Origins and Architecture of The Taj Mahal - Construction and Interment

Construction and Interment

Burhanpur Makrana Sri Lanka Tibet Afghanistan Punjab Location of the Taj Mahal at Agra, Burhanpur where Mumtaz died and the locations where some of the building materials were sourced

A site was chosen on the banks of the Yamuna River on the southern edge of Agra and purchased from Raja Jai Singh in exchange for four mansions in the city. The site, "from the point of view of loftiness and pleasantness appeared to be worthy of the burial of that one who dwells in paradise". In January 1632 AD (1041 AH), Mumtaz's body was moved with great ceremony from Burhanpur to Agra while food, drink and coins were distributed amongst the poor and deserving along the way. Work had already begun on the foundations of the river terrace when the body arrived. A small domed building was erected over her body, thought to have been sited, and now marked, by an enclosure in the western garden near the riverfront terrace.