Taj Mahal

            Most people associate India with its most famous piece of architecture: the Taj Mahal. Standing majestically on the banks of the Yamuna River in the province of Uttar Pradesh, this historic structure has survived almost four hundred years without any outside threats to its safety. Its true origins are unknown but there are many accounts that depict the history around it. Built during the Mughal dynasty, finished in 1648, it stands today as one of the world's wonders. .
             The Taj Mahal, which literally translates into "Crown of the Palace", is believed to be a tomb to the wife of Shah Jehan, named Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jehan was the fifth Mughal emperor and was married to Mahal in the early 17th century A.D. She produced fourteen children for him and died tragically in 1630 from childrearing complications. The two were inseparable and it is believed that this devoted love is the inspiration behind the grandeur that is the Taj Mahal. It is Shah Jehan's monument of eternal love to his deceased wife.
             Twenty years of labor and twenty thousand laborers later, the Taj Mahal was brought to existence. It is made primarily from red sandstone, marble, and granite, with the outside built entirely of white marble. Its estimated cost of construction is 32 million rupees. Outwardly, it could easily be described as the most marvelous structure in the world, but penetrate its outer walls and its beauty only escalates when one sees what these walls hide.
             The main gateway is shaped like the highest peak of the Taj Mahal: a pointed sphere. Standing 150 feet tall by 100 feet wide, the entire structure is made of red sandstone and is garnished with a door created with 8 different metals. Inside this door is a maze of hallways that were meant to confuse anybody who was actually able to slip past it. Much like an Egyptian pyramid, it is elaborately mazelike with corridors that lead to nowhere. These corridors baffle scientists as to their purposes, since they do not seem to be trapped or haunted.