Taj Mahal

:This article is about the Indian monument. For other uses, see Taj Mahal (disambiguation)

History

As part of the struggle for succession, Shah Jahan was put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb, and legend has it that he spent the remainder of his days there gazing from a window at the Taj. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurengzeb buried him in the Taj Mahal, next to his wife, the only disruption of the otherwise perfect symmetry in the architecture.

Related Topics:
House arrest - Agra Fort - Aurangzeb

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By the late 19th century, parts of the Taj Mahal had fallen badly into disrepair. During the time of the Mutiny, the Taj faced defacement by British soldiers, sepoys and government officials who chiselled out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. At the end of the 19th century, British viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a restoration project. At the same time the traditional garden was replaced with the more English-looking lawns that are visible today.

Related Topics:
19th century - Mutiny - Sepoy - Lapis lazuli - British - Viceroy - Lord Curzon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By the 20th century the Taj Mahal was being better taken care of. In 1942, the British Raj erected a behemoth scaffolding over it in anticipation of a air attack on it by the German Luftwaffe and later by the Japanese Air Force. During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, scaffoldings were erected by the Government of India to mislead would-be bomber pilots.

Related Topics:
20th century - 1942 - British Raj - Luftwaffe - India-Pakistan wars - 1965 - 1971 - Government of India

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Its most recent threats came from environmental pollution on the banks of the Jumna River, including acid rain occurring due to the Mathura oil refinery (something opposed by Supreme Court of India directives).

Related Topics:
Environmental pollution - Jumna River - Acid rain - Mathura - Supreme Court of India

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Taj Mahal, as of 1983, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist destination.

Related Topics:
1983 - UNESCO - World Heritage Site - Tourist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recently, the Taj Mahal was declared Sunni Wakf property on the grounds that it is the grave of a woman whose husband, Emperor Shah Jahan was a Sunni. The Indian government has dismissed claims by the Muslim trust saying that their claims were baseless and the Taj Mahal is Indian national property.

Related Topics:
Sunni - Indian government

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Taj is often described as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~