Taj Mahal is located in Agra, India, build by king Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaj. Queen Mumtaj died during the birth of their fourteenth child. One year after her death Taj Mahal began to construct in 1632 and the principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grif illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal.
Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj Mahal in these words:
Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj Mahal in these words:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs,
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made,
To display thereby the creator's glory.
