An identical mosque is also built to the right of the Taj and is known as the Jawab (answer). Prayers are not held here as it faces west away from Mecca, the holy city of the Muslims. It was built to maintain symmetry.

Priced at £200 the model will be on sale from September and is considered to be so tricky that only those over the age of 14 are recommended to tackle it.

the model is a little over 16 inches tall and more than 20 inches wide. The company is targeting young people above 14 years of age as well as adults for the latest offering.

Made with the usual ingredients used in baking cakes, these visual delights are mammoth in size.

The Great Wall of China, the Roman Colosseum, Mt. Machu Pichu of Peru, the Petra of Jordan and the pyramid of Egypt are some of the new wonders made in the form of cakes.

The five-foot cake in the shape of the Taj Mahal, made with 450 kg of icing sugar, 600 eggs and 1000 ml of essence, took the centre stage.

Many lovers who have not yet visited the Taj Mahal were seen looking at the cake version of the eternal monument of love longingly.

The total weight of the ingredients used to make cakes of six of the new Seven Wonders of the World was 3000 kilograms while the total expense for making these cakes was 330,422 dollars. It took 50 workers, including 15 craftsmen, to make these wonders.

The exhibition concludes on August 18.

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.

The celebration which started on July 29 was concluded on 31st July with special prayers offered for communal harmony and to end terrorism.

A 400 metre long seven-coloured chadar (sheet) was laid on the graves of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan and his queen Mumtaz Mahal.

“This year too we are celebrating this festival with same fervor. Initially, we will offer sandal and after that there will be a qawwali performance that will continue till 7 in the evening,” said Syed Munawwar Ali, a devotee.

During the anniversary celebration, the visitors got a rare opportunity to see the graves in the basement of the mausoleum as normally people are permitted to the replica of the graves on the first floor (platform).

The Taj Mahal stands on a marble platform surrounded by ornamental gardens. White minarets grace each corner and two smaller red sandstone buildings balance the postcard-perfect image on the banks of the Yamuna River .

Recently the monument was voted as the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Shiv Sena claims the 17th century Taj Mahal is an ancient Shiva temple.

On Monday, they tried to enter the marble mausoleum but were prevented.

They entered the monument one by one Thursday afternoon, fooling the security, gathered inside and performed the puja on the lawns of the monuments.

hey were later released when nothing objectionable was found on them.

The Shiv Sena, which considers the 17th century monument built by Emperor Shah Jahan as an older Shiva temple called ‘Tejo Mahal’, had earlier announced they would perform arti every Monday during Shravan, considered auspicious by Shiva devotees, in protest against the three-day ‘urs’ festival that’s held every year in memory of the Mughal monarch. The Sainiks had tried getting in on Monday as threatened, but the cops had stopped them.

They then later performed a puja outside the Taj Mahal.

On Thursday, without any prior announcement, a group of seven or eight men along with three women bought tickets and entered the Taj premises. Sources said the group, when it got close to the main structure, performed the religious ritual of a parikrama with folded hands. Since all wore saffron scarves, they were recognised and forced to stop the worship. A minor scuffle ensued, after which the cops took them to the police station.

Shiv Sena’s Agra chief Vinoo Lavania said the Sainiks had gone to as ordinary citizens and felt like praying. “What’s wrong with that?” he asked. Shiv Sena also claims ‘Tejo Mahal’ as property of Rangji Temple Trust of Mathura, probably in reaction to frequent claims made on the monument of love by the UP Sunni Waqf Board.

ASI’s incharge of the Taj R K Dixit said: “They came as tourists and bought tickets. They folded hands towards the mosque and went back.”

The fact that the Sainiks managed to enter the monument just days before the three-day ‘urs’ of Shah Jahan that begins on July 29 raises security issues.

The Culture Minister said that several Nawabi era buildings including Taj Mahal have archaeological value. So far, the Culture Department is undertaking the renovation work from its own funds but now help of other departments would also be sought. A proposal would also be sent to the Union government seeking total restoration of this sprawling building complex. The Culture Department would see to it that various cultural programmes are held here so that people can be introduced to the building’s grandeur. Funds to the tune of Rs 20.58 lakh received under 12th Finance Commission have been spent on the renovation work during the years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

These funds have been utilised for renovation of plaster of Sheesh Mahal, Plaster of Paris, aluminium frames and pieces of mirrors of different colours. The Sheesh Mahal has been fully restored with the help of artisans from Rajasthan.

The mammoth entrance gate built in red sandstone is a beautiful inscribed with texts from the Koran. They are beautifully written in absolutely uniform size from whichever angle you see them. After passing the gate you enter in to the exquisitely laid gardens with symmetrical designs and fountains built in red sandstone with the majestic Taj standing nearly thousand feet away.

The Taj stands atop a plinth with four minarets in each corner. The central dome is huge supported by four smaller domes. The elegantly carved arches and the floral designs, not only intricate, but in perfect symmetry is the highlight of Taj. The exquisite tracery looks more like lace than actual carvings. Earlier precious and semi-precious stones were laid inside the floral designs, a very typical form of craftsmanship known as the pietra dura.

Inside the cenotaph are the two dummy tombs of Shahajehan and his wife Mumtaz; the original ones are in the basement just beneath these. The tombs studded with various precious gems like the Sapphire, Ruby et al were the natural target for grave robbers. The interiors of the chamber have fine floral motifs on in its walls with various shades of marble stones. The most moving feature is the tragic prayer of the emperor which is carved in perfect calligraphy on the tomb which asks for help from the almighty and says, ‘Help us, O Lord, to bear that which we can not bear!’

Facts about Taj Mahal

Quick Facts :

* Legend has it that Shah Jahan had planned to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river, but the war with his sons interrupted his plans.

* Some people think that Geronimo Veroneo, an Italian, designed the Taj Mahal.

* Supposedly, there are two staircases on the northern side of the red sandstone plinth that lead into a basement containing 17 chambers, with a third crypt in the center.

* Some important studies feel that the Taj Mahal is sinking.

* The name Taj Mahal when translated means “Crown Palace” or “Crown of the Palace.”

* Some think that the changing colors of the tomb depict the different moods of a woman.

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.