Ep. 147: Taj Mahal – 6 Facts
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on a monument that was built out of enduring love by Shah Jahan for his wife (second wife) Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The project took around 22 years to complete with the help of thousands of artisans and craftsmen on what is a 42-acre or 17-hectare site.
Known for its perfect symmetry and intricate marble work, the main mausoleum is flanked by the familiar four pillars or minarets. The tomb is the centrepiece, which also includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens.
A UNESCO World Heritage site the Taj Hahal is a national symbol of India and is visited by around seven to eight million tourists annually.
Today’s mnemonic will be on six facts of the Taj Mahal.
So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
The Taj Mahal (/ˌtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl, ˌtɑːʒ-/; lit. 'Crown of the Palace') is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his beloved 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 completed in 1648, but work continued on other phases of the project for another five years. The first ceremony held at the mausoleum was an observance by Shah Jahan, on 6 February 1643, of the 12th anniversary of the death of Mumtaz Mahal. 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 ₹5 million, which in 2023 would be approximately ₹35 billion (US$77.8 million).
The building complex incorporates the design traditions of Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture. It employs symmetrical constructions with the usage of various shapes and symbols. While the mausoleum is constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, red sandstone was used for other buildings in the complex similar to the Mughal era buildings of the time. The construction project employed more than 20,000 workers and artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the emperor's court architect.
The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Islamic art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". It is regarded as one of the best examples of Mughal architecture and a symbol of Indian history. The Taj Mahal is a major tourist attraction and attracts more than five million visitors a year. In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World initiative.
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal]
Mnemonic
Taj Mahal – 6 Facts Mnemonic – BOB & VIC
(Picture Bob and Vic as the chief architects of the Taj Mahal – Bob oversaw the white Taj Mahal & Vic oversaw the black Taj Mahal)
1. Built by over 22,000 labourers & 1000 elephants
2. One of The New 7 Wonders of the World
3. Built for Mumtaz Mahal the wife of Shah Jahan
4. Value of approximately 70 billion Rupees
5. It is adorned with more than 40 types of precious and semi-precious stones
6. Construction took around 22 years
Five Fun Facts
1. The Taj Mahal is regarded as the true symbol of love as it was built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The white marble structure is a perfect combination of Persian, Islamic, and Indian architecture.
2. There are more than 10 replicas of Taj Mahal around the world. The top five according to me are as follows: The Taj Mahal of China which is located at a theme park in Shenzhen, The Royal Pavilion in Brighton in the UK, The Taj Mahal of Dubai otherwise known as the Taj Arabia which is around four times larger than the original, The Taj Mahal of Bangladesh located in the city of Dhaka, and finally The Taj Mahal Houseboat in Sausalito, California, where some rich guy decided to build a houseboat replica after visiting the Taj Mahal in the 1970’s.
3. As mentioned in the mnemonic it is adorned with more than 40 types of precious and semi-precious stones. Just some of these stones came from the following areas: The white marble came from Rajasthan in India, blue gems from Tibet, emeralds from Sri Lanka, Jasper from Punjab, and crystals were imported from China.
4. Along with its architectural beauty the Taj Mahal also has another intrigue, and that is, that it changes colour three times a day. In the morning it is more a pinkish hue, the evening a milky white, and in the moonlight golden.
Now I saw the Taj Mahal at night so it had more of a golden hue, but along with this spectacular view we were also entertained by a Hindi Yogi, who incredibly walked over hot coals. Now this was no fleeting run, and it could have almost been described as a ceremonial dance over the coals. Now I was totally blown away, flabbergasted, amazed and astonished and left me thinking, Wow, that’s some feat!
5. The four Taj Mahal pillars otherwise known as minarets are designed with an outward lean. Why you ask? Well, it was done to protect the Taj Mahal, so if they were to collapse due to a calamity such as an earthquake, they would fall outward.
Three Question Quiz
Q.1. Where is the Taj Mahal located?
Q.2. What year was the Taj Mahal included in the New 7 Wonders of the World? Options are 1987, 1997, or 2007
Q.3. Was Shah Jahan planning to build a Black Taj Mahal for himself on the other side of the river? Is that True or False
Bonus Q. In what year did the Taj Mahal become a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Options are 1963, 1983, or 2003
Mnemonic Recap
Taj Mahal – 6 Facts Mnemonic – BOB & VIC
(Picture Bob and Vic as the chief architects of the Taj Mahal – Bob oversaw the white Taj Mahal & Vic oversaw the black Taj Mahal)
1. Built by over 22,000 labourers & 1000 elephants
2. One of The New 7 Wonders of the World
3. Built for Mumtaz Mahal the wife of Shah Jahan
4. Value of approximately 70 billion Rupees
5. It is adorned with more than 40 types of precious and semi-precious stones
6. Construction took around 22 years
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. Where is the Taj Mahal located?
A. The city of Agra
Q.2. What year was the Taj Mahal included in the New 7 Wonders of the World? Options are 1987, 1997, or 2007
A. 2007
Q.3. Was Shah Jahan planning to build a Black Taj Mahal for himself on the other side of the river? Is that True or False
A. True & False. The story goes that the black Taj was meant to be a tomb for himself and both Tajs’ were to be connected by a bridge over the river. However, many historians disagree as there is no historical proof and believe it to be a myth.
Bonus Q. In what year did the Taj Mahal become a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Options are 1963, 1983, or 2003
A. 1983
Word of the Week
marmoreal
[ mahr-mawr-ee-uhl ]
adjective
characteristic of or like marble
Example
There are many marmoreal replicas of the Taj Mahal around the world due to the excessive cost and difficulty sourcing such a precious stone.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://www.vedantu.com/evs/facts-about-taj-mahal