Taj Mahal One of the iconic building in the world, Taj Mahal is a hot tourist spot and att

racts more than three million visitors every year. Regarded as the finest Mughal architecture, the inspiration of construction of this wonderful mausoleum came from the third wife of Shah Jahan who died during child birth. The emperor was h eart broken and decided to build a monument, such that the world has never seen. About 20,000 workers worked day and night for over 22 years to complete this ar chitectural wonder. It is said that Shah Jahan also planned a replica of Taj constructed out of blac k marble but before that he was over throned by his son, Aurangzeb. One can even see some ruins of blackened marble that seem to support his claim but there are no recorded evidences. A visit to Taj Mahal is undoubtedly the highlight of Agr a tour. - The construction of Taj started in the year 1631 and completed in 1653 taking about 22 years. - The real name of wife of Shah Jahan is Arjumand Bano Begum and title of Mu mtaz Mahal was given by him which actually means Chosen One Of The Palace or Jewel of the Palace . - Marbles used in construction of Taj Mahal were transported from different parts of India and other countries including Rajasthan and Punjab (India) and Ch ina, Tibet, Afghanistan and Arabia. - More than 1,000 elephants were used for the transportation of the construct ion materials. - About 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to embellish the Taj Mahal with spectacular inlay work. These were transported from different parts of Rajasthan and Arabia. - Passages from Quran have been inscribed on the walls of the mausoleum and u sed as decorative elements. - 99 names of Allah can be found as written in Arabic as calligraphic inscrip tions on the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. - During the Indian rebellion of 1857, many of the precious stones and Lapis Lazuli were ripped off from its walls by the British soldiers after which Lord C urzon, the then governor of India, ordered for a renovation program of Taj. - Taj Mahal appears to be of change color and look different during the day d epending on sunlight. The perfect time to witness the beauty of this white mauso leum is in the morning and evening during sunset.