The Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal Meaning of Taj Mahal is "Crown of the Palace" is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra . It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor , Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal . The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) [5] complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. INSPIRATION The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal , a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum . Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The imperial court documenting Shah Jahan's grief after the death of Mumtaz Mahal illustrate the love...