A Brief History of Taj Mahal.

Marble Inlay Art is also known as Pietradura Art or Pietredura Art. This is almost 400 years old Art, today is still in tradition in the land of the Taj Mahal. The Art of Marble Inlay or “PachiKari” or "Parchinkari" was introduced in India in the 17th century by the Mughals. The Mughals who were known for their great passion for art and architecture brought with them many different forms of art during their rule, which was the golden period of India’s architectural history.“ParchinKari” was a little-known art which was made famous by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who envisaged the decoration of the Taj Mahal (today one of the Top first Historical Monuments of the world) by this exquisite work, to fulfil the last wishes of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, whose real name was "Arjumand Bano Begum" The master craftsmen who specialized in this fine art of setting gems and semiprecious stones in marble came from Persia (today’s Iran) to decorate the Taj Mahal. So enormous was the vision of the Emperor that it took 20000 highly skilled master craftsmen, it took 22 years to realize his dream. During these years most of the master artisans had chosen Agra as their second home, as Agra was the capital of the most powerful imperial courts of the east and a great centre for scholars and artisans. Since then this exquisite art has been an integral part of the cultural heritage of Agra and has been kept alive by the descendants of the great artisans who gave the world the mesmerizing Taj Mahal. But today, marble inlay is enjoying a renaissance.