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Taj Mahal, the Symbol of India

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The symbol of India, the Taj Mahal at Agra is known the world over. In fact, this is the most resplendent of the Indian sites, one certainly not to miss even in the most perfunctory of tours. Situated 125 miles (200km) south of Delhi, Agra is an essential stop in any tour of India. Built under the reign of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, this mausoleum of his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum (better known as Mumtaz Mahal), is the very pinnacle of Mughal architecture. It is called the Taj Mahal after the title of the empress. It has been poetically described as “a tender elegy in marble.” The belief that the Taj owes its design to a Venetian, Gernimo Verrones , is misleading. The Taj is the crowing glory and culmination of the Mughal architecture. It was commenced in 1631 and completed some time around 1653. The monument is rightly regarded as one of the wonders of the world for its beauty and magnificence. The grandest achievement of the Mughal architecture, the Taj

Shah Jahan the Fifth Mughal Emperor

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Accession to the Throne  Shah Jahan (1628-58) was in Deccan when his father Jahangir died in the month of October in 1627. At Lahore, Nur Jahan , one of the wives of Jahangir, proclaimed her son-in-law Shahryar as the emperor, while Asaf Khan , father of Mumtaz Mahal (Shah Jahan’s wife in whose memory Taj Mahal was built) put Dawar Baksh , son of Khusrav (brother of Shah Jahan), on the throne as a stop-gap emperor till the return of Shah Jahan to Agra from Deccan. When Shah Jahan arrived at Agra in February 1628, Dawar Baksh , the “sacrificial lamb’ was deposed and sent in exile to Persia. Asaf Khan defeated, captured and blinded Shahryar . Now decks were clear for Shah Jahan who ascended the Mughal throne at Agra in February 1628. However, Shah Jahan was paid back in his own coin when during his last days when two of his own sons were executed.  Military Conquests of Shah Jahan   The first three years of Shah Jahan’s reign were marked by the rebellions of the Bundela Chief Juhar Si