Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan began construction of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, in 1631 as a mausoleum for his beloved empress Mumtaz Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648, and the entire complex was finished by 1653. This masterpiece of Mughal architecture, blending Persian, Islamic, and Indian styles, is widely considered one of the world's most beautiful buildings.

The Taj Mahal is one of the most frequently invoked buildings in world poetry, appearing in the works of Persian, Urdu, and English poets from the 17th century to the present. It has been celebrated as a symbol of eternal love by poets from Rabindranath Tagore to modern Indian poets writing in English, who have used its perfect symmetry and white marble as metaphors for grief, devotion, and the transience of human achievement in the face of death.