Emperor Shah Jahan had three wives, but his third was his favorite. Her name was Mumtaz Mahal. Mamtaz died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. On her death bed, Shah Jahan promised her any last wish. She made Shah Jahan promise that he would never have children with anyone else and that he would care for her children. Shah Jahan followed through on his promise, but was so distraught that he decided to construct the most beautiful building the world had ever seen to enshrine his wife.
It took 8 years to complete the structure and during this time the people were unhappy that they were paying high taxes for such a building where the construction seemed to be never ending. Not long after this Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son, Aurangzeb, and imprisoned in Agra Fort where he spent the rest of his days.
Below are pictures of my trip. Unfortunately I could not take pictures inside the Taj; since the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum taking pictures inside the building would be disrespectful. When you enter the main room of the Taj Mumtaz's, Shah Jahan's third wife, grave marker is in the center of the room. Her husband, Emperor Shah Jahan is the left of her grave and elevated. His marker is elevated because when he died the designers were unsure how to show that he was the Emperor and the marker in the center was "just" the wife. So they decided since Jahan could not be in the center of the room, he should at least have a higher grave marker. Both bodies are buried, but their markers show where the bodies lay. This area is then encircled with intricate marble working that resembles vines and flowers and works as a barrier or fence to keep people a foot or so away from the graves.
When you first see the Taj from the gateway, it looks like it is floating since it sits a bit on a hill. The four pillars that are on each side of the Taj are leaning slightly away from the Taj, so if they fall they will not ruin the structure.
The Indian marble that was used for building the Taj Mahal is very special because it is not porous so doesn’t stain and light is able to go through the stone. The Taj also has precious stones within the walls, so at sunrise (the time I saw the Taj) you can see the gems glistening in the sun.