The Taj Mahal is regarded a supreme achievement of Mughal 
architecture. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in 
the world. Taj Mahal is also regarded as one of the Seven 
Wonders of the World. It is a must see place at least once 
in a lifetime.
Taj Mahal is a mausoleum on the southern bank of the Yamuna 
River, outside city of Agra in north India. It was built by 
the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, 
Arjumand Banu Begam, also called Mumtaz Mahal, of which the 
name Taj Mahal is a corruption. She died in childbirth in 
the town of Burhanpur in 1631, after having been the 
emperor's inseparable companion since their marriage in 
1612. The building was commenced around 1632 to plans 
prepared by a council of architects from India, Persia, 
Central Asia, and beyond. More than 20,000 workers were 
employed daily to complete the mausoleum itself by about 
1643 and the immediate adjuncts (mosques, wall, and gateway) 
by about 1649. The entire Taj complex took 22 years to 
complete at a cost of 40 million rupees.
The complex consists of a rectangular plot measuring 1,902 
by 1,002 feet and aligned north and south. At the centre of 
this rectangle lies a square garden area, 1,002 feet on each 
side, that is bounded on the north and south by two smaller, 
oblong sections. The southern oblong section comprises a 
sandstone entrance gateway to the complex, along with 
attendant service buildings, while the northern oblong 
section terminates at the Yamuna River's edge and comprises 
the famed mausoleum itself. The mausoleum is flanked on the 
west and east by two symmetrically identical buildings, the 
mosque and its jawab (or building for aesthetic balance), 
respectively. A high boundary wall with octagonal pavilion 
turrets at the corners surrounds the northern section and 
the central garden area, while outside the enclosure at the 
south are stables and guard quarters. 
The whole complex was conceived and planned as an entity 
because Mughal building practice allowed no subsequent 
addition or amendment. Its northern end contains the most 
significant architecture, with mosque and jawab both facing 
the mausoleum itself. The mosque and jawab of red Sikri 
sandstone with marble-necked domes and architraves and some 
restrained pietra dura (hard stone) surface decoration, 
contrast in color and in texture with the mausoleum of pure 
white Makrana marble. 
The mausoleum itself stands on a marble plinth 23 feet high. 
It has four identical facades with chamfered corners and a 
massive arch that rises to a height of 108 feet on each 
face. A bulbous double dome supported on a tall drum 
completes the structure. Parapets create the skyline rhythm 
of the mausoleum over each arch and by pinnacles and domed 
kiosks over each corner. A three-storied minaret stands at 
each corner of the plinth, its countersunk face joints of 
marble bricks contrasting with the highly finished marble of 
the mausoleum. The mausoleum interior is organized around an 
octagonal chamber, with low-relief patterns and fine pietra 
dura, and contains the cenotaphs of Arjumand Banu Begam and 
Shah Jahan. These marble tombs are decorated with pietra 
dura and enclosed by a perforated marble screen studded with 
precious stones. A vault below, at garden level, contains 
the true sarcophagi.