Indian History
We know Taj Mahal is called “Monument of Love” & “The Jewel of India” but…
You might know that Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the World built by emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. But here are some little popular facts about Taj Mahal: About 20,000 people were involved in its construction & it took 22 years to complete, more than 1000 elephants were used for transportation of contruction meterials (sorry elephants! cars/ trucks were not existed at that time!), Taj’s shimmering White Marbel color changes depending on sunlight/ moonlight, Taj artists & architects’ hands were cut-off so that no one could make anything beautiful like Taj ever again (it’s a long-standing myth!), 7-8 million people visit Taj each year, many precious stones of Taj were cut out from its walls by the British solders & officials during 1857 Indian rebellion to spoil Taj’s beauty, UNESCO designated Taj as “the jewel of Muslim art in India”!
Bal Thackeray, the Founder Leader of “Shiv Sena” (translation: “Army of Shivaji”) Political Party believed that “Bombay” was a corrupted English version of “Mumbai” and an unwanted legacy of British colonial rule. He wanted to change the city’s name to “Mumbai” to pay tribute to Hindu goddess “Mumbadevi” meaning “mother” in Marathi language to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. In 1995, when Shiv Sena won the elections in Maharashtra, his party anounced that the city’s name has been changed to “Mumbai” and now a resident of Mumbai is called “Mumbaikar”!