Taj mahal is one of the most imposing and outstanding structures in my country, I have visited.
History:
Mumtaz Mahal or, Taj Mahal was built in the late 17th century, by Shah Jhan for the memorial of his bellowed wife Mumtaz. This extraordinary piece of architecture built along the river yamuna- now in Agra, shows how the Indian and Persian styles of architecture were prominent in the Mughal period. Not only Shah Jhan built a burial for his wife, but, he also decorated it and formed a monument- that would be remembered by the world as the- "Taj- Mahal".
Architecture:
It is a highly sacred place for the Muslims as there are inscriptions in Muslim by the sculptures. These inscriptions have some religious importance also. Although this structure was built by the Persian and Indian craftsmen it has the features of both the Persian and Indian architecture. The dome is of the particular Indian style and the inscriptions and the decorations are of typical Persian style.
Income:
It took thousands of rupees to build the Taj. The total expenditure was paid by the treasury of the king and his empire. Unfortunately, the king was imprisoned by his own son Aurangzeb. Who did this for two reasons, firstly, to gain a hold over the empire and secondly to stop his father from draining the whole of the treasury of the building of the two Taj Mahala- About which are talked in the next Para. The king paid all the craftsmen in thousands but, had their hands cut for he feared that the same workers would have another copy of such Taj Mahal built for some another ruler.
Building:
As we all know that Taj was built of the precious white marble from Rajasthan, and that all the workers started building Taj from the base to the top. So instead of using ladders as it would have the structure scratched and abrasive, the workers instead they coated the bottom layers with mud and build the rest of the part over the mud coating. Obviously when the whole of the structure was coated with mud the mud had to be taken off, so the emperor ordered all the potters to take the mud within one week of time, but it was cleared of in only three days!
Legend tells us:
Till our information is considered, we know that there was only one Taj Mahal- the white one. Archaeologists have also found out that there was one more such Taj Mahal- the black one. It is said that the white taj mahal was built for the burial of Mumtaz, but the black one, was to be built for the burial of Shah Jhan himself. Another striking feature that strikes the archaeologists is that the layout of the Taj Mahal is like the heaven depicted by Shah Jhan in his dream that he saw, when he went to the court of Allah, the Muslim god. The central lake which in the form of a cross and the green gardens on the either side of the lake also gives the monument the look of the Heaven.
As we all know that taj mahal is decorated by precious stones and ornamental metals it makes it one of the most exotic look!
The Black- Taj:
As you all know that the black taj was to be built for Shah Jhan himself. But the question is that- where is the black taj, which had been the exact copy of the Taj Mahal, and was to be on the opposite location of the river? The answer lays in the fact that when he was building his Black Taj, it would have taken the half of the total treasury of the Mughal Empire. The Black marble was only found in Rajasthan that would cost a high burden for the revenue department. Archaeologists have found out the remains of the base of the Black Taj, but, what happened to the upper part? The answer is that it was never built! Aurangzeb had his father imprisoned at the time when the foundations were being laid, as he thought that it was a mere wastage of the money for the construction of the Taj Mahal. He immediately stopped the building of the Taj and order to his men to break it and bury it.
A solemn end:
When in captivity Shah Jhan used to see the Taj Mahal from his balcony.He died in grief and pain in 1707, when he died Aurangzeb had his body buried besides that of his wife.
Today's story:
Now the Taj is a property of the archaeological department of India and is a protected site. It is also one of the wonders of the world and is quite famous in the world too.
There are two major concerns for this structure:
Acid Rain's corrosion:
Acid rain is prominent in this part of the country as there are many industrial sites along this river. The acid rain reacts with the marble to make it yellowish in color and also promotes the corrosion of the structure.
The river's erosion:
As you all know that there is a river flowing besides the Taj. It is predicted that there is a possibility of the structure falling into the river….as when the river moves with great speed it erodes the silt or the soil and carries it along with itself. As a result the soil beneath the structure's base is removed, thus, mis balancing the structure into the holy and sacred river-Yamuna.
