Taj Mahal - Quiz
Taj Mahal
  • 1. In 1652, which complex parts were reported to have leaks?
A) Minarets, main dome, and garden
B) Tomb, mosque, and assembly hall
C) Refining plant, cenotaph, and base
D) Agra Fort, main gate, and wall
  • 2. Where was Shah Jahan kept under house arrest by Aurangzeb?
A) Lahore Fort
B) Delhi Palace
C) Agra Fort
D) The Taj Mahal itself
  • 3. In what year was Shah Jahan buried in the mausoleum?
A) 1652
B) 1666
C) 1658
D) 1908
  • 4. Which group attacked the Taj Mahal in the 18th century?
A) British forces
B) Japanese Air Force
C) Mughal historians
D) Jat rulers of Bharatpur
  • 5. What items did the Jat rulers take from the Taj Mahal?
A) The minarets
B) The main cenotaph
C) Two chandeliers
D) The marble floor
  • 6. What material was the gold shield's finial made of?
A) Marble
B) Silver
C) Gold
D) Agate
  • 7. Who ordered a restoration project at the end of the 19th century?
A) Shah Jahan
B) Aurangzeb
C) Lord Curzon
D) The Archaeological Survey of India
  • 8. When was the restoration project commissioned by Lord Curzon completed?
A) 1908
B) 1997
C) 1942
D) 1983
  • 9. What did Lord Curzon replace the original gardens with?
A) Vegetable patches
B) Artificial fountains
C) European-style lawns
D) Concrete tiles
  • 10. Why was scaffolding erected around the Taj Mahal in 1942?
A) To install a new lighting system
B) To disguise the building from air attacks
C) For major restoration work
D) To repair storm damage
  • 11. Which organization has been responsible for maintaining the Taj Mahal since 1947?
A) Archaeological Survey of India
B) Supreme Court of India
C) UNESCO
D) The British Government
  • 12. During which wars was scaffolding used to mislead bomber pilots?
A) 1965 and 1971
B) 2010 and 2020
C) 1942 and 1947
D) 1983 and 1997
  • 13. In what year was the Taj Mahal designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A) 1947
B) 1997
C) 1908
D) 1983
  • 14. What color has the Taj Mahal turned due to pollution?
A) Green
B) Yellow-brown
C) Black
D) Grey
  • 15. What is the name of the area with strict emission standards around the monument?
A) Yamuna Protection Area
B) Heritage Exclusion Site
C) Taj Trapezium Zone
D) Agra Emission Zone
  • 16. How large is the Taj Trapezium Zone?
A) 4,000 square kilometres
B) 1,000 square kilometres
C) 10,400 square kilometres
D) 20,000 square kilometres
  • 17. What environmental issue was cited as a cause for the building's color change?
A) Earthquakes
B) Excessive sunlight
C) High humidity
D) Acid rain
  • 18. What was reported regarding the minarets in 2010?
A) They were being dismantled
B) They were crumbling
C) They showed signs of tilting
D) They were being repainted
  • 19. What method is the government using in the 2020s to restore the white color?
A) Chemical bleaching
B) Mud packs
C) Sandblasting
D) Painting
  • 20. What caused minor damage to the Taj Mahal in 2018 and 2020?
A) Groundwater flooding
B) Storms
C) Vandalism
D) Air pollution
  • 21. Which side of the Taj Mahal complex is left open?
A) The side facing the main gate
B) The side facing the Yamuna river
C) The northern side
D) The side facing the city of Agra
  • 22. What material is primarily used to build the main gateway of the Taj Mahal?
A) Marble
B) Red sandstone
C) Limestone
D) Granite
  • 23. From whom did Shah Jahan receive the land for the Taj Mahal?
A) Raja Jai Singh I
B) A local merchant
C) Raja Akbar II
D) The Mughal architect
  • 24. In what year did construction of the Taj Mahal begin?
A) 1643
B) 1631
C) 1632
D) 1653
  • 25. Where did the white marble used in the Taj Mahal come from?
A) Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh
B) Makrana, Rajasthan
C) Agra, India
D) Bukhara, Uzbekistan
  • 26. Where was the red sandstone for the Taj Mahal quarried?
A) Afghanistan
B) Tibet
C) Fatehpur Sikri
D) Makrana
  • 27. Which country provided Lapis lazuli for the decoration of the Taj Mahal?
A) Tibet
B) China
C) Sri Lanka
D) Afghanistan
  • 28. How many types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble?
A) 32
B) 20
C) 28
D) 15
  • 29. What type of scaffold did workmen build to construct the Taj Mahal?
A) A bamboo scaffold
B) A metal scaffold
C) A colossal brick scaffold
D) A wooden scaffold
  • 30. How were marble and materials transported to the construction site?
A) By a complex pulley system only
B) By boats on the Yamuna
C) By horse-drawn carriages
D) By a 15 km long earthen ramp
  • 31. In what year was the Taj Mahal complex officially completed?
A) 1648
B) 1653
C) 1643
D) 1632
  • 32. What was the estimated cost of the Taj Mahal at the time of construction?
A) ₹20 million
B) ₹52.8 billion
C) ₹32 million
D) ₹15 million
  • 33. What structural element does the 'jawab' lack, distinguishing it from the mosque?
A) Flooring
B) A mihrab
C) Inlaid patterns
D) Sandstone walls
  • 34. What was used to raise heavy blocks into their desired position during construction?
A) A series of hydraulic lifts
B) Massive crane structures
C) An elaborate post-and-beam pulley system
D) A manual lever system
  • 35. What is the shape of the main inner chamber of the Taj Mahal?
A) Hexagon
B) Circle
C) Square
D) Octagon
  • 36. Which direction does the main door of the inner chamber face?
A) North
B) South
C) East
D) West
  • 37. How high are the interior walls of the main chamber?
A) 15 metres
B) 25 metres
C) 10 metres
D) 40 metres
  • 38. What motif decorates the 'false' interior dome?
A) Flower motif
B) Star motif
C) Moon motif
D) Sun motif
  • 39. Where are the real sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan located?
A) In the upper chamber
B) In the garden
C) In the corner rooms
D) In the basement
  • 40. What object on top of Shah Jahan's cenotaph identifies it as a male tomb?
A) A crown
B) A sword
C) A pen box
D) A shield
  • 41. In the lower tomb chamber, which way do the bodies face?
A) South towards the garden
B) East towards the sunrise
C) West towards Mecca
D) North towards the entrance
  • 42. How are the cenotaphs in the lower chamber arranged?
A) Symmetrically
B) Asymmetrically
C) In a circular formation
D) Stacked on top of each other
  • 43. Who commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal?
A) Aurangzeb
B) Shah Jahan
C) Akbar
D) Humayun
  • 44. The Taj Mahal was built to house the tomb of which person?
A) Nur Jahan
B) Mumtaz Mahal
C) Gauhara Begum
D) Shah Jahan's mother
  • 45. Who was the lead architect of the Taj Mahal?
A) Ustad Isa
B) Ismail Afandi
C) Ustad Ahmad Lahori
D) Amanat Khan Shirazi
  • 46. Approximately how many workers were employed to construct the Taj Mahal?
A) 10,000
B) More than 20,000
C) 50,000
D) 5,000
  • 47. What is the meaning of the word 'tāj' in the name Taj Mahal?
A) Tomb
B) Garden
C) Crown
D) Palace
  • 48. What type of script is used for the calligraphy on the Taj Mahal?
A) Thuluth
B) Devanagari
C) Nastaliq
D) Naskh
  • 49. What material was used for the finial on the main dome in the early 19th century?
A) Silver
B) Solid gold
C) Copper
D) Gilded bronze
  • 50. The calligraphy on the Taj Mahal buildings was created by whom?
A) Qazim Khan
B) Ustad Ahmad Lahori
C) Muhammad Hanif
D) Amanat Khan Shirazi
  • 51. What was the original name used for the Taj Mahal in the book Padshahnama?
A) Shah Jahan Mahal
B) Agra Tomb
C) Rauza-i munawwara
D) Mumtaz Bagh
  • 52. What is the size of the Taj Mahal complex?
A) 100 hectares
B) 40 hectares
C) 17 hectares
D) 5 hectares
  • 53. What motif sits at the top of the finial?
A) A star
B) A lotus flower
C) A sun
D) A moon
  • 54. What is the name of the style of garden found at the Taj Mahal?
A) Zen garden
B) Renaissance
C) English cottage
D) Charbagh
  • 55. Who introduced the charbagh garden design to India?
A) Ali Mardan
B) Shah Jahan
C) Babur
D) Akbar
  • 56. How many sunken parterres or flowerbeds are in the garden?
A) 8
B) 16
C) 24
D) 12
  • 57. What is the name of the raised marble water tank in the center of the garden?
A) Yamuna Tank
B) al Hawd al-Kawthar
C) Paradise Spring
D) Mahtab Bagh
  • 58. Where was Mumtaz Mahal first buried?
A) Beneath the mausoleum
B) North-western quadrant
C) Central marble tank
D) Across the Yamuna river
  • 59. What does the charbagh garden design symbolize?
A) Paradise garden (Jannah)
B) The Taj Mahal architect's vision
C) The Mughal Empire
D) The Yamuna River
  • 60. Who is suggested to have been the architect of the gardens?
A) Babur
B) William Jones
C) Mumtaz Mahal
D) Ali Mardan
  • 61. Who changed the landscaping of the gardens in the 19th century?
A) The Mughal Emperors
B) Persian architects
C) Local Indian farmers
D) The British Raj
  • 62. What material were the pipes that distributed water throughout the garden made of?
A) Iron
B) Lead
C) Earthenware
D) Copper
  • 63. What is the name of the moonlight garden discovered across the river?
A) Mahtab Bagh
B) Jannah
C) Charbagh
D) Khiyaban
  • 64. What was the inspiration for the charbagh design?
A) Buddhist temple gardens
B) Persian gardens
C) Ancient Greek architecture
D) London formal lawns
  • 65. What is the technique called that uses colorful relief and semi-precious stones to symbolize grandeur?
A) Bas relief
B) Mosaic tile
C) Fresco secco
D) Parchin kari
  • 66. What hue does the Taj Mahal exhibit during the day?
A) Pinkish
B) Golden
C) Milky white
D) Bluish
  • 67. Who is the expert that interpreted the Taj Mahal's compound as symbolizing earthly life and the afterlife?
A) An anonymous historian
B) Mumtaz Mahal
C) Shah Jahan
D) Ebba Koch
  • 68. What does the red sandstone side of the compound represent?
A) The servant quarters
B) The military barracks
C) Worldly markets
D) The royal treasury
  • 69. What does the plan of the worldly side symbolize in relation to the otherworldly side?
A) A mirror image
B) A direct contrast
C) A decorative addition
D) An inferior version
  • 70. What is the entrance fee for Indian citizens as of 2024?
A) ₹540
B) ₹50
C) ₹1,100
D) ₹100
  • 71. On which day of the week is the Taj Mahal complex closed to visitors?
A) Monday
B) Thursday
C) Sunday
D) Friday
  • 72. What type of vehicles are allowed near the Taj Mahal complex?
A) Electric buses
B) Petrol motorcycles
C) Personal cars
D) Diesel trucks
  • 73. According to a 2025 report, how much did the Taj Mahal earn over five years?
A) ₹500 crore
B) ₹150 crore
C) ₹297 crore
D) ₹100 crore
  • 74. Who suggested the idea of a 'Black Taj Mahal' in his writings?
A) Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
B) Geronimo Vereneo
C) P. N. Oak
D) Lord William Bentinck
  • 75. What myth involves broken bangles being found near the silhouette of the finial?
A) Missing jewelry from the tomb
B) Water appearing when the silhouette is beaten
C) Ghosts of the craftsmen
D) The structure collapsing
  • 76. Who claimed that the Taj Mahal was built by a Hindu king in 1155 AD?
A) P. N. Oak
B) Amar Nath Mishra
C) John Rosselli
D) Geronimo Vereneo
  • 77. In what year was the Taj Mahal included in the New Seven Wonders of the World?
A) 2007
B) 2019
C) 2000
D) 2015
  • 78. Which month is excluded from the night viewing of the Taj Mahal?
A) December
B) January
C) Ramadan
D) August
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