Death and aftermath. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal is the final resting place of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Mumtaz Mahal died from postpartum hemorrhage in Burhanpur on 17 June 1631 while giving birth to her 14th child, after a prolonged labor of around 30 hours.
Initially, Mumtaz Mahal's body was buried in a walled garden at Ahukhana-Baradari on the bank of the Tapti River in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh. After six months, her body was transported to Agra and reburied at this place shown in these photographs. This spot is located in the west-northern corner in Taj Mahal Complex.
RC Sharma, a historian, says the body of Mumtaz Mahal was buried in Burhanpur. "What came to Agra must have been just bones in a coffin which was again reburied in the Taj complex."
After six months, the coffin was escorted to Agra under the supervision of prince Sha Shuja. She was laid to rest again in a beautiful site as amanat which is to the south of Agra city. Eventually, she was buried in the centre of small dome over which the great mausoleum (Taj Mahal) was erected.
Is the Taj Mahal actually the tomb of a queen who died in childbirth?
It was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his third but the most favourite wife, in fact a soul-mate Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 13th child.
500 Wives and still Unsatisfied - Brutal Truth of AKBAR
Which king married his own daughter?
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, has been the subject of rumours suggesting he married his own daughter, Jahanara Begum, after the death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
'the exalted one of the Palace'). During the intervening years between their betrothal and marriage, Shah Jahan had married his first wife, Princess Kandahari Begum in 1610 and in 1617, after marrying Mumtaz, took a third wife, Izz-un-Nissa Begum (titled Akbarabadi Mahal), the daughter of a prominent Mughal courtier.
Aurangzeb is buried in Khuldabad, Maharashtra, far from Delhi where he ruled as emperor. His grave is inside the shrine complex of Sheikh Zainuddin, a 14th-century Chishti saint. Historian Ali Nadeem Rezavi notes Aurangzeb's preference for a simple tomb, reflecting his personal beliefs in Islamic austerity.
The Story of Emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal is one story which has stood the test of time in the pages of History and the daily life of humanity in the form of Taj Mahal since it was established in 1631.
Arjumand Banu Begum, popularly known as Mumtāz Mahal (April, 1593 - 17 June 1631) meaning "beloved ornament of the palace" was an Empress of India during the Mughal Dynasty. Her father was the brother of Empress Nur Jahan (who subsequently became the wife of the emperor Jahangir). She was religiously a Shi'a Muslim.
The first example of a tomb built on a riverbank in India, the Itimad Ud Daula tomb houses the body of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, the father Mughal Empress Noor Jahan who again was Emperor Jahangir's wife. This beautiful tomb situated on the banks of the Yamuna is also known as the 'baby Taj'.
Did you know: During their India tour in 1992, Princess Diana took a solo trip to the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, sitting alone on the lover's bench, while during those same moments Prince Charles was attending a business meeting hundreds of miles away in Bangalore.
Since she retired from acting, Mumtaz has settled in London with her husband, Ugandan businessman Mayur Madhvani with whom she has two daughters. She has been an advocate for breast cancer survivors and has appeared in the 2010 documentary 1 a Minute.
In the immediate aftermath of his bereavement, the Emperor was reportedly inconsolable. Apparently after her death, Shah Jahan went into secluded mourning for a year.
Set within the inner core of the Taj Mahal lie the twin tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. These commemorative cenotaphs can be seen by the public from a viewing area, although no one's allowed inside the chamber.
It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal with construction starting in 1632 AD and completed in 1648 AD, with the mosque, the guest house and the main gateway on the south, the outer courtyard and its cloisters were added subsequently and completed in 1653 AD.
Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group. The company employed over 20,000 people in the year 2010.
He also awarded his wife 'Arjumand Bano Begum' with the lovely title of 'MUMTAZ MAHAL', which means 'the jewel of the palace'. The emperor had several other wives as per the culture in that era but, he had special bond and love for Mumtaz Mahal, this was all because she was very beautiful, witty and intelligent.
High up on the main dome of the Taj Mahal, a monument dedicated to love, is visible the 'Kalash of the Taj' (pot/urn with a large base and small mouth). This spectacular solid gold urn with the word "Allah" inscribed on the Kalash above the crescent moon was commissioned by Shah Jahan with gold from the royal treasury.
Aurangzeb died a defeated and broken man at the age of 89 in a plain tent in Nagar, Maharashtra. His last words were, 'after me, chaos'. He admits in his will that his greatest regret was 'wretched Siva escaping' and as a result of which he was forced to die so far away from Delhi!
Anarkali (Nastaliq: اناركلى; Anārkalī ) ("pomegranate blossom") was a legendary slave girl from Lahore (Pakistan) during the Mughal period. She was supposedly ordered to be buried alive by Mughal emperor Akbar for having an illicit relationship with Prince Nuruddin Salim later to become Emperor Jahangir.
Under Shah Jahan the Mughal Empire attained its highest union of strength with agnificence. The land revenue of the Mughal Empire under Shah Jahan was 20.75 million sterling. The magnificence of Shah Jahan's court was the wonder of European travellers.
1. Emperor Akbar (reigned 1556-1605) Akbar, arguably the most renowned Mughal emperor, is believed to have had approximately 300 wives, though the exact number remains uncertain.
