The Taj Mahal is one the architectural marvels in the World which was built by”Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal on the bank of river Yamuna in Agra. In 1631 AD.Mumtaz Mahal died at the time of delivery of her 14th child Gauhara Begum. It took 22 years from 1631 AD to 1653 AD for 20,000 workers to complete the construction of the Taj Mahal and its surroundings. The main white tomb was completed in1648 AD. Shah Jahan spent 32 crore rupees from his treasury for the construction. At that time it was such a huge amount of money that Mughal Empire was nearly bankrupted due to this expenditure. Taj Mahal is included under UNESCO World Heritage Site in1983 AD.
Architecture and Architects :
The architecture of Taj Mahal is the unique mixture of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural style. The architectural secrete of the Taj Mahal is still a mystery. The entire Taj Mahal complex was planned with a minute perfection and complete symmetrical in nature. As per official Mughal histories, there were a team of thirty architects and designers worked to get the final shape of the monument. Some of them were:
Ustad Ahmad or Isa Khan is believed as the chief architect.
Mukrimat Khan and Mir Abdul Karim were the chief supervisors and administrators.
Ismail Afandi or Ismail Khan was the designer and builder of domes.
Qazim Khan casted gold in domes.
Chiranji Lal was the chief mosaic specialist.
Amanat Khan was the main calligrapher who imprinted different arts.
Mohammed Hanif was the main mason.