Meet 372-Year-Old 'Most Beautiful Building In The World', Built On 42 Acres, Attracts Millions Of Tourists Every Year...Yes, It's In INDIA!

It's official! India is home to the 'most beautiful building in the world'. Its magnificent presence stuns the onlookers every time they visit the place. Besides, architectural marvel, in other ways it is believed to be an epic timeless symbol of love which attracts over 4.84 million tourists wanting to catch a glimpse of it. Let's find out more about the beauty of this monument. 

Yes, it has to be none other than the Taj Mahal. The white marble monument to love has been named as the most beautiful building in the world by Time Out - a global authority of travel and culture. Taj Mahal tops a list of 24 most beautiful buildings in the world, shortlisted by Time Out travel editors.

The Taj Mahal ('Crown of the Palace') is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.  

Construction of the mausoleum was completed in 1648, but work continued on other phases of the project for another five years. The name 'Taj Mahal' is believed to be derived from Arabic and Persian, with the words tāj mahall meaning "crown" "palace". The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died on 17 June that year while giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum.

The monument of love became iconic and timeless for its rich architecture and beauty.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being 'the jewel of Islamic art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage'. The Taj Mahal is a major tourist attraction and attracts more than five million visitors a year. In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World initiative. The Taj Mahal and its setting, surrounding grounds, and structures are a Monument of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India.

It is the white marble structure standing on a 6-metre (20 ft) high square plinth with sides measuring 95.5 metres (313 ft) in length. The base structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners forming an eight-sided structure that is approximately 57.3 metres (188 ft) long on each of the four long sides.

The predominant feature of the mausoleum is the 23-metre (75 ft) high marble dome that surmounts the tomb. The onion shaped dome sits on a 12-metre (39 ft) high cylindrical drum with an inner diameter of 18.4 metres (60 ft). The dome is slightly asymmetrical and is topped by a 9.6-metre (31 ft) high gilded finial. The complex is set around a large charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden is divided by two main walkways. 

Taj Mahal's design follows Indo-Islamic and Mughal architecture. The building complex employs symmetrical constructions with the usage of various shapes and symbols. While the mausoleum is constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, red sandstone was used for other buildings in the complex similar to the Mughal era buildings of the time, as per Wikipedia information.

Three other buildings from Asia were included in Time Out ranking. At No. 12 is the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the house of the Parliament of Bangladesh in the capital, Dhaka. Vietnam's Bát Tràng Ceramic Community House in Hanoi is ranked No. 15. At No. 24 is Enryaku-ji, a Tendai monastery in Kyoto, Japan. It's considered one of the most important monasteries in Japan, as it was founded in 288 by Saicho, the monk who introduced Tendai Buddhism to the country.