Taj Mahal means “Crown Palace” and is the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. Edwin Arnold an English poet described the Taj Mahal as “Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones.”
The Taj Mahal, often called the most beautiful building in the world, was built by an emperor as a memorial to his beloved wife.
Prince Khurram, the future Shah Jahan, was born in 1592. His father was Jahangir, the fourth Mughal emperor of India. According to legend, the prince met Arjumand Banu Begum, the daughter of his father’s prime minister, at a bazaar when he was 14 and she was 15. Smitten, the prince bought a diamond from the girl for 10,000 rupees, then went to his father and announced his desire to marry her.
Their wedding took place five years later, in 1612. From that time they were inseparable (although Shah Jahan also had other wives). After becoming emperor in 1628, Shah Jahan entrusted Arjumand Banu with the royal seal. He called her Mumtaz Mahal, “jewel of the palace.” She accompanied him on military campaigns, advised him on affairs of state, and was loved by his subjects for her charitable work.
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