Basic Information
The Taj Mahal stands proudly in Agra, India, about 113 miles (182 km) from the capital city of New Delhi — that’s like lining up nearly 2,000 football fields end to end!
Taj Mahal (India) - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Taj Mahal (India) For Kids
The Taj Mahal isn’t just any building — it’s actually a mausoleum, which is a special building made to remember someone who has passed away, and it was built as a symbol of endless love!
Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and took 22 years to complete – that's longer than most kids have been alive!
The Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, which means it's considered one of the most important places on Earth that needs to be protected forever!
The main dome of the Taj Mahal soars to around 240 feet high — as tall as a 20-story building!
The entire Taj Mahal complex covers 42 acres of land – that's about the same size as 32 football fields put together!
The Taj Mahal was built using white marble from Rajasthan, India, and the marble is so special that it can change colors throughout the day!
Each year, about 7 million people come to see the Taj Mahal — that’s like filling many huge football stadiums with people!
The Taj Mahal complex includes beautiful gardens, a mosque, and a guest house, making it much more than just one building!
The Taj Mahal sits right beside the Yamuna River — and sometimes during high river levels, water even reaches its outer walls. Because it’s built on a raised platform with strong foundations, it stays safe.
History & Origins
The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who passed away in 1631!
The name "Taj Mahal" means "Crown Palace" in Persian, though some people also call it the "Crown of Palaces"!
Over 20,000 workers helped build the Taj Mahal, including stone cutters, masons, carvers, painters, and many other skilled craftspeople!
More than 1,000 elephants were used to transport heavy materials during the construction of the Taj Mahal!
Princess Diana visited the Taj Mahal in 1992 and sat on a bench that became so famous, it's now known as "Diana's Bench"!
Mumtaz Mahal was travelling with Shah Jahan and died while giving birth to their 14ᵗʰ child — that helped spark the creation of the Taj Mahal as a monument to her memory.
The main part of the Taj Mahal was done by about 1648, and the rest — the gardens, the gate, the mosque and all the decorative touches — were finished by 1653.
Shah Jahan was later imprisoned by his own son in Agra Fort, from where he could only view the Taj Mahal from a distance!
The precious stones used in the Taj Mahal came from many different countries, including China, Tibet, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka!
The Taj Mahal was hidden during World War II with scaffolding and a huge camouflage net to protect it from potential bombing!
Architecture & Design
The Taj Mahal was built with perfect symmetry — if you draw an invisible line down the middle, the left side looks just like the right side: the dome, towers, gardens and buildings match like mirror images!
The four minarets (tall towers) at the corners of the Taj Mahal were built at a slight angle pointing outward, so if they ever fell, they wouldn't damage the main building!
The Taj Mahal has 28 different types of precious and semi-precious stones inlaid in its marble walls!
The main dome of the Taj Mahal is called an "onion dome" because it's shaped like an onion cut in half!
The decorative Arabic writing on the Taj Mahal's walls appears to be the same size whether you look at it from up close or far away – this is a clever optical illusion!
The Taj Mahal's garden is divided into four equal parts, with two marble canals with fountains forming a cross in the center!
The Taj Mahal was built without the fancy machines or steel‑reinforced concrete we use today. Instead, workers used bricks, stone, marble, wood and rope — and they lifted heavy stuff with elephants, oxen, ramps, pulleys and ladders, building almost everything by hand.
The Taj Mahal's dome is actually two domes – an outer dome and an inner dome with space between them!
The patterns on the Taj Mahal's walls are made using a special technique called "pietra dura," where precious stones are carefully set into the marble!
The flowers and plants carved into the Taj Mahal's walls represent paradise gardens described in Islamic texts!
There are 99 names of Allah decoratively written on the sides of Mumtaz Mahal's tomb inside the Taj Mahal!
he gardens of the Taj Mahal are about 300 m by 300 m — roughly the size of three football fields across.
The main entrance gate to the Taj Mahal is about 93 feet (around 30 metres) tall — roughly the height of a 7‑ to 8‑storey building.
The Taj Mahal garden is split into four big parts, and each part is divided into 16 flowerbeds — so altogether there are 64 flowerbeds full of flowers, trees and pathways!
The Taj Mahal’s main building has one huge central dome and four smaller domes at the corners.
Each of the Taj Mahal’s four tall towers (minarets) reaches up nearly 42 meters — that's as tall as a small apartment building!
Parts of the Taj Mahal’s base are built with strong wood — and long ago, builders used clever tricks with wells and water from the nearby river so the wood wouldn’t rot.
Fun and Interesting Facts
The Taj Mahal’s main chamber is famous for rich acoustics — sound inside can reverberate for about 28 seconds.
There are special pools in front of the Taj Mahal that create a perfect reflection of the building, making it look like there are two Taj Mahals!
The Taj Mahal appears to change colors throughout the day – pinkish in the morning, white at noon, and golden in the moonlight!
There are two red sandstone buildings on either side of the Taj Mahal – one is a mosque, and the other is a guest house!
In India, the Taj Mahal appears on everything from postcards to hotel names because it's considered a symbol of the country's rich history!
Many people consider the Taj Mahal to be the world's greatest monument to love because it was built to show how much Shah Jahan loved his wife!
Because the Taj Mahal blends styles from Persia, Turkey and India into one beautiful building, many call it the "jewel of Muslim art in India."
The Taj Mahal is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, chosen by millions of people in 2007!
People from all over the world study the Taj Mahal to learn about architecture, history, and art!
The Taj Mahal inspired many other buildings around the world, including some famous hotels and temples!
The Taj Mahal appears in many famous movies, books, and paintings, making it one of the most recognizable buildings in the world!
The best time to visit the Taj Mahal is during sunrise or sunset when the white marble glows in beautiful colors!
You have to wear special shoe covers or go barefoot when entering the main mausoleum to protect the delicate marble floors!
