Taj Mahal, one of the greatest Seven Wonders of the World, always stood as the pride of India. Now, the esteem of India goes one step further when an Indian artist creates the replica of Taj Mahal and all in wood!

Arun Kumar Meher, an artist from Bargarh district created the five feet high and ten feet wide wooden replica of Taj Mahal. He used different shades of Sal wood to create the replica within three months.

“Not everyone can go to Agra to see the actual Taj Mahal made by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz. So, for those who have not witnessed the monument, my work will give them an idea of how it actually looks like,” According to Meher .
Different shades of Sal wood were used for making the replica. No external colours were added to it.

Locals in the area have expressed appreciation, but believe it deserves greater recognition.

Taj Mahal is one of the most popular tourist places in the world, attracting around 20,000 visitors daily.

‘Tulsi’, known for its medicinal utilities, will now help protect the Taj Mahal against the ill-effects of environmental pollution.

In a joint exercise being undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh forest department and Lucknow-based Organic India Private Ltd, one million tulsi saplings would be planted in the vicinity of the Monument of Love.

“Till now, nearly 20,000 tulsi saplings have been planted. More will be planted in nature parks near Taj Mahal and throughout Agra,”  According to company’s MD Krishan Gupta.

“It is one of the best plants which purify the environment. Its cleansing action is due to its property of releasing high amount of oxygen, which minimises the adverse impact of industrial and refinery emission.” Krishan Gupta added.

The visit to incredible India cannot be complete without experiencing its most spectacular piece of architecture — the Taj Mahal, literally ‘the Crown Palace’. Its curving, gently swelling dome and the square base upon which its rests so lightly, surrounded by four lofty minarets, is a familiar image in hundreds of travel brochures and travelogues on India. This picture postcard image of the Taj, as it is lovingly called, does little justice to the legend, the poetry and the romance woven into its history. Its beauty is eternal. It overawes, it mesmerizes, and it inspires.

The beauty of Taj Mahal is so mesmerizing that one cannot avoid the enticement of capturing it into their camera. Agra Taj Mahal is believed to be the most photographed monument of India. Taj Mahal in Agra India has never failed to fascinate the tourists from the world over. If one want to understand this beauteous monument of love and would like to know more about Taj Mahal then one should experience it. No trip to India is complete without visiting the Taj Mahal Agra.

If ticket sales are anything to go by, the luminous 17th century Taj Mahal in Agra is the most popular monument in India, attracting over 2.5 million visitors a year.

The marble monument to love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan that is listed among the seven wonders of the world was visited by an estimated 2,048,120 domestic and 491,351 foreign tourists in 2006.

These findings were put out by the ministry of tourism’s annual publication, “India Tourism Statistics,” based on figures collected from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

ASI, which is responsible for protection of cultural heritage in India, keeps records of the number of tickets sold to both Indian and foreign nationals at monuments. “Among all the monuments, Taj Mahal was the most visited monument in 2006 for domestic as well as foreign tourists,” the report said.

The monument in recent days has seen attempts by Shiv Sena activists to hold Hindu religious rituals there, as they argue it was built on the ruins of a Shiva temple.

Taj Mahal Garden The garden in Islamic Style of architecture is not just another feature it has a well-defined meaning and it symbolizes the spirituality. According to the holy Koran, a garden is symbolic of paradise.On leaving the entrance gateway, you can view a sprawling garden in front of you going all the way up to the plinth of the Taj. The Taj Garden covers most part of the Taj Complex. Out of a total area of 580 m by 300 m, the Taj Garden alone covers 300 m by 300 m.

Garden of Taj Mahal Though the garden is now maintained regularly, there is still a patch on the original royal garden. The char bagh, separated by the watercourses originating from the central, raised pool, were divided into 16 flower beds, making a total of 64. There were 400 plants in each bed. All the trees, either cypress (signifying death) and fruit trees (signifying life) were planted to maintain symmetry.

A green carpet of garden, a Persian garden, runs from the main gateway to the foot of the Taj Mahal. Such gardens were introduced to India by Babur, the first Mughal emperor, who also brought with him the Persian infatuation with flowers and fruit, birds and leaves, symmetry and delicacy. Unlike other Oriental gardens – especially those of the Japanese, who learned to accentuate existing resources rather than formalise them – the Persian garden was artificially contrived, unbashedly man-made, based on geometric arrangements of nature without any attempt at a “natural” look.

Shahjahan had four sons and several years after the completion of the Taj Mahal, Shahjahan fell ill. The four sons entered into conflict and 3 of these sons were killed leaving only Aurangzeb who took advantage and deposed his father c. 1658. The Shah Jahan was imprisoned in the Agra Fort until his death.

The Agra Fort would have been a pleasant place to be restrained and he was allowed all his wives and concubines. He shared this retreat with one of his daughters and could view the Taj without difficulty, albeit from some distance.

A tiny mirror glass in a gallery of the Red Fort in Agra reflects the Taj mahal. Shahjahan is said to have spent his last eight years of life as a prisoner in that gallery peering at the reflected Tajmahal and sighing in the name of Mumtaz. When he was 74 he died.

Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the centre of the Mughal empire until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in the memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Taj Mahal of India – “the epitome of love”, “a monument of immeasurable beauty”. The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized.

Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. It is believed that the name “Taj Mahal” was derived from the name of Shah Jahan wife Mumtaz Mahal and means “Crown Palace”. The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make Taj Mahal travel gain a place amongst the most popular ones. However, unless and until, one knows the love story behind the Tajmahal of India, it will come up as just a beautiful building. But, the love behind this outstanding monument is what has given a life to this monument.

Taj Mahal is the symbol of eternal love, a visitor may often get lost in the memories of the stories he had heard from his child-hood looking at this structure as well as its image reflected in the pool below. The story is that this beautiful structure was built by one of the most powerful emperor in the history of India for the memory of his queen who passed away in her young age. This romantic story along with the rare and beautiful spectacles visible here all combine in to his mind to form a feeling of surprise, nostalgia and a drop of tear for the beautiful queen who passed away early.

20,000 Men; 16 years!
The Taj is an architectural marvel formed of the fusion between Indian, Persian, Turkish and the Islamic styles. Its construction started on 1632 took 16 long years when it was finally completed in 1648! Such a long period was taken not because of any obstruction in the site, but it was such a massive structure involving a lot of precision works that deserved so much man-day involving the service of 20,000 skilled artisans; a good number of them imported from all over Asia. The ramp intended to transport materials for the dome was two mile long!

Mumtaz Mahal.
Shah Jehan (Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jehan (5 -1 1502 to 22 -1 1666) the fifth ruler of the Mughal dynasty) wanted was sheer beauty and top class construction. ‘Makrana marble’ (the glittering white marble mined from Rajasthan) silver, gold and the jewels (mostly imported from Persia and Turkey) all were so lavishly used to decorate floral designs. The construction to take place was no ordinary building it was intended for the memory of his dear wife Arjumand Banu Begum popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz was Shah Jehan’s second wife and she died in child birth.

Symmetry.
The exquisite ‘jalies’ (perforated ornamental designs in wood or stone) and the calligraphy (that adorns the walls with holy verses of Qur’an) lavishly made in perfect symmetry all were all made by human hands; how many man-days would have taken for their work can only be imagined. Skilled workers from as far as Persia were brought in for the work.

Ustad Ahmed Lahauri.
Who was its chief architect is still not confirmed. Gerronimo Verroneo an Italian who was engaged by the Mughals was presumed by some. Yet another opinion (more reliable) is Ustad Istakhan Effendi a Persian architect and his pupil Ustad Ahmed Lahauri were the makers the typical Persian and Islamic style adopted support this view. There are stories doing round that Shah Jehan blinded or dismembered the artisans after the work so that they will not build another structure like this else where!

An integrated complex.
The Taj got listed as ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’ in 1983 as a universally admired master piece of world heritage. The domed marble structure often considered as the Taj, but the Taj is actually an integrated complex of many structures covered on three sides by crenellated wall made of red sand-stone. (Some of the structures like mausoleums of Shah Jehan’s other wives located out side the walls are also coming under the Taj complex; of which that of Mumtaz’s favorite maid is the largest). The side facing the Yamuna River is left open.

The sights..
The structures coming under the Taj complex are mainly the following, The Gateway, The outside buildings and tombs, The Taj-Mosque (Masjid) and the Jawab (served the purpose of a guest-house), The Minarets (on the four corners of the plinth), the garden (in design akin to the Mughal Gardens), The Reflecting Pools, The tomb (iwan – a structure with open front and other three sides enclosed), The dome constructed on the top of the tomb, the finial and many exclusive forms of jalies with intricate floral designs, Calligraphy, bas – reliefs and valuable interior decorations.

The tomb.
The focus of Taj Mahal is the white tomb; its elements are all Persian with symmetrical buildings with iwan (large hall with open front – generally with large arch- and other three sides enclosed). The marble dome (in the shape of onion called amrud or guava dome) that rests upon the tomb is the most spectacular view for a visitor who looks the Taj from outside.

Finial
The finial is the crown exactly on the top of the dome which catches the immediate attention of the onlooker (originally it was made of pure gold later replaced by bronze). The moon with its horns facing heavenwards and the central point jointly raises the memory of a trident a Hindu symbol.

The Taj-Masjid and the Jawab.
The Masjid is akin in design to the Delhi Jumas Masjid and is decorated with calligraphy (calligraphy here are a script (thuluth language) designed by Amanat Khan of the palace. The Taj Masjid is floored with black marble and covered with expensive Persian carpets.

The Jawab is basically designed for the sake of symmetry and it served as a visitors hall.

The Minarets
These minarets are examples of the symmetry –the watch-word- in the construction of Taj. They are constructed on the four corners of the plinth, each exactly 40 meters in height consisting of three portions, with two working balconies that ring the tower. They have been constructed in such a distance that even if by any event they fall the tomb will not be effected.

The Cenotaphs.
The cenotaph of Mumtaz is in the center of the inner chamber on a rectangular marble base (1.5m * 2.5 m). It is decorated with precious stones and calligraphy praising and identifying her. The cenotaph of Shah Jehan is bigger and placed in slightly elevated floor. The casket is with inscriptions praising god.

Royal Prisoner!
Shah Jehan had a cruel fate as the completion of the building he had been put in to house arrest by his own son in a nearby building and till death he had to live as a virtual prisoner. The only favor the dear father received was that he could the view Taj from his ‘prison’ and that sight of the mausoleum of his wife would have given him some consolation in his confinement. A visitor to Taj is enriched (burdened) with a collage of emotions by the rare sights of Taj complex as well as the stories they had to tell, among them he can cherish the image of an emperor who built all these and had to see them until death as a prisoner.

The epitome of love, Taj Mahal will be a mouse click away now. The Archaeological survey of India, the government agency for the maintenance and conservation of monuments in India will soon start e-ticketing to facilitate visitors visiting Taj from all over the world. The sixteenth century white marble mausoleum of Mughal king, Shahjahan and his wife, Noor Jahan, last month earned the title of being one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Presently the entry tickets to the Taj are available in the Taj premises at Agra. On average more than ten thousand tourists visit Taj everyday. The flow exceeds fifteen thousand in peak season. The agency has also agreed to restrict the number of visitors visiting the main mausoleum. This step will be taken to conserve the ambience of the wonder and a world heritage site declared by UNESCO.

The ASI officials say e-ticketing will help visitors to organise their tours and will be hassle free. “At any given time you will find long ticketing queues, Sometimes people wait for hours to get the entry ticket. Surely e-ticketing will save their time and can be done at ease.”

The government agency will engage national and international experts of different disciplines for a ’scientific study’ to arrive at the exact number of visitors who should be allowed inside the mausoleum at a given point of time, based on the advice of various organisations like UNESCO, the agency will also take into account parameters like tourist inflow, security, conservation and ambience.

The agency officials say that the restriction will not affect the visitors, “For visitors it is a big challenge to get in and jostling crowds often spoil the visit. The restriction will provide a calm and sated visit to every visitor.” For security reasons, the ASI has also mooted the idea of introducing a Radio frequency identification device (RFID) in the tickets to keep track of the tourists who spend time inside the Taj complex.

Situated on the banks of River Yamuna in the historic city of Agra, The Taj attracts millions of tourists every year from all over the world. The tourist flow goes beyond the figure of thirty thousand a day during Id and annual Shahjahan festivals. More than 2.5 million tickets were sold last year. The monument saw 2 million Indian visitors and half a million foreign tourists in 2006. In the first six months of 2007, about 1.38 million tourists out of which, one million were Indians and three hundred thousand foreigners visited the Taj.

Costume designer Anna Singh has nearly 600 films to her credit. But Akbar Khan’s Moghul era classic Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love Story had been unique. She swears she has never put in the kind of effort for any other fil m. Now, with the National Award coming her way for the regal costumes of Taj Mahal , Anna knows it was worth the effort.

“Taj Mahal was a creatively satisfying experience for me. And I was passionately involved in it,” says an obviously thrilled Anna who shares the award with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who bagged it for B lack.

But Taj Mahal was anything but easy, Anna is quick to add. It took over two years of her time. “At the end of it, most of my friends had begun addressing me ‘jahanpanah’,” she quips. With the movie picturing the royalty who lived and ruled about four centuries back, remaining true to the costumes of the time without many reference points at her disposal was tough, explains Anna.

“The material that we needed was not the stuff that was easily available on the Internet,” says Anna. But that’s where “historian in his own right” and the director of the movie, Akbar Khan came to her aid.

“Akbar had some miniature paintings of the time. We did a lot of research on the location. I was back to my history classes,” recounts Anna. “We had to work around the traits of all characters. Since, all the characters had a distinct personality, it gave a lot of scope to work with,” says Anna.

Though there were reference points, especially Bollywood period films of the 1950’s and 60’s like Taj Mahal and Mughal-e-Azam, Anna says the motto followed was to make Akbar Khan’s film unlike an y of those that came earlier.

“The idea was to give the film a fresh look,” she says. So, armed with books on Moghul times, paintings and evolution of Moghul motifs, Anna went on to dress up Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, Noor Jahan and an entire army belonging to the Moghul era.

“I realised that Noor Jahan was this fantastic princess, a diva who was deeply influenced by the West,” says Anna. So, Pooja Batra who played Noor Jahan, got to wear a lot of velvet cloaks and even gowns that were inspired by the West. “Sonya Jahan was beautiful as Mumtaz. I dressed her predominantly in whites keeping the marbled Taj Mahal in mind,” says Anna.
Challenging

The costumes for Shah Jahan were challenging too for Anna. If the young and love-lorn Shah Jahan wore “robust and dynamic” clothes, Anna had to keep in mind the “aging factor” when it came to the clothes of the older Shah Jahan, played by Kabir Bedi.

“We had to pay attention to the most minute details to portray the aging process. We divided the aging factor to five different phases,” she elaborates.

“In the movie, we were dealing with serious royalty who wore rich colours and a lot of sapphires, emeralds and topaz. Most of the costumes were woven from Moghul paintings. The idea was to keep away from contemporary fabrics. I even converted an antique Moghul umbrella to a garment,” she recollects the Taj Mahal experience.

“Anna’s talent lay in the perfect colour scheme she brought to the screen,” says director Akbar Khan. “If there were ten characters in a scene, she made sure that the costume of each one complemented the other well,” he adds.

But according to Anna, the toughest part of Taj Mahal was doing the crowns. “The topis were mostly in pure gold or silver, bejewelled with Swarovski crystals, and then the features. Each crown took almost tw o months to finish. That was the toughest cookie to crack,” Anna says.

For now, after two period films in the kitty – Taj Mahal and J.P. Dutta’s Umrao Jaan – Anna is taking a break from period films. She is busy with Ajay Devgan’s directorial venture and Subha sh Ghai’s next movie.

Costume designer Anna Singh has nearly 600 films to her credit. But Akbar Khan’s Moghul era classic Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love Story had been unique. She swears she has never put in the kind of effort for any other fil m. Now, with the National Award coming her way for the regal costumes of Taj Mahal , Anna knows it was worth the effort.

“Taj Mahal was a creatively satisfying experience for me. And I was passionately involved in it,” says an obviously thrilled Anna who shares the award with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who bagged it for B lack.

But Taj Mahal was anything but easy, Anna is quick to add. It took over two years of her time. “At the end of it, most of my friends had begun addressing me ‘jahanpanah’,” she quips. With the movie picturing the royalty who lived and ruled about four centuries back, remaining true to the costumes of the time without many reference points at her disposal was tough, explains Anna.

“The material that we needed was not the stuff that was easily available on the Internet,” says Anna. But that’s where “historian in his own right” and the director of the movie, Akbar Khan came to her aid.

“Akbar had some miniature paintings of the time. We did a lot of research on the location. I was back to my history classes,” recounts Anna. “We had to work around the traits of all characters. Since, all the characters had a distinct personality, it gave a lot of scope to work with,” says Anna.

Though there were reference points, especially Bollywood period films of the 1950’s and 60’s like Taj Mahal and Mughal-e-Azam, Anna says the motto followed was to make Akbar Khan’s film unlike an y of those that came earlier.

“The idea was to give the film a fresh look,” she says. So, armed with books on Moghul times, paintings and evolution of Moghul motifs, Anna went on to dress up Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, Noor Jahan and an entire army belonging to the Moghul era.

“I realised that Noor Jahan was this fantastic princess, a diva who was deeply influenced by the West,” says Anna. So, Pooja Batra who played Noor Jahan, got to wear a lot of velvet cloaks and even gowns that were inspired by the West. “Sonya Jahan was beautiful as Mumtaz. I dressed her predominantly in whites keeping the marbled Taj Mahal in mind,” says Anna.
Challenging

The costumes for Shah Jahan were challenging too for Anna. If the young and love-lorn Shah Jahan wore “robust and dynamic” clothes, Anna had to keep in mind the “aging factor” when it came to the clothes of the older Shah Jahan, played by Kabir Bedi.

“We had to pay attention to the most minute details to portray the aging process. We divided the aging factor to five different phases,” she elaborates.

“In the movie, we were dealing with serious royalty who wore rich colours and a lot of sapphires, emeralds and topaz. Most of the costumes were woven from Moghul paintings. The idea was to keep away from contemporary fabrics. I even converted an antique Moghul umbrella to a garment,” she recollects the Taj Mahal experience.

“Anna’s talent lay in the perfect colour scheme she brought to the screen,” says director Akbar Khan. “If there were ten characters in a scene, she made sure that the costume of each one complemented the other well,” he adds.

But according to Anna, the toughest part of Taj Mahal was doing the crowns. “The topis were mostly in pure gold or silver, bejewelled with Swarovski crystals, and then the features. Each crown took almost tw o months to finish. That was the toughest cookie to crack,” Anna says.

For now, after two period films in the kitty – Taj Mahal and J.P. Dutta’s Umrao Jaan – Anna is taking a break from period films. She is busy with Ajay Devgan’s directorial venture and Subha sh Ghai’s next movie.

Costume designer Anna Singh has nearly 600 films to her credit. But Akbar Khan’s Moghul era classic Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love Story had been unique. She swears she has never put in the kind of effort for any other fil m. Now, with the National Award coming her way for the regal costumes of Taj Mahal , Anna knows it was worth the effort.

“Taj Mahal was a creatively satisfying experience for me. And I was passionately involved in it,” says an obviously thrilled Anna who shares the award with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who bagged it for B lack.

But Taj Mahal was anything but easy, Anna is quick to add. It took over two years of her time. “At the end of it, most of my friends had begun addressing me ‘jahanpanah’,” she quips. With the movie picturing the royalty who lived and ruled about four centuries back, remaining true to the costumes of the time without many reference points at her disposal was tough, explains Anna.

“The material that we needed was not the stuff that was easily available on the Internet,” says Anna. But that’s where “historian in his own right” and the director of the movie, Akbar Khan came to her aid.

“Akbar had some miniature paintings of the time. We did a lot of research on the location. I was back to my history classes,” recounts Anna. “We had to work around the traits of all characters. Since, all the characters had a distinct personality, it gave a lot of scope to work with,” says Anna.

Though there were reference points, especially Bollywood period films of the 1950’s and 60’s like Taj Mahal and Mughal-e-Azam, Anna says the motto followed was to make Akbar Khan’s film unlike an y of those that came earlier.

“The idea was to give the film a fresh look,” she says. So, armed with books on Moghul times, paintings and evolution of Moghul motifs, Anna went on to dress up Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, Noor Jahan and an entire army belonging to the Moghul era.

“I realised that Noor Jahan was this fantastic princess, a diva who was deeply influenced by the West,” says Anna. So, Pooja Batra who played Noor Jahan, got to wear a lot of velvet cloaks and even gowns that were inspired by the West. “Sonya Jahan was beautiful as Mumtaz. I dressed her predominantly in whites keeping the marbled Taj Mahal in mind,” says Anna.
Challenging

The costumes for Shah Jahan were challenging too for Anna. If the young and love-lorn Shah Jahan wore “robust and dynamic” clothes, Anna had to keep in mind the “aging factor” when it came to the clothes of the older Shah Jahan, played by Kabir Bedi.

“We had to pay attention to the most minute details to portray the aging process. We divided the aging factor to five different phases,” she elaborates.

“In the movie, we were dealing with serious royalty who wore rich colours and a lot of sapphires, emeralds and topaz. Most of the costumes were woven from Moghul paintings. The idea was to keep away from contemporary fabrics. I even converted an antique Moghul umbrella to a garment,” she recollects the Taj Mahal experience.

“Anna’s talent lay in the perfect colour scheme she brought to the screen,” says director Akbar Khan. “If there were ten characters in a scene, she made sure that the costume of each one complemented the other well,” he adds.

But according to Anna, the toughest part of Taj Mahal was doing the crowns. “The topis were mostly in pure gold or silver, bejewelled with Swarovski crystals, and then the features. Each crown took almost tw o months to finish. That was the toughest cookie to crack,” Anna says.

For now, after two period films in the kitty – Taj Mahal and J.P. Dutta’s Umrao Jaan – Anna is taking a break from period films. She is busy with Ajay Devgan’s directorial venture and Subha sh Ghai’s next movie.