Taj Mahal Facts

The Taj Mahal is steeped in rich history and captivating legends. With its opulent structure and romantic connotations, the Taj Mahal has spawned a wealth of facts and information that often astounds the uninitiated. Given below are some interesting details and facts on Taj Mahal:

• Taj Mahal became a UNESCO designated world heritage site in 1983.
• The total cost of construction for this extravagant structure was about 32 million rupees. 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to decorate the Taj.
• Legend has it that Emperor Shah Jahan intended to build a Black Taj Mahal on the other side of river Yamuna. But the plan never took off and the emperor was interred beside his queen in the Taj Mahal.
• All the elements in the Taj Mahal complex are in absolute symmetry. The only asymmetrical structure in the entire complex is Emperor Shah Jahan's resting place that was constructed later by his son Aurangzeb.
• Ustad Isa is widely believed to be the principal designer of the Taj Mahal. He spearheaded a team of artisans that included sculptors from Bukhara, calligraphers from Syria and Persia, inlayers from southern India, and stonecutters from Baluchistan.
• It is said that after completion of the Taj Mahal, the Emperor ordered incapacitation of most of the craftsmen so that they could not recreate the magic of the Taj elsewhere.
• In 1942, with the Second World War raging, the government erected a giant scaffolding over the Taj Mahal to fend off a potential air attack by the German Luftwaffe and later by the Japanese Air Force. The scaffoldings came up again during the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971 to mislead enemy pilots.