Taj Mahal Trivia

• Mumtaz Mahal, in whose memory the Taj Palace was built, means "Exalted one of the Palace." This was what Shah Jahan called her. Her actual name was Arjumand Banu Begum.
• It is said that Shah Jahan wanted to build an equally grand tomb for himself in black marble on the other bank of the River Yamuna in Agra. But this dream didn't materialize and he was put to rest beside his wife.
• Each and every stone at the entire Taj Mahal complex is in perfect symmetry. The only asymmetrical thing in the entire complex is the Emperor Shah Jahan's resting place that was constructed later by his son Aurangzeb.
• Over 20,000 laborers worked for 22 years to build the Taj Mahal with the help of 1000 elephants who lugged the materials to the construction site.
• The Taj Mahal is said to have been built at a cost of 32 million rupees and the white marble was sourced from Makrana in Rajasthan India.
• 28 different kinds of semi-precious stones were used in the inlay work in the Taj Mahal that included Turquoise from Tibet, Sapphires from Sri Lanka and Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan.
• Mumtaz Mahal was Shah Jahan's second wife but his favorite with whom he begot 14 children. Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth when she accompanied Shah Jahan on his Burhanpur military campaign.
• It is said that Shah Jahan had debilitated all the workers and craftsmen who were involved in the construction of Taj Mahal so that its beauty could never be replicated.
• Taj Mahal has been included in the list of Seven Wonders of the World and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A Journey to India offers information on Taj Mahal Trivia and online booking for tours and travel packages to Agra and other destinations in India. To book a tour or for more information, please fill up the query form provided below.