RAS question
The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of:
Correct answer: (B) Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal at Agra was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Explanation
The Taj Mahal is a core Mughal-history monument tied to Shah Jahan's memory of Mumtaz Mahal. The cited official Taj Mahal page says the monument was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, his wife, after her death. Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631, and the Taj Mahal's construction is associated with the period 1632-1653. The monument therefore cannot be treated as a generic Mughal structure or a memorial to another royal woman; its identity in exam history rests on the Shah Jahan-Mumtaz Mahal association, with Agra as the location and Ustad Ahmad Lahori as chief architect.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Nur Jahan was Jahangir's wife, so she belongs to a different Mughal emperor's household and is not the woman memorialised by Shah Jahan in the Taj Mahal.
- (C) Jodha Bai is associated with Akbar, whereas the Taj Mahal is specifically Shah Jahan's memorial for Mumtaz Mahal.
- (D) Gulbadan Begum was Humayun's sister, so she is from an earlier Mughal generation and is not connected to Shah Jahan's construction of the Taj Mahal as a memorial.
Concept
Mughal architecture and dynastic associations are recurring RAS areas because monuments, patrons and purposes are frequently asked as direct factual links. The Taj Mahal is especially important because it combines architecture, chronology and Mughal court history in one standard exam fact.