Why the Taj Mahal is One of the 7 Wonders of the World • Modern Pangea

One of my favorite memories while traveling around northern India was seeing the Taj Mahal.

Like many of you, I had knew nothing on the back story of this place and, quite frankly, I didn’t understand what the big deal was. Yeah, I’d heard about how beautiful it was, but did that really qualify it to be one of the 7 wonders of our modern world?

Put simply, the answer is yes. After coming face to face with this architectural masterpiece, I find myself already looking forward to my return visit.

The Taj Mahal was breathtakingly beautiful. As if the work put into it wasn’t enough, it also has a heart-wrenching backstory to it that will give you a new appreciation for this true work of art.

Here are a few facts and reasons why the Taj Mahal has made it on the list of 7 wonders of the modern world.

A Story of Love

Shah Jahan, the creator of the Taj Mahal, had a wife (Mumtaz Mahal) who bore him 14 children (of which only seven survived). Before she gave birth to her final child, she knew that the end was drawing near. So, she asked her husband to create something for her when she passed so that he could remember her.

Thus, the Taj Mahal was born. The Taj Mahal is actually Mumtaz’s tomb. Above her tombstone, it is written “Here lies the most beautiful woman in the world.”

And if that is already tearing at your heartstrings, you’re not alone.

But it gets better!

There are Cypress trees alongside the water that leads up to the Taj Mahal. These Cypress trees are a symbol of mourning. They were planted alongside the water and fountains that lead up to the tomb to symbolize the tears that he shed for his beloved wife and the sorrow he felt with each passing day.

When Shah Jahan asked his architects to build the Taj Mahal, it took them 8 months before they came back and told him they had nothing. So they turned to the holy books for inspiration, because Shah Jahan had a vision to create the Taj Mahal with the resemblance of paradise.

He wanted his queen to be laid to rest in a place that could be “heaven on Earth.” Before the British took over India, the original gardens that surrounded the Taj Mahal were fifteen feet deep, giving the feel that, as you walked down the pristine pathways, you were floating.

The gardens of the Taj Mahal were also thought out in detail. Each tree that was planted has some sort of medicinal origin, representing the health and vitality that you would only acquire in paradise. After all, paradise leaves you with no more desire and no more illness.

A True Masterpiece

Now, onto the obvious reason that the Taj Mahal has been named one of the best in the world.

The architect that Shah Jahan hired was from Iran. He built the Taj Mahal with with a blend of religious influences, which adds a uniqueness to it’s beauty.

Shah Jahan used all of his own money, as Emperor, to pay for everything that went into the Taj Mahal. Only the finest jewels were shipped from far away lands and embedded into the finest marble.

The marble on the Taj Mahal is translucent. That is why when the sunlight and moonlight hit it, the entire structure changes color. In the early morning, the marble appears pink. On a bright night under the moon, the marble appears a bluish glow.

Oh, and did I mention that all of the jewels glisten in the light? That’s right. Because the marble is translucent, all of the precious stones that were embedded in the marble glisten in the light. So, the entire building lights up if you catch it in the right light.

Sadly, it was an overcast day when I went to see it. But its magnificence was still unsurmountable.

The Taj Mahal took a total of twenty-two years to complete. On either side of the entry gate to the Taj Mahal there are eleven white spires, totaling twenty-two spires, to represent how many years it took to build.

Every portion of the Taj Mahal was created out of large slabs of marble. If you see how intricately designed they are, you will understand why the builders took years to complete it. If one mistake was made, the marble had to be tossed and remade.

The overall construction was so thought out and so complex, it’s no wonder that more than 40,000 people go to see this monument every day.

A Tragic Ending

The creation of the Taj Mahal is a fascinating and beautiful tale. Unfortunately, the events that proceeded were much bleaker.

Remember how I said that the Emperor used all of his own money in making the Taj Mahal?

Well, after finishing the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan decided that he wanted to create another Taj Mahal right across the Yamuna River. He wanted to build a black Taj Mahal for himself that mirrored the white one. The only issue was, he had used up all of his money and gone bankrupt.

So, in order to pay for the black Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan suggested taxing the people, and you can imagine how well the people took it.

Now, Shah Jahan had five sons. His youngest son, being the most ambitious, wanted to be Emperor. He killed his four older brothers (which was not uncommon for royal families in those times) and seized his opportunity to take the throne.

He attempted to turn the people against his father while tensions were high over the building of the black Taj Mahal. But instead of killing his father, he threw him in prison. Shah Jahan’s prison was what we now call the Fort of Agra. A pretty luxurious prison, if you ask me.

Shah Jahan had only one request: that he be given a room that faced the Taj Mahal so that he could gaze out his window each day and remember his queen.

After seven years in prison, it is said that Shah Jahan died in the Fort of Agra.

A Few Fun Facts

The Taj Mahal is amazing in that it was also built completely symmetrical, down to every plant and post. There is a mosque on the left had side that was used to worship while they were building. And so, in order to keep the symmetry perfect, they created an identical mosque on the right side that they used as a guest house.

There is only one asymmetrical part of the entire Taj Mahal: King Shah Jahan’s tomb that was laid next Mumtaz’s tomb. The Taj Mahal was built as a paradise for her, and his tomb being laid there was unanticipated.