Mind boggling facts about taj mahal

• The foundation of Taj Mahal would have eroded years ago ifYamuna wasn't there.

Taj's foundation is made of timber which is not supposed to be long lasting. The wood should weaken overtime and crumble owing to rot and ruin, but that did not happen because the wood is kept strong and moist by the Yamunariver.

• The Taj Mahal is taller than Qutub minar.

The Taj Mahal is about five feet taller than Qutub Minar. A comparison with other monuments around the world can be found below. 

• How expensive was it for Shah Jehan to build the Taj exactly?

Shah Jehan spent about 32 million rupees during the years 1632-1653 on this great architectural venture. Today that amount would be close to 1,062,834,098 USD. 

• The fountains have a special feature to ensure uniform water pressure in the fountains.

To ensure uniform and undiminished water pressure in the fountains, the fountain pipes were not connected directly with the copper pipes feeding them. Instead a copper pot was provided under each fountain pipe so that the water first fills the pot and then only rises at the same time in the fountains. The pressure in the pots is maintained and so in the fountains. 

• PC Sorkar Jr. made the Taj Mahal vanish in the year 2000.

PC Sorkar Jr. managed to create an optical illusion that made the Taj vanish from the eyes of the public at Kachhpura in Agra on 8th November 2000.

• Around 12,000 visitors come to see The Taj every day.

One of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj sees many visitors everyday.

• George Harrison clicked a selfie at the Taj.

One of the first selfies taken at Taj were by George Harrison. He used the fish-eye lens.

• The plinth of the Taj varies all around.

The plinth of the tomb is 2'10" on an average but varies all around. This convexity has deliberately been given to the plinth in the center of each arch. The architect fully anticipated the apparent size which a finial would present from such a great height. If this wasn't the way then the building would have appeared as if it were falling down. 

• The Taj changes colors depending on the light.

The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines.

• An American Grammy Award-winning artist named himself Taj mahal.

Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award-winning Blues musician.

• The ASI had to conceal the Taj during WW-II  with a huge scaffold to misguide bombers.

One of the most majestic man-made creations, the Taj was covered with a huge scaffold in the 20th Century so that it looked like a stockpile of bamboo to bombers. Then during the India-Pakistan war in 1971, and after 9/11, it was protected by camouflaging it with a green cloth.

Share on Google Plus

About Akash Manhas

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.