The Taj Mahal
One of the most beautiful buildings in the world
The starting of the Taj mahal.
Have you ever thought about death? What happens when you die? Most people don't care about death until they're about to die, and Shah Jahan was one of those people until his most favorite wife died. The last thing his wife said was for him to make a monument for her to be buried in, and so in 1632 Shah Jahan he began the construction of the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. After almost twenty years, a 32 million rupees, and with a giant work force, the Taj Mahal was completed in 1648.
One of the most amazing facts about the Taj Mahal was the enormous cost of the construction. Back in the ancient India times the Taj Mahal cost 32 million Rupees. now in our money it would cost $1,062,834,098 , to be exact. So that is over one billion dollars!!! But the sad part is that shah cut off all the workers fingers so they couldn't copy the design. But he got put in jail because he couldn't pay workers anymore, so he sat at the jail window the rest of his life looking at his beautiful creation.
Another interesting fact about the Taj Mahal is the story of why it why it was built. Shah Jahan's love for his favorite wife caused him to grant the request she made before she died. She asked him to build a beautiful mausoleum where she could be buried and so that she would never be forgotten. He had loved her at first sight, when he walked into a store and saw her putting glass beads on string. Immediately after that, he went to her father and asked to marry her,and five years later they were married. They had 13 children and then while she was giving birth to the fourteenth, she died.
A third interesting thing about the construction of the Taj Mahal was the treatment of the workers. According to legend the workers got their fingers chopped off, because Jahan didn't want anybody copying the design on any other buildings. But sadly, Jahan didn't have enough money to pay the workers for their labors, so he got put in jail. For the rest of his life he sat there and looked at his amazing mausoleum.
The Taj Mahal is one of the world's most beautiful buildings and has a very interesting history of its construction. Even three hundred fifty years later Shah Jahan's wife is still remembered today because of this beautiful and expensive mausoleum built in her honor. Every tourist to India should be sure to take time to visit this world famous structure.