The Taj Mahal is the only monument, which is one of its kinds across the world. It is majestic, magnificent and the unrivalled monument, which is a monumental labour of love of a great ruler for his beloved queen. The Taj Mahal is made in marble and it stands on a raised marble platform, by the banks of the Yamuna. It was a dream monument of Shah Jahan built for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. An estimated 20,000 people worked to complete the enchanting mausoleum, on the banks of the Yamuna and from 1631 AD and completed at the end of 1648 AD, taking 22 years in its making. Hence, it is also known as " One of the wonders of the world".

The Taj itself stands in a raised platform. The four minarets at each corner of the plinth provide a perfect balance to the tomb. The minarets measure 41.6 m high and each has a deliberate slant outwards so that in an unlikely event of an earthquake, they would not fall on the tomb but away from it. The bulbous dome of the Taj Mahal rests on an extraordinarily high drum and rises to a total height of 44.41 mts. from the base of the drum to the apex to the finial. There is only one point of access to the plinth and tomb, a double staircase facing the entrance.

This marble masterpiece is actually a mausoleum in memory Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan, who died in 1630 A.D, while giving birth to their 14th child. Her last wish to her husband was "to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before". The central dome of the Taj Mahal is 187 feet high at the centre. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The chief building material, the white marble was brought from the quarries of Makrana, from Rajasthan.

The main gate of Taj faces the Southern gate. The gateway is 151 feet by 117 feet and rises to a height of 100 feet. Tourists can enter the main compound by a small gate at the side of the main gate. The main gate of red sandstone measures 30 mts. in height. It is inscribed with verses from the Koran in Arabic. The small domed pavilions on top are in Hindu style. A striking feature of the gateway is that the lettering appears to be of the same size. The engravers have skillfully enlarged and lengthened the letters, which create an illusion of uniformity. Even well laid out gardens measuring 300 X 300 mts. in the form of a Charbagh are spread on either side of the pavement. In the centre is also a platform and from its left, one can also visit the Taj Museum.

This museum includes various original drawings, which show the precision with which the architect had planned this monument. Drawings of the interiors show the position of the graves in such precision that the foot of the graves faces the viewer from any angle. To the left of the Taj is a mosque made of red sandstone, which is still used for Friday prayers. An identical mosque is also built to the right of the Taj and is known as the Jawab. However, prayers are not held here as it faces away from Mecca, but it was only built to maintain the symmetry.

The interior of the mausoleum comprises a lofty central chamber; a crypt immediately below this and four octagonal corner rooms originally intended to house the graves of other royal family members. In the centre are the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan`s cenotaph is to the left and is higher than that of Mumtaz, which rests immediately below the dome. The cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal stands in the centre of the marble screen, it has inscribed on it in Persian with texts from the Koran. The cenotaph has the single epitaph inscribed on it. Even the cenotaph of Shah Jahan is inscribed in the Persian language.

Above the tombs is a Cairene lamp, the flame of which is supposed to never burn out. Marble screen of trelliswork surrounds the graves. Both tombs are exquisitely inlaid with semi precious stones. The acoustics of the building are superb with the domed ceiling being designed to echo chants from Koran and musician`s melodies.

Shahjahan`s intention to build a second Taj of Black marble as his own tomb a negative image of the white Taj was shattered when he was imprisoned in the Agra Fort by his son Aurangazeb. Shahjahan`s is said to have spent his last days on earth looking wistfully at his wife`s final resting place across the river. The Taj serves as a symbol of eternal love where the heart-broken Shahjahan was finally buried and reunited with his beloved Mumtaz.