An icon of love, the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Its construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648.
Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India.
As soon as Bollywood star Bipasha Basu exclaimed "Oh my god, it's the Taj Mahal!" in Lisbon, millions of eager Indians who had been glued to their TV sets in the early hours on Sunday, 8 July, 2007, watching the function jumped in joy as the 17th century monument of love was selected among a list of new Seven Wonders of the World.
There was much hugging and "congratulations", bursting of firecrackers and distribution of sweets after the Taj was named at a star-studded function in Benfica Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal. It was attended by several celebrities including actors Ben Kingsley and Hilary Swank.
The seven wonders list was compiled through a global poll participated in by at least 100 million votes casted through Internet, telephone and SMS campaign.
Apart from the Taj Mahal, the others are, the Great Wall of China, Brazil's Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu Inca trail, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, Jordan's Petra archaeological site and the Colosseum in Rome were declared as winners.
A private body called the New7Wonders Foundation carried out the global campaign. Initially, the campaign, which started in 1999, included 77 monuments from around the globe and was then shortened to 21 in January 2006. The final list of seven wonders was declared based on the popular vote received.
The seven wonders declared late on Saturday night beat 14 others renowned landmarks including Eiffel Tower of France, the Statue of Liberty of the US and the Acropolis of Greece and Sydney Opera House, Australia.
We at Librahitech are proud of the icon of love, the Taj Mahal, in Agra, India.
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