Taj Mahal is a great historical monument designed very beautifully and prudently. The white marbles  is the sole reason behind the grand and bright snowy look of the monument. In addition, Shah Jahan constructed this majestic monument on the bank of Yamuna River  in  Agra, UP.  King Shah Jahan constructed this magnificent, elegant and imperial epitome in  the memory of Queen Mumtaz Mahal. Moreover, it is a great artistic charm which attracts various people’s mind towards it every year. For this reason, Taj Mahal is chosen one the seven wonders in world. Taj Mahal is the love symbol of the great king of Agra. Rabindranath Tagore calls the great mausoleum  as “A Dream in Marble. Above all,  UNESCO World Heritage Site describes and compares Taj   to be a real heaven on the earth. However, here are few facts on Taj Mahal to drop your jaw off.

1. Optical Illusion Behind Taj Mahal

   The great entrance to the Taj, Darwaza-e-rauza, has been designed in such a way that on looking from a distance the entire Taj seems to fit into the seemingly small opening through which the monument is to be accessed. By walking closer to the opening the Monument seems to grow larger and larger within the opening until the walls of the opening finally disappear and gives the grand monumental view of mausoleum of the Mughal emperor and his queen. Mughals have used remarkable optical tricks. As the visitor moves closer, the Taj Mahal seems to get smaller and smaller. It seems to grow bigger as you walk away. The guides here say when you leave, you take the Taj with you in your heart.

2. Taj Mahal  During War-Times

   During WW2, the authorities covered Taj with huge scaffold. This was to create an illusion to appear it as a stockpile of bamboo. As a result, any enemy bombers in the nearby are were easily misguided. In 1942, the government erected a scaffolding to disguise the building in anticipation of air attacks by the Japanese Air Force. Also during the India- Pakistan war of 1965 and 1971, scaffolding were again erected to mislead bomber pilots.

3. Camouflaging Effect Of Taj Mahal

   According to experts Taj Mahal changes its color at different times of the day. The Taj changes colors depending on the light. The color changes from a pinkish hue in the morning to the milky white in the evening and golden in night when the monument dome lit by the moon. Some people think that the unique feature of changing colors of this beautiful monument depicts different moods of a Woman, especially the mood of the Emperor’s queen.

4. Origin Of Precious Stones Used

1. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal & Comelian from Arabia and Diamonds from Panna. The inlay work in Taj Mahal required use of all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones.
   

   5. Taj Mahal – Earthquake Resistant Tomb

   The four minars of the Taj are tilted slightly outwards. In case of an earthquake or any other natural disaster, the minars may fall outwards keeping the main tomb safe from any damage. This is excellent way to make it as an earthquake free tomb. Moreover, the builders built in 16th Century. 1631 to be precise.

   6. Estimate Budget & Technology Used

   Shah Jahan spent about 32 million rupees during the years 1632-1653 on this great architectural venture. Today that amount would be close to 1,062,834,098 USD. The constructors used elephants during the construction of Taj Mahal for the transportation of the construction materials. The sides of Taj Mahal are similar to the principal of self-replicating geometry and symmetry of architectural elements. It also has that the Base of Taj Mahal is not dependent just on the land surface. The waters of Yamuna play a major role in its balance. When water din’t flow in Yamuna sometime around 2005, it posed a great danger to its basement as it developed cracks.

   7. Man Who Sold Taj

   Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava was called the Indian con man. Not only Taj Mahal but he managed to sell the Red Fort, the Rashtrapati Bhavan and also the Parliament House of India along with its 545 sitting members. Natwarlal who repeatedly sold the Taj Mahal, has a temple on his name. The court sentenced him to 113 years but he managed to escape prison 9 times. The people of his native village Bangra in Bihar decided to put up a statue of him as his monument. They planed to keep his temple at the place where his house once stood.

   8. Second Taj Mahal  – A Black Taj

   Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. However, Shah Jahan wanted to build another Taj Mahal, a black Taj Mahal. The writings of the European traveler, Ta vernier mentions the fact that Shah Jahan began to build his own tomb on the other side of the river. In reality, his own son Aurangzeb deposed him. For this reason, Shah Jahan couldn’t built a new Taj Mahal.

   9. Mystery Behind The Long Lasting Of Its Foundation

   The builders used timber for its foundation. This technique is called as pile foundation. Unlike concrete foundations that are done these days, timber foundation is not supposed to be long lasting. Hence in all probability the wood should weaken overtime and crumble owing to rot and ruin. Conversely, we do not see that happening.The waters of the Yamuna river keep the wood strong and moist. Depleting quality and quantity of the waters of the Yamuna indirectly influence the strength of one of the 7 wonders of the world. The builders built this massive dome by piling high clay bricks of excellent quality within the structure. Similarly, they used  it as bolster till the dome sets in place. The builders removed the bricks later.

Planning to visit Taj soon? Grab a cab and spend a quality time in this serene, calm and soothing environment of Taj in Agra. To book the instant cab try Wiwigo Cabs. We provide extremely reliable cab services with home to home pickup and drop off facility. we have extremely trusted drivers and we provide you with the wide range of cabs according to your needs.

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