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the world is going to decide what are the seven wonders of the world on july 7th. taaj mahal is in the fray. the ultimate apostle of love in this whole world has seen neglect, carelessness from its own people. her body is now losing the charm, the shine. yet she stands out as one architecture based on pure love. she still attracts admirers from all over the world. our government has not done enough to save her. and now taaj is not properly promoted by the government as one of the frontrunners as one of the seven wonder. thru this pic i appeal, request to all indian TE members and admirers to vote for taaj. log onto www.indiainfo.com and vote for taj.
The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. Some dispute surrounds the question of who designed the Taj Mahal; it is clear a team of designers and craftsmen were responsible for the design, with Ustad Ahmad Lahauri considered the most likely candidate as the principal designer.
The Taj Mahal (sometimes called "the Taj") is generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as a "universally admired masterpiece of the world's heritage."
The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials during the construction. The translucent white marble was brought from Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab and the jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.
Estimates of the cost of the construction of the Taj Mahal vary due to the difficulties of estimating construction costs across time. The total cost of the Taj Mahal's construction has been estimated to be about 32 million rupees. However, when considering the labor costs and the time period that it took, and the difference in economic eras, it is, to many, considered priceless.

info: courtsey wikipedia.com

PS: taaj is currently at 4th position in the voting. thanks to all who have voted for it.
take a look at indro's brilliant WS as well. i liked it more than my post