The beauty of TajMahal is ineffable, and if you haven’t had the chance to behold its beauty from near, then you are indeed missing something wonderful. The residents of Delhi or those visiting the capital have the convenience of taking the Same day Taj Mahal tour from Delhi on weekends or when they are on a short vacation. Agra is just about four hours from Delhi, and one can easily return the same day after sightseeing the TajMahal. Here is what you should know about TajMahal.
Taj Mahal
Translating to “Crown of Palaces” the magnificent TajMahal stands shining on the bank of River Yamuna in the city of Agra. This beautiful mausoleum has a wonderful story behind it and seen as a symbol of love. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan ordered the construction of this ivory white marble mausoleum to be built in the memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. When Shah Jahan passed away, he was also placed here beside his beloved wife.
The Construction and Men Behind the TajMahal
Shah Jahan ordered the construction of TajMahal in the year 1632 which was just about a year after the death of his wife and was almost complete by 1643. But there was more construction work done in the following 10 years to make it prettier, and there were gardens and other outlying buildings added to complete the construction. The mausoleum cost the Mughal treasury about 32 million rupees back then.
The chief architect of TajMahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahori, a genius who planned the construction of this striking building. He had a team of about 20,000 artisans who labored hard to carve the intricate designs on the marble and give it an unbelievable look that it has. Lahori was a genius and designed the massive mausoleum in a way that if at all this architectural beauty would fall the main grave of Mumtaz wouldn’t sustain any damages. Thus he constructed the surrounding minarets in a slanted way so they would fall away from the main TajMahal and the grave would be safe.
More than 1,000 elephants worked to transport marble and other building material when the TajMahal was under construction. It is a world heritage and was once inlaid with precious stones. These stones have now been replaced with colored glass.
The walls of this white splendor have several carvings which are lines taken from the Quran. The calligrapher for these writings was Abd-al Haqq also known as Amanat Khan Shirazi.
TajMahal -a Symbol of Love
TajMahal was dear to Shah Jahan not just because it was pretty and he had it built but because his beloved wife lay there. During his old age, he was not allowed to visit the TajMahal because of his cruel son Aurangzeb who imprisoned his father in the Agra Fort. Shah Jahan used to see the mausoleum from far. He was reunited with his wife after he died in 1666 and was placed in TajMahal beside the crypt of Mumtaz.
Best Time to Visit TajMahal
TajMahal is open for the tourists from 6:00 am to 6:30 pm on all days except Friday. In a month there are 5 nights on which TajMahal is open to the visitors - 2 full moon nights each month, 2 days before the full moon and 2 days after the full moon. It remains closed in the month of Ramadan.
You can easily undertake the Same day Taj Mahal tour By Car, train or flight. If you leave early from Delhi, then you can easily return by night. But this marvelous architectural beauty gleams on the full moon nights. It would be a wondrous sight if you visited the TajMahal during one of the full moon nights. Remember to book your tickets a day before if you are planning a night visit to TajMahal.
