10 Interesting Facts You Should Know About the Taj Mahal

[Agra One]

Namaste Fellow Travellers!

Today the whole purpose of this article is to bedazzle you with facts about the Taj Mahal.

Maybe you are planning to visit the phenomenal monument for the first time or maybe you have already visited it.

These facts are surely going to blow your mind!

At the end of this article I would like to introduce you to some valuable tip that would come in handy on your Agra Tour from Delhi .

 

So let’s start!

1.  On the World Heritage Day - Visit the Taj Mahal for FREE

 

Absolutely!

This very fact will save you good bucks.

All you gotta do is remember the date when the world heritage day is celebrated and plan your outing accordingly.

World heritage day is a special day dedicated to raise awareness about preserving human heritage, diversity and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites. It is celebrated on 18 April every year.

So if you are planning to visit the monument, the entry will be free, that’s not all, the entry to Agra Fort is going to Free too!

If you are planning to book entry tickets to the Taj Mahal hassle free do visit hohoholidays.in

2. It took twenty three years for the completion of the Taj Mahal

 

The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It was constructed over a time period.

That is the construction time took to build one of the finest architecture of the world.

The construction was started in the year 1632 after the death of Mumtaz mahal in 1631. Construction of the main mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings, gardens, mosques got completed in the next five year.

The whole Taj Mahal complex construction got completed in 1653.

Construction work was non stop 24x7, 365 days !

3. 3 Crore and 20 Lakhs was the cost of the construction of the Taj Mahal at that time

 

The construction cost of the Taj Mahal in the 16th century was 3 crores and 20 Lakhs rupees!

That may seem like a small amount, as these you can only get a  4 bhk property in Noida or Gurgaon.

Needless to say, the scale of construction was huge and thus 3 crores and 20 lakhs would have meant a lots and lots of money for sure.

4. If Taj Mahal were to be constructed today, it would cost no less than 53 billion rupees!

 

 

That’s right, in fact if you ask me I can’t tell how many zeroes are there are 53!!

The investment is so mammoth, that one would not dare to imagine to build an archaeological wonder ever.

And that’s exactly what Mumtaz Begum, the wife of Mughal emperor Shahjahan wanted.

To have a mausoleum in her name that is so magnificent that it could not be replicated ever, and people remember her name long after she is gone.

5. There are two more Taj Maghal in addition to the Original Taj Mahal in India

 

Don’t believe me?

In fact, I did not believe when I heard this for the first time. Because it’s quite difficult to imagine a monument like the Taj Mahal ever created by some one which requires so much of passion, love, labour, efforts, time and last but not the least a lots of money.

However, there is one replica and it’s not exactly a replica but it looks like the Taj Mahal. The monument is known as the “Baby Taj” located in Agra itself, known as the Itmad-ud-Daula. 

And the other replica, which some what justifies to be called the second Taj Mahal is Bibi Ka Maqbara located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

 

It was commissioned in the year 1660 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the memory of his first wife Dilras Banu Begum.

Due to its location it is also known as “Dakkhani Taj” meaning Taj of the Deccan.

 

6. Khurram

 

What’s that?

That's the actual name of the Mughal emperor, Shahjahan was the title that was given to him when he ascended the mughal throne.

Shahjahan literally means “King of the world”

Mughal emperor Shahjahan’s real name was Shihāb al-Dīn Muḥammad Khurram, “Khurram” meaning Joyous.

 

7. The land on which the Taj Mahal stands was not originally belonged to Shahjahan

 

That’s right!

Shahjahan was looking for a land that’s well suited to build an architecture of the scale of the Taj Mahal.

He found the land near the river Yamuna.

The land belonged to the King Raja Jai Singh, from whom he purchased 17 acres of land for the construction of the Taj Mahal.

 

8.Taj mahal was originally named as Roza-e-Mumtaz

 

Yes, the actual name of Taj Mahal is Roza-e-Mumtaz, Roza is a persian word which actually means “Day”. But in Urdu the meaning has been changed to mean the Islamic fasting, which is abstaining from water and food during the day.

 

9. Taj Mahal is second only to the Great Wall of China in Seven wonders of the modern world

 

On 7-July, 2007 Taj Mahal was selected as one of the seven wonders of the modern world after a public poll. Among the seven wonders there is the Great wall of China which got the maximum number of votes. The other wonders are Christ the Redeemer Statue, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, The Roman Colosseum and Petra

 

10.More than 80 Lakh visitors visit the Taj Mahal every year.

 

Just Imagine 80 lakh visitors or 8 million visitors!!

 

That’s a great thing for any monument, as that simply goes to show how popular the monument is among the tourists.

 

Taj Mahal is indeed the jewel and crown of India.

All that sounds great, however there is a negative side to it that we often ignore.

 

All this visits putting over the hundreds of years is slowly showing on the Taj Mahal’s appearance, and putting a lot of stress on it.

 

That’s why the Supreme Court of India ordered Archaeological Survey of India to set up a limit on the number of footfalls to Taj Mahal to reduce the stress on the monument. Thus, now in a day only 35,000 visitors can visit the Taj Mahal not more.

 

Some Valuable Tips:

 

As  promised, Here’s the Tip:

 

If you are looking for a  professional Taj Mahal Tour from Delhi look no further than   hohoholidays.in .

 

Why you should choose hohoholidays.in ?

 

• HOHO Holidays has been providing reliable service for more than 6 years now when it comes to
• The tour has been reviewed as one of the top rated group tours from Delhi, rated 4.5 star in Tripadvisor and Google.
• Offers luxurious Volvo coach service with LCD and attached toilet facility.
• It covers the Taj Mahal, Agra fort, Mathura as well as Vrindavan.
• They also provide onboard guide for tourist facilitation and handholding.
• The best part, a local guide escorts you and let you know the story about the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in a more in-depth way. That makes the whole journey very satisfying.

 

Source

Author: Surojit Ghosh

I simply like to bring to you the very best of North Indian Holidays to you. Let’s Travel!