minarets in the world whose height is 72.5 meters but you will be surprised to know that the height of Taj Mahal is 0.5 meters more than Qutub Minar i.e. 73 meters.
There has been an attack in 1857
During the revolution of 1857, Tajmahal also had to bear the wrath of the revolution and this building also suffered a lot of damage in it. But in view of the fame of this building, it was rebuilt in 1908 by the then Viceroy Lord Curzon.
Both graves are empty
Inside the Taj Mahal, the tombs honoring Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are enclosed in an eight-sided chamber ornamented with pietra dura (inlaid with semi-precious stones) and a marble lattice screen. But the grand monuments are only for show: the real coffins are in a quiet room at garden level below.
A black-marble Taj Mahal was being planned
Do you remember the haphazard arrangement of Shahjahan’s tomb? Local legend says that Shah Jahan wanted to build a shadow image across the Yamuna River – similar to, but unlike, the Tajmahal made of black marble – where he would be buried. Construction was said to have halted after Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, ironically, Mumtaz Mahal’s child and imprisoned in the nearby Agra Fort. Some historians have also dismissed this story as a folktale.