Taj Mahal was built by the grief stricken Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. This world renowned wonder sits pretty on the northern side of a green paradise. It looks same from all the four sides. The Quranic inscriptions on its four entrances are carved in such subtle increase in size that words may appear to be of the same size from top to bottom. Shahjahan invited master craftsmen from places like Italy and Persia to help design his ambitious tribute to love.
The Taj Mahal is phenomenal not in the beauty alone that shines forth, but in the deep planning and design that went into its making and the ethereal idea of immortalizing love. Delicate carvings in marble vie with gorgeous Pietra dura for attention. Lapislazuli, Cornelian, Jasper, Malachite, Coral, Mother of pearl, Agate and Emerald are inlayed in floral and geometrical patterns in the marble itself. Construction of this enchanting mausoleum, on the bank of river Yamuana started in 1631 and it took 22 years to complete it with the help of an estimated 20,000 workers.