Taj Mahal is a palace built by Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal. It is located beside the Taj-ul-Masajid in

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

, India.

History

The Taj Mahal at Bhopal was built as the Begum's residence, at a cost of 3,000,000. Its construction spanned over a period of 13 years, from 1871 to 1884. It was one of the largest palaces of the world built at that time. The building was originally named Raj Mahal ("royal palace"). The British Resident at Bhopal, highly impressed with the architecture, suggested that the palace be renamed the Taj Mahal, the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

having been built by the Begum's namesake

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

. The begum accepted the suggestion and the palace was renamed to Taj Mahal. The Begum is said to have ordered a three-year-long celebration called ''Jashn-e-Taj Mahal'' after the completion of the building. After the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

in 1947, Nawab Hamidullah Khan allowed Sindhi refugees to stay in the palace. They stayed in Taj Mahal for around 4 years, before shifting to Bairagarh. The palace suffered some damage during this period. After India's independence, some members of the royal family of

stayed at the palace, but gradually moved away, as they had no money for the repairs. By 2008, large parts of the palace complex had collapsed. The palace was declared a state heritage monument by the

Government of Madhya Pradesh The Government of Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP) or Madhya Pradesh Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 55 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the governor of Madhya Prade ...

in 2005 and the state archaeology department carried out restoration in parts. However, it was de-notified in 2011. Until 2013, the Taj Mahal was under the archives department. In 2014 the monument was handled over to the Madhya Pradesh tourism department. In 2017, a private builder from

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

, was handed over the property on lease to develop the sprawling 19th century structure into a 120-room heritage hotel. As of 2023 the work is yet to be started.

Architecture

The architecture of Taj Mahal has

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, French, Mughal,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

influences. The palace contains 120 rooms, a hall of mirrors or ''sheesh mahal'' and the ''savon bhadon'' pavilion, an elaborate fountain like structure that simulated the effect of rain. The main entrance is a seven-storied structure. The palace was part of a complex of buildings along the three lakes that includes the Benazir Palace, which was the begum's summer palace, and the Taj-ul-Masjid Mosque. The palace has been built in the Indo-Saracenic style and is kept cool by the winds blowing in from the lakes.

Gallery

File:Bhopal State Postage Service - 4 annas - Taj Mahal and Benazir Palaces.png , Taj Mahal and Benazir Palaces on a Bhopal State postal stamp File:Taj Mahal Bhopal.jpg , Taj Mahal main entrance back side File:Taj Mahal Bhopal (11).jpg , North facing entrance gate

References

{{City of Bhopal Palaces in Madhya Pradesh Buildings and structures in Bhopal Royal residences in India Tourist attractions in Bhopal