By the river Yamuna in India, there sits an ivory-white marble mausoleum. Many who visited stood in front of the building and would gaze in awe. Just take a look at its perfectly symmetrical facade and brilliant landscape design. The construction took 20 years to complete, involving more than 20,000 architects and workers from different countries. It'd be no surprise if I tell you that this whole construction cost a total of 32 billion rupees, which is equivalent to 1 billion USD today!

Taj Mahal, also known as one of the seven wonders in the new world, Its name, Taj Mahal, actually comes from Arabic, where Taj means a crown, and Mahal means palace. Mahal is also the surname of Mumtaz Mahal, whom this monument was dedicated to. In 2018 alone, this single tourist spot attracted 8 million visitors. And because there are so many visitors coming in every day, the management imposes fines for visitors who stay longer than 3 hours.

You might have heard of this building, even made it into your travel bucket list. But do you know the beautiful, romantic love story behind it? Do you know what makes the Taj Mahal so unique? How does this simple white building make it into the Top 7 wonders? Then you have come to the right place. In this video today, I will share everything I know about the Taj Mahal, not just the fancy story behind it, but also analyze it from the architectural aspect. And I am sure after reading this blog and watching this video, you will look at it from a different perspective! So let's get started.

The love story

A long time ago, a handsome prince named Prince Khuram fell in love at first sight with Mumtaz Mahal. She was a beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted woman. She was a very, very good chess player, even better than Prince Khuram, later known as Shahjahan. She ensured that the orphans and poor were well taken care of during her lifetime, providing them with food and money. She was also a devoted wife. They were a couple of lovebirds because Mumtaz Mahal would follow wherever Shahjahan went. This condition remained throughout their 19 years of marriage, during one of the military trips where Mumtaz Mahal passed away.

In 1631, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, also their 14th child, in the camp. At first, everything was alright. However, the next day, Mumtaz Mahal started to feel unwell. It was unexpected, and her husband immediately rushed to her side after receiving the news. It was all too late, as she'd die in her husband's arms. Witnessing his other half's death, Shahjahan was devastated. He cried for eight days straight. He then poured all his grief into designing a mausoleum. Shahjahan was passionate about architecture, and he developed the floor plans and planned every detail. He knew it would be a masterpiece and was ready to pour in all the fortune he got into making this happen.

Here are the four design elements that I find interesting in this masterpiece.

1. The Garden

The intention was for the Taj Mahal to represent paradise on Earth. According to Islamic belief, a garden represents paradise, and it will have four rivers. Therefore you can see that a lush green garden surrounds the Taj Mahal. At first, the garden had fruit trees, roses, and daffodils. It was a nest of hundreds of birds. One might mistake the place as a paradise with bright and colorful blossoms, sweet fragrances, and birds chirping. However, in the 19th century, when the British came into control of the country, they transformed the garden into a London-style lawn which is the one we see now.

At night, the still reflection of the Taj Mahal would catch everyone's eyes before seeing the actual structure. The pool's function is to purify the vision of those who enter. During the daytime, the pool also creates the illusion of having the whole monument suspended in the air, adding a more magical aura to the scene. The garden gets an ample supply of water from the pool and the waterway where the water sources from Yamuna River. So the garden is self functional and adds more colors and personality to this plain white monument. The green landscape and serene pool lying at the entrance truly make people feel like stepping into another world.

2. Minarets

When you reach the site, the first thing that comes into view is the central dome surrounded by four minarets of the same height. The minarets give a 3D effect to the building, giving the front elevation more depth. The minarets are significant in Islamic architecture as they symbolize spiritual guidance and call for prayers. Initially, the minarets were not part of Mughal architecture, and it was Shahjahan who introduced them.

Here's a fun fact about the minarets. If you look closely, the minarets are slightly tilted outwards. Why? Shahjahan took into consideration natural disasters like earthquakes when planning for the design. So when the structure collapses, the tilt will ensure that the minarets fall away from the tomb, protecting his wife. Now, look at it again. Don't they look like a standing guard who protects the monument?

3. Symmetry

Even when you look at the Taj Mahal from the screen, you'd still feel that it emits a sense of peace and harmony. Why is that so? Here's the secret behind it – perfect symmetry. Well, I have talked about symmetry previously in this video, what makes a great facade. (feel free to watch it later) but among Mughals, symmetry played a significant role, as it meant order, perfection and rigor. Everything related to the emperor had to be symmetrical, including the Taj Mahal.

If you take a closer look, every little detail from the floor plan to the decorations is symmetrical to enhance the harmony of the entire monument. For instance, a guest house was built on the east side of the mausoleum in response to the mosque, with identical appearance and proportion, so that it looks symmetrical from the floor plan. Look at the map of the mausoleum; wherever you draw a line, you can cut the building into two perfect halves. Furthermore, The waterway divides the garden into four symmetrical parts. Even the trees were planted in symmetrical format. Shahjahan was a real perfectionist!

4. Lucky number

Four was a lucky number in the Mughal empire. It was associated with rigor and logic that fit the Mughal idealism. That's why you see this number everywhere. Most of the design elements in the monument are in sync with the number. You can see in the plan a four-by-four garden, four minarets, hectagon floor plan, and four domes surrounding the central dome.

The sad ending of the love story

After the death of his wife, Shahjahan never fully got over it and remained in grief. He soon fell sick, and his sons fought for the throne. Eventually, their fourth son, Aurangzeb, won and imprisoned his father in Agra Fort. In the end, Shahjahan spent the final years of his life gazing out a window at the Taj Mahal. After he passed away, he was buried beside Mumtaz Mahal. Today, the Taj Mahal is the epitome of undying love. Everyone in India knows that Shahjahan loved his wife and built the Taj Mahal in her memory. Well, I have to say this story is sad but beautiful.

Though the story might not have a happy ending, we have to admit that the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Not only does it portray the love of a husband to his dear wife, but it is also an eternal testament to the scientific accomplishment of a wealthy empire.

Taj Mahal - The $1 Billion Dollar Masterpiece