The Taj Mahal rises above the banks of river Yamuna like a solitary tear on the cheek of time.

The great Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had thus described the majestic structure that was built as a mausoleum by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite queen, Arjumand Bano Begum or Mumtaz Mahal.

Solitary tear it indeed was for the emperor, but as the world views it today, the monument of love is nothing short of a wonder; an architectural gem; a crown in the history of architectural activity in India. Having taken 22 years to be built, this symbol of technical and aesthetic perfection achieved by the Indo-Islamic style of architecture and one of the most beautiful specimens of mankind's cultural heritage, cost the Mughal exchequer a whopping Rs 3 crore. The central dome of the Taj alone took 12 years to be constructed.

Constructed within the charbagh pattern of Mughal gardens, the Taj Mahal stands right in the middle of this garden. If one has to see a perfectly symmetrical architectural splendor, this is it. Sparkling white Makrana marble has been used to give the structure its milky-white appearance. The main entrance, the guest house, the mosque and the forecourt, all leading upto the Taj contribute to the symmetrical design of the complex.

Customization and customer care has also prompted us to diversify into areas that go beyond marble inlay work. Our business areas today include wood and brass handicraft, jewelry and even resorts and other tourism-related services. We also endeavor to serve our customers better with interior decoration consultations and ideas that would make their dreams in stone come true. For those interested in Mughal architecture as a whole, there is also that hierarchical treatment to the whole complex, as was the practice with all Mughal structures. The Taj proper and the garden are the most significant parts within the complex, followed by the gate and the forecourt and finally the least significant southern side, known as Mumtazabad.To add to the majestic architectural activity, there is the tender touch of delicate inlay work in hues of semi-precious stones. Motifs so commonly found in Mughal art have been used freely to breathe life into stone. Exquisite screen work, known as jaali, act as veils for the queen draped in stone within the central structure.

We at Oswal endeavor to relive the Taj experience with our skilled craftsmen. Being descendents of the very artisans who shaped and decorated the Taj, the artisans at Oswal shape and drape our marble products in the very same style, using the very same decorative accessories, the semi-precious stones.

The crown of Mughal architectural activity, the Taj Mahal is said to be one of the seven wonders of the world. One of the most beautiful specimens of mankind's cultural heritage, this monument of love was the vision of the fifth Mughal Emperor in India, Shah Jahan. His tribute to his beloved wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, known more popularly as Mumtaz Mahal, was embodied in the pure white marble structure, the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal along with the gardens laid out in the typical charbagh style, is in the form of a rectangle measuring 1900 feet x 1000 feet. Marble pavilions, one at each corner, surmount the high walls that surround this structure. The 187-feet high marble dome that rises as a canopy of the mausoleum, is supported on a tall marble drum.

Twenty varieties of precious and semi-precious stones, besides marble, were procured from places within and outside the Mughal frontiers for the monument. These stones were used for preparing the pietra-dura, marble inlay work, that is an integral part of the Taj.