TAJMAHAL
Taj Mahal stands on the bank of river Yamuna. It was built by the fifth Mughal
Emperor, Shah Jahan
in 1631 in the memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian Princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Berhampur in a campaign to crush a rebellion, after giving birth to their 14th child.
When Mumtaz was still alive, she extracted four
promises from the
emperor: first, that he should build the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her anniversary. He kept the first and second promises. Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 22 years. It was designed by the Iranian architect Istad Usa. Twenty thousand people were deployed to work on it. Its adornments are linked to the passion that inspired it . It is a “Symbol of Love”.