User talk:JYOTI HULMANI

For other uses, see Taj Mahal (disambiguation). Taj Mahal Taj Mahal in India - Kristian Bertel.jpg Location	Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India Coordinates	27°10′30″N 78°02′31″ECoordinates: 27°10′30″N 78°02′31″E Area	17 hectares[1] Height	73 m (240 ft) Built	1632–53[2] Built for	Mumtaz Mahal Architect	Ustad Ahmad Lahauri Architectural style(s)	Mughal architecture Visitors	7–8 million[3] (in 2014) Governing body	Government of India Website	www.tajmahal.gov.in Taj Mahal is located in Uttar PradeshTaj Mahal Location of Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh Show map of Uttar Pradesh Show map of India Show map of Asia Show all UNESCO World Heritage Site Criteria	Cultural: i Reference	252 Inscription	1983 (7th Session) The Taj Mahal (/ˌtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl, ˌtɑːʒ-/;[4] lit. 'Crown of the Palace', [taːdʒ ˈmɛːɦ(ə)l]),[5] is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.

Construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around ₹32 million, which in 2020 would be approximately ₹70 billion (about U.S. $1 billion). The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts 7–8 million visitors a year and in 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2000–2007) initiative.

Contents 1	Etymology 2	Inspiration 3	Architecture and design 3.1	Tomb 3.2	Exterior decorations 3.3	Interior decoration 3.4	Garden 3.5	Outlying buildings 4	Construction 5	Later days 6	Threats 7	Tourism 8	Myths 9	Controversies 10	Gallery 11	See also 12	References 12.1	Citations 12.2	General sources 13	External links