THE HISTORY OF TAJMAHAL
(Brave king ShahJahan and Mumtaz Mahal)
Arjumand Bano Begum was married at the age of 21 to Emperor Jehangir’s son Prince Khurram, who since very early age displayed great military skills against numerous enemies and was thus showered with the title of ‘Shah Jahan Bahadur’ or brave king of the world by his father.
Arjumand Bano Begum was a dedicated wife and stood loyally by Shah Jahan through thick and thin, in luxurious palaces as well as in the tents of war camps.
In 1628 AD, Shah Jahan succeeded his father Jehangir and gave the title of ‘Mumtaz Mahal’, which means Jewel of the palace, to his favourite queen.
Shah Jahan’s love for his queen and her dedication towards the Emperor was popular all around and the Emperor would take along his queen wherever he would go.
In 1631 AD, Shah Jahan accompanied by Mumtaz Mahal, went on a campaign to the South. Mumtaz Mahal, who had borne Shah Jahan 14 children of whom eventually four sons and three daughters survived, died at the age of 31 at Burhanpur during childbirth.
Mumtaz Mahal was interred for the time being in a garden on the banks of Tapti River in Burhanpur.
Inconsolable and grieving Shah Jahan declared royal mourning for two years. There was no music, no feasts and no celebrations at all of any kind.
It is said that while expressing her last wish to Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal asked him not to have any more children by any other woman and to build a tomb for her as the world had never seen before.
In 1633 AD, Shah Jahan decided to build a mausoleum for his queen at a garden by the Yamuna River. The garden was laid by Raja Man Singh of Amber and at the time belonged to his grandson Raja Jai Singh. Shah Jahan gave Jai Singh four royal havelis in exchange for the garden.
The site was so chosen as it had a beautiful and serene backdrop of Yamuna and could be seen from Shah Jahan’s personal palace in Agra Fort.
The most skilled architects, craftsmen, calligraphers, stone-carvers and masons from all across India as well as foreign shores such as Persia and Turkey were employed.
Twenty Thousand workmen worked daily for good long 17 years to carve out this magnificent monument of love which leaves a deep impression on the hearts of the visitors even today. A small town named Mumtazabad now known as Taj Ganj was built close to Taj Mahal’s site to accommodate these workmen.
It is said that Shah Jahan, who was otherwise known to be a great and compassionate Mughal king, got arms of the workmen chopped off after the construction of the Taj Mahal was completed so that they could never ever build another such beautiful and flawless monument.
Later, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra Fort by his own son Aurangzeb, who then took over the reign of the Mughal Empire and ruled for next fifty years. It is said that Shah Jahan would keep gazing at the Taj Mahal through a small hole in the wall of the cell he was imprisoned in.
After his death in 1666 AD, Shah Jahan was laid to rest besides his dearest queen Mumtaz Mahal.
Arjumand Bano Begum was married at the age of 21 to Emperor Jehangir’s son Prince Khurram, who since very early age displayed great military skills against numerous enemies and was thus showered with the title of ‘Shah Jahan Bahadur’ or brave king of the world by his father.
Arjumand Bano Begum was a dedicated wife and stood loyally by Shah Jahan through thick and thin, in luxurious palaces as well as in the tents of war camps.
In 1628 AD, Shah Jahan succeeded his father Jehangir and gave the title of ‘Mumtaz Mahal’, which means Jewel of the palace, to his favourite queen.
Shah Jahan’s love for his queen and her dedication towards the Emperor was popular all around and the Emperor would take along his queen wherever he would go.
In 1631 AD, Shah Jahan accompanied by Mumtaz Mahal, went on a campaign to the South. Mumtaz Mahal, who had borne Shah Jahan 14 children of whom eventually four sons and three daughters survived, died at the age of 31 at Burhanpur during childbirth.
Mumtaz Mahal was interred for the time being in a garden on the banks of Tapti River in Burhanpur.
Inconsolable and grieving Shah Jahan declared royal mourning for two years. There was no music, no feasts and no celebrations at all of any kind.
It is said that while expressing her last wish to Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal asked him not to have any more children by any other woman and to build a tomb for her as the world had never seen before.
In 1633 AD, Shah Jahan decided to build a mausoleum for his queen at a garden by the Yamuna River. The garden was laid by Raja Man Singh of Amber and at the time belonged to his grandson Raja Jai Singh. Shah Jahan gave Jai Singh four royal havelis in exchange for the garden.
The site was so chosen as it had a beautiful and serene backdrop of Yamuna and could be seen from Shah Jahan’s personal palace in Agra Fort.
The most skilled architects, craftsmen, calligraphers, stone-carvers and masons from all across India as well as foreign shores such as Persia and Turkey were employed.
Twenty Thousand workmen worked daily for good long 17 years to carve out this magnificent monument of love which leaves a deep impression on the hearts of the visitors even today. A small town named Mumtazabad now known as Taj Ganj was built close to Taj Mahal’s site to accommodate these workmen.
It is said that Shah Jahan, who was otherwise known to be a great and compassionate Mughal king, got arms of the workmen chopped off after the construction of the Taj Mahal was completed so that they could never ever build another such beautiful and flawless monument.
Later, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra Fort by his own son Aurangzeb, who then took over the reign of the Mughal Empire and ruled for next fifty years. It is said that Shah Jahan would keep gazing at the Taj Mahal through a small hole in the wall of the cell he was imprisoned in.
After his death in 1666 AD, Shah Jahan was laid to rest besides his dearest queen Mumtaz Mahal.