Taj Mahal, meaning “crown of palaces” in Arabic, was built by the 5th Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal, which is a symbols of love for many, is located in the city of Agra in Uttar Pardesh province of India. Though the legend of Taj Mahal tells a great love story of a king and his beloved wife but here are 10 interesting facts about Taj Mahal, the king Shah Jahan and his beautiful wife Mumtaz Mahal that remains lesser known to most. Some of these facts might put a question mark on the true love of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
1. The full title of Shah Jahan as an emperor was “Shahanshah Al-Sultan al-‘Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Malik-ul-Sultanat, Ala Hazrat Abu’l-Muzaffar Shahab ud-din Muhammad Shah Jahan I, Sahib-i-Qiran-i-Sani, Padshah Ghazi Zillu’llah, Firdaus-Ashiyani, Shahanshah—E—Sultanant Ul Hindiya Wal Mughaliya“.
2. Shah Jahan was married 7 times. Mamtaz Mahal was his 4th wife.
3. Mamtaz Mahal was married to another man who was killed by Shah Jahan so that he could marry her.
4. Mamtaz Mahal was killed while delivering her 14th child.
5. Shah Jahan married Mamtaz Mahal’s sister after her death.
6. Shah Jahan’s sons fought a battle, called Battle of Samugarh, against each other for the crown.
7. Shah Jahan was put to house arrest by his own son Aurangzeb.
8. There was no state funeral for Shah Jahan. He rules India from 1628 until 1658.
9. Shah Jahan was laid to rest next to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal in the Taj Mahal.
10. Taj Mahal was not originally designed to entomb a second person other than Mumtaz Mahal. Aurangzeb, son of Shah Jahan, instead of building a new mausoleum, buried his father next to Mumtaz Mahal.
Did he build a Mahal for his other deceased wives?