As legend has it, Shahjahan, the prolific Mughal patron ofart and culture, commissioned the Taj Mahal in the fond memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal when she died while delivering his fourteenth child. Shahjahan reportedly went inconsolable after her death and soon after he began construction of a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship, virtually without precedent or equal – the tomb of Mumtaz – The Taj Mahal.

It is belived that ShahJahan wanted to build a black Taj Mahal to for his own cenotaph, but soon after his son Aurangzeb toppled his throne and put him under house arrest at the nearby Agra fort. Legend tells that he spent his remaining days gazing through the window at the Taj Mahal and thus prompted Aurangzeb to bury him in the Taj Mahal next to his wife. By late 19th century parts of Taj Mahal started to fall apart, further worsened by defacement by British soldiers, sepoys and government officials who chiseled out precious stones from its walls.