Culture Holidays: 06/28/12

Thursday 28 June 2012

Planning a visit to the Taj Mahal ? , Some Facts Before plan For you

Taj Mahal Facts

Planning a visit to the Taj Mahal ?

If you don't know already, there may be a few questions running through your mind like who built the Taj, why was it built, when's the best time to visit, the timings, the fee and a whole lot of stuff that you'd want to know before you pay a visit to the Taj. Don't worry at all, as this section on "Taj Mahal facts" will provide you with a few fast facts to up your knowledge along with the basic queries that you want to be answered as soon as possible. Read on to get some quick information about Taj Mahal and Agra. And once read, don't waste time. Just pack your bags, book your tickets and pay a visit to the world's most spectacular monument that epitomizes love at par.

Fast Facts

Year of Construction : 1631

Completed In : 1653

Time Taken : 22 years

Built By : Shah Jahan

Dedicated to : Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Bano Begum)

Location : Agra (Uttar Pradesh), India

Building Type : Islamic tomb

Architecture : Mughal (Combination of Persian, Islamic and Indian architecture style)

Architect : Ustad Ahmad Lahauri

Cost of Construction : 32 crore rupees

Number of workers : 20,000

Highlights : One of the Seven Wonders of the World; A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Timings : Sunrise to Sunset (Friday closed)

Fee : Rs 750 (Foreign Tourists)

Rs 510 (Citizens of SAARC & BIMSTEC Countries)

Rs 20 (Domestic Indian Tourists)

No Entry Fee for children below 15 years of age (Domestic or Foreigner)

Interesting Facts Of “Taj Mahal”

Before his accession to the throne, Shah Jahan was popularly known as Prince Khurram.

Shah Jahan fell in love with the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum and married her, making her his third wife.

Arjumand Bano Begum was christened by Shah Jahan as Mumtaz Mahal, meaning the

“Chosen One Of The Palace” or“Jewel of the Palace”.

Shah Jahan lost Mumtaz Mahal, when she died giving birth to their 14h child.

For the transportation of the construction materials, more than 1,000 elephants were employed.

As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to adorn the Taj with exquisite inlay work.

Depending on what time of the day it is and whether or not there’s moon at night, Taj Mahal appears to be of different color every time. Some even believe that this changing pattern of colors depict different moods of a woman.

Passages from Quran have been used as decorative elements throughout the complex.

On the sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, 99 names of Allah can be found as

Calligraphic inscriptions.

Taj Mahal was built in stages, with the plinth and the tomb taking up roughly 15 years. Building of minarets, mosque, jawab, and gateway took additional 5 years to be completed.

Different types of marbles used in construction of TajMahal were brought over from many different regions & countries: Rajasthan, Punjab, China, Tibet, Afghanistan, Srilanka, & Arabia.

Manyprecious stones and Lapis Lazuli (a semi-precious stone) were ripped off fromits walls by the Britishers during the Indian rebellion of 1857.

Taj Mahal attracts 2-4 million visitors annually with over 200,000 from overseas.

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Amazin Calligraphy Over The Taj...............!

Taj Mahal Calligraphy

The Taj Mahal always welcomes each of its visitors with an inscription, written in beautiful

handwriting, on the great gate that reads "O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you.

" It was Abdul Haq, who created this in 1609, and was bestowed with the title of 'Amanat Khan' by none other than Emperor Shah Jahan himself. Along with spellbinding architecture and a picturesque background, the calligraphy done is one of the fantabulous ornamental decorations done on the surface of Taj Mahal. The calligraphy of the Taj Mahal mainly consists of the verses and passages from the holy book of Quran.It was done by inlaying jasper in the white marble panels. These passages were inscribed by Amanat Khan in an illegible Thuluth script. A number of the panels also bear his signatures.

Black marble has been used to decorate both the south gateway and the main mausoleum with Arabic inscriptions. The texts chosen refer broadly to the themes of judgment and fruitful paradisiacal rewards for the faithful. The inscriptions over the gateway invite the reader to enter the paradise. And as one enters towards the main mausoleum, the tone of the inscriptions changes from paradisiacal to that of an impending doom that awaits the unbelievers on the Day of Judgment. However, once inside the mausoleum, the tone of the inscriptions changes yet again from judgment to paradisiacal. It is also believed that Amanat Khan even chose the passages for the calligraphy of Taj Mahal, Agra. The exterior of Taj Mahal are loaded with verses from the Quran like:

v Surah 91 (The Sun)

v Surah 112 (The Purity of Faith)

v Surah 89 (Daybreak)

v Surah 93 (Morning Light)

v Surah 95 (The Fig)

v Surah 94 (The Solace)

v Surah 36 (Ya Sin)

v Surah 81 (The Folding Up)

v Surah 82 (The Cleaving Asunder)

v Surah 84 (The Rending Asunder)

v Surah 98 (The Evidence)

v Surah 67 (Dominion)

v Surah 48 (Victory)

v Surah 77 (Those Sent Forth)

v Surah 39 (The Crowds)

On the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal located in the burial chamber, the ninety names of God can be found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides, in the crypt including "O Noble, O Magnificent, O Unique, O Eternal, O Glorious..." And the tomb of Shah Jahan bears a calligraphic inscription that reads "He travelled from this world to the banquet hall of eternity on the night of the twenty sixth of the month of Rajab, in the year 1076 Hijri". However, the central focus is provided by passages on the upper cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal. The words of the Quranic prayer recited by the angels, implore Allah to allow the faithful to enter paradise, a touching request for God's mercy towards His devout servant, Mumtaz Mahal.