Top 10 Interesting Facts about Taj Mahal

Being one of the most treasured World Heritage Sites and Seven Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal needs no introduction by the way. No doubt, its nonpareil splendor is deservedly famed across the world. Everyone’s well known about the fact that Taj Mahal was built by the legendary Moghul emperor Shah Jahan for the love of his life, her third queen Mumtaz.

But, only few people know that there exist many facts about Taj Mahal that make you say OMG! We have tried here to put together 10 of the most interesting facts about Taj Mahal. Here it goes:

10. Structure of Pillars

Did you know that all the four Pillars of Taj Mahal lean outwards? The pillars around the main monument were built to slant away from monument slightly. They were so designed in order to protect the main monument if the pillars ever collapsed due to natural calamities like earthquakes. This reveals that every precaution to protect this monument has been taken.

9. Time and Effort Taken

Talking about the time and effort taken to build the Taj Mahal, well, it took 22 years and around 22000 people to build this outstanding structure. It’s said that over 1000 elephants were used to transport necessary construction materials. It cost about 32 million of Indian Currency to build Taj Mahal at the time of construction.

8. Precious Stones

Very few people know that about 28 different varieties of stones brought from different parts of Asia were inlaid into the white marbles used to construct the magnificent architecture of Taj Mahal. They brought marbles from Rajasthan, blue stones from Tibet, emerald from Sri Lanka, jasper from Punjab, and the crystals from China.

7. Various Architectural Patterns

Well, there’s another very interesting fact about Taj Mahal: its architectural styles. To make the magnificent structure, four different architectural styles were used in Taj Mahal. It’s the amalgamation of Persian architecture, Turk architecture, Indian architecture and Islamic architecture styles which shows that the architecture of Taj Mahal was globally inspired.

6. Black Taj Mahal Plan

It’s been said that Shah Jahan wanted to construct an identical Black Taj Mahal on the other side of the river. But, he couldn’t make it happen as he was imprisoned by his own son Aurangazeb. The base of the black-marble Taj Mahal can still be seen across the river.

5. Carvings on the Monument

It’s so interesting to know that the main dome of the Taj Mahal has Quran verses carved on it. 99 names of Allah are also carved on either sides of the grave of Mumtaz. The verses have been engraved so that they look equal in size when observed from below. The verses on the top are of bigger size though.

4. The Actual Graves Ain’t in Public View

The actual graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz are not visible to the public. They are situated underground the basement. Actually, these tombs are placed 7 feet below the surface and are locked behind a metal door. The visitors get to see just a façade below which the tombs are kept.

3. Amazing Symmetry

Maybe you didn’t know the fact that the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical in every way except two tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz kept inside the structure. These two tombs are not equal because the male tomb had to be larger than the female tomb.

2. Hands Chopped Off

Here’s one of the weirdest facts about Taj Mahal. It’s said that Shah Jahan had ordered to cut off the hands of all workers immediately after the construction of Taj Mahal. It was because he wanted no one to recreate such a marvel anywhere in the world. However, nobody has been able to prove this story true yet.

1. Changing Color

The most amazing fact about Taj Mahal that only few people know is: the changing color. The color of Taj Mahal appears to change color depending on the time of the day. The Taj Mahal appears pink in the morning, while it appears white in the day. And interestingly, the Taj Mahal appears golden in the moonlight.

 

Conclusion: Hailed as an epitome of love and beauty, Taj Mahal has been luring millions of visitors from around the globe and for sure will continue to mesmerize them for centuries to come. While almost all have heard of this outstanding piece of architecture, there are plenty of things interesting, yet unknown to many. We’ve just listed some of the most interesting facts about Taj Mahal. We’ve pinned hope that, we are successful in unfolding you the top 10 interesting and lesser-known facts about one of the world’s spectacular monument architectures of the world, one of the Seven Wonders of the World itself.