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Taj Mahal Facts & Worksheets

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in India, and is part of a 42-acre complex that was completed in 1643. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and was crowned “the jewel of Muslim art in India”. It welcomes approximately 7-8 million tourists and visitors per year.

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The famous Taj Mahal complex, which was built on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India, is one of the greatest examples of Mughal architecture. It continues to be one of the most famous buildings in the whole world and serves as a stunning representation of India’s lengthy history. In 1983, UNESCO designated it as a World Heritage Site.

See the fact file below for more information about the Taj Mahal, or download the comprehensive worksheet pack, which contains over 11 worksheets and can be used in the classroom or homeschooling environment.

Key Facts & Information

Inspiration and History of the Taj Mahal

  • From the early 16th through the middle of the 18th century, the Mughal dynasty, which included Shah Jahan, dominated most of northern India. Shah Jahan declared himself emperor at Agra in 1628, following his father’s death, King Jahangir, in 1627.
  • He was joined by his favorite of his three queens, Arjumand Banu Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, whom he married in 1612.
  • Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, shortly after the couple’s 14th child was born. Shah Jahan, grieving, ordered the construction of a beautiful mausoleum across the Yamuna River from his royal home in Agra.
  • Due to its well-designed gardens, which were teeming with flowering plants and fruit-bearing trees in the sixteenth century, Agra swiftly earned the moniker of a “riverfront garden city.” Its proximity to the Yamuna River’s banks made access to water easy.
  • About 1632, the construction would last over the following 20 years. The main architect was probably  Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, an Indian of Persian ancestry, responsible for the design of Delhi‘s Red Fort.
  • More than 20,000 workmen from India, Persia, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire were brought in to create the tomb complex, along with almost 1,000 elephants.

Design and Construction of the Taj Mahal

  • The mausoleum was built from white marble that was pietra dura inlaid with semi-precious stones, including jade, crystal, lapis lazuli, amethyst, and turquoise, to create beautiful patterns.
  • It had a 240-foot-tall central dome encircled by four lesser domes, and four thin towers, known as minarets, stood at each corner. Islam has a practice of inscribing words from the Quran in calligraphy on various parts of the compound, including the arched entryway to the tomb.
  • In the mausoleum, in an octagonal marble chamber decorated with sculptures and semi-precious stones, Mumtaz Mahal’s cenotaph, or false tomb, was stored. The original casket housing her genuine bones was positioned at garden level.
  • The Taj Mahal complex also had a red sandstone mosque and an identical structure known as a jawab just across from it, as well as a square garden divided into quarters by long pools of water. 
  • The complex’s traditional Mughal construction methods prevented any subsequent modifications.
  • The Taj’s interior floor plan illustrates the hasht bishisht philosophy, which alludes to paradise’s eight tiers. 
  • The cross-axial layout, which became famous for Islamic architecture in the middle of the fifteenth century, consists of eight halls and side chambers that are connected to the main space. 
  • The main chamber’s elevated platform is where Mumtaz Mahal’s elaborately adorned marble cenotaph is located. 
  • The Taj Mahal’s alleged “22 chambers” in the basement are just a long, arched hallway with doors set along it to use the available space better.
  • After the emperor passed away thirty years later, his cenotaph was positioned next to hers; both are enclosed in an octagon of magnificently carved white marble panels in the areas just beneath the cenotaphs.
  • It is a masterpiece of architectural style in conception, treatment, and execution, with distinctive aesthetic characteristics in balance, symmetry, and harmonic blending of numerous parts. 
  • The tomb, mosque, guest house, main gate, and entire Taj Mahal complex preserve its integrity.

The Gardens

  • A massive char bagh garden stretches in front of the Taj Mahal. When viewed from the main entrance today, the Taj Mahal appears to stray from this standard, as it is not set centrally inside the garden but rather at the end of a complex backed by the river, as was found in other Mughal-era pleasure gardens.
  • The garden had fountains and water features. Babur, Shah Jahan’s great great grandfather, brought this novel method of horticulture to India in the sixteenth century. It is difficult to discern the original planting and layout design for the garden beds at the Taj because of the passage of time and the numerous people who have intervened in the garden since it was built.
  • The Taj was designed from the start to be a structure that would be admired for its beauty all of the time, and as such, the greatest resources and labor were used. The best marble was mined at Makrarna, Rajasthan, 250 kilometers distant. The chief architect was chosen to be Mir Abd Al-Karim. The calligrapher was picked as Abdul Haqq, while the supervisor was assigned as Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Throughout the construction phase, Shah Jahan ensured the Mughal architectural principles were used in the design.

What the Taj Mahal represents

  • According to one, Shah Jahan may have erected a structure like the Taj even if his wife had not passed away, suggesting that the Taj is not a memorial for the deceased. 
  • Another hypothesis holds that the Taj Mahal is a metaphorical image of a Divine Throne—the seat of God—on the Day of Judgment. This view is based on the metaphoric specificity of the Qur’anic and other inscriptions and the emperor’s love of thrones.
  • The third point of view was that the monument was constructed to resemble a little paradise house. The Taj was allegedly constructed as a vanity project to exalt Mughal power and the emperor himself, according to the “paradisiacal palace” hypothesis.

Tourism

  • Shah Jehan erected the Taj Mahal in 1648 as a tribute to his wife. It is now recognized as one of the world’s new seven wonders.
  • With millions of tourists each year, the Taj Mahal is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and being managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, the site’s high visitor volume is only one of several issues that endanger its integrity.
  • One of the biggest hazards to the Taj Mahal is air pollution since it corrodes the façade and, in some experts’ opinion, helps generate acid rain, which weakens the marble and turns it yellow. 
  • The Taj Trapezium Zone, a 10,400 square kilometer stretch of Agra comprising the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, and the historic Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri, was named by the Indian government. Within this zone, oil refineries and coal-burning enterprises have been compelled to reduce emissions or switch to natural gas, and the vast majority have done so.
  • Along with the installation of air quality monitors, a tourist cap, and higher entrance prices, there has also been a prohibition on automobile traffic close to the Taj Mahal.
  • The Yamuna River, which runs at the back of the complex, might dry up, posing another risk to the Taj Mahal. Some claim that the Taj Mahal’s structural stability may be in jeopardy because of changes in the soil brought on by the lower water table since the river has been partially dammed upstream of the monument to increase the city’s water supply.
  • For a good reason, the Taj Mahal is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The authorities in charge are working to enact structural and legal safeguards to guarantee that this priceless asset will remain as global tourism expands and industry economic demands continue to rise.

Taj Mahal Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the world heritage site the Taj Mahal across 22 wonderful pages. These are ready-to-use Taj Mahal worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Taj Mahal, which is a mausoleum located in India and is part of a 42-acre complex that was completed in 1643. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and was crowned “the jewel of Muslim art in India”.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Taj Mahal Facts.
  • Fact or Myth?
  • Taj Mahal Wordsearch.
  • A Marble Masterpiece.
  • Jali Coloring Sheet.
  • Reflection of Culture.
  • Taj Mahal Quiz.
  • Secret Symbols.
  • Taj Mahal Crossword.
  • Watercolor Landscape.
  • Ripped Off?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is so special about the Taj Mahal?

It is a masterpiece of architectural style in conception, treatment, and execution, with distinctive aesthetic characteristics in balance, symmetry, and harmonic blending of numerous parts. The tomb, mosque, guest house, main gate, and entire Taj Mahal complex preserve its integrity.

Is the Taj Mahal a 7 Wonders of the World?

Shah Jehan erected the Taj Mahal in 1648 as a tribute to his wife. It is now recognized as one of the world’s new seven wonders.

Who built the Taj Mahal and why?

Shah Jehan erected the Taj Mahal in 1648 as a tribute to his wife. Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, shortly after the couple’s 14th child was born. Shah Jahan, grieving, ordered the construction of a beautiful mausoleum across the Yamuna River from his royal home in Agra.

Why are 22 rooms locked in the Taj Mahal?

The Taj Mahal’s alleged “22 chambers” in the basement are just a long, arched hallway with doors set along it to use the available space better.

Why is the Taj Mahal turning yellow?

One of the biggest hazards to the Taj Mahal is air pollution since it corrodes the façade and, in some experts’ opinion, helps generate acid rain, which weakens the marble and turns it yellow.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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