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The Department of Posts will bring out a commemorative stamp on Taj Mahal to mark the completion of 350 years of its existence. The commemorative postage stamp is in the denomination of rupees five. The commemorative stamp will be released by the Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Shri Dayanidhi Maran, here tomorrow, in the presence of Shri S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Culture, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury, Minister of State for Tourism and Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology.
Taj Mahal, for centuries, has inspired poets, painters and musicians to try and capture its elusive magic in word, colour and song. Taj Mahal which stands on the banks of Yamuna River in the city of Agra took 22 years to complete the construction. The construction of the Taj Mahal was completed in the year 1654. According to Tavernier, an eminent traveller and historian of those times, recorded the number of workmen engaged in the construction as 20,000. The construction materials were brought from all over India and Asia. R A fleet of 1000 elephants were used to transport the materials to the site. 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into white marble to create this wonder of the world.
Taj Mahal was built in the memory of the beautiful Arjumand Bano Begum, who won the heart of a Mughal prince. She was married at the age of 21 to Emperor Jahangir’s third son Prince Khurram and stayed loyally by his side through good times and bad, in the luxurious royal places of Agra as well as the transient tents of war camps. When Khurram became in 1628, he took the name of Shajahan meaning “King of the World” and showered his beloved Begum with the highest titles. She became Mumtaz Mahal, the exalted of the palace, and Mutaz-ul-Zamani, the exalted of the age. But Mumtaz Mahal was not destined to be Queen for long.
In 1631 when Mumtaz Mahal died at the age of 39, the aggrieved Shahjahan vowed to build a memorial that would surpass anything ever created in the world. This ambition of Shahjahan even persists now also, depicting the true symbol of eternal love to the entire world.
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