The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was comWhen was it built : between 1632 and 1653 AD
Who built it : Shah Jahan, 5th Emperor of the Mughal Dynasty
Time taken : 21 years
Where is it located : Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Why was it built : As a memorial to Shah Jahan’s beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal after her death in 1631
Dimensions : situated in a 170000 sq. m complex; 57 m at the base; 68 m in height and raised platform height 6 m
Materials used : White Marble for the main mausoleum, Red Sandstone for fortifying structure and accents
Architect : Ustad Ahmed Lahori
Architectural Style : Mughal
Cost of Construction : 32 crore rupees
Maintained By : Archeological Survey of India (ASI)
Special Recognitions : Declared UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 and winner of the New7Wonders of The World List Initiative between 2000 and 2007.
Visit Timing : Sunrise to Sunset; Closed on Fridays; Night tours are permitted between 8:30 pm to 12:30 am for a limited duration of 30 mins.
Entry Fee : By day, foreign citizens are charged Rs. 100, citizens from countries are charged Rs. 530, Indian citizens Rs. 40 and entry for children upto 15 yrs of age is free.
At night, entry fee for foreign, SAARC and BIMSTEC citizens remain same. Rs. 500 is charged for Indian citizens and children below the age of 3yrs have free entry.
How to Reach: Agra can be reached by air as well as land. The city has an airport, Kheria Air Force Station, which is catered by daily flights from all over India through multiple airlines. By land one can avail bus, train and private cars from the nearest metro cities like Delhi (176.7 km), Jaipur (219.7 km), and Lucknow (289.5 km). Within the Agra city one can avail auto, cycle rickshaw and taxies to reach the monument.
missioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal (source) from Google.
