Everyone recognizes the Taj Mahal as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The mausoleum is a glorious structure, built of white marble, and symbolizes purity, love and pain, like no other architecture does. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore called the Taj Mahal “a tear drop on the cheek of time.” The Taj Mahal, built in Agra, India, has many stories revolving around it. Let us look at some of the interesting facts about Taj Mahal.

1. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal

The construction of the Taj Mahal was begun in 1632, a year after the death of Empress Mumtaz. The construction was completed in the year 1653, which means that it took approximately 22 years to complete this astounding piece of architecture. At that time, the estimated construction cost was a whopping sum of Rs. 32 million, which, when considered in terms of today’s value of money, would be something way above $1 billion.

The magnificent edifice is bounded on three sides by red stone walls. It is constructed completely of white marble. The emperor had marbles of the best quality brought from Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Tibet and China. But this was probably not enough for the emperor. It is believed that more than 28 different types of precious and semi-precious stones, including the striking lapis lazuli, were inlaid into the marble. Now we know where all the money went.