Indian Adventure Agra The Taj Mahal Completed in 1648 after sixteen years of construction, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's Taj Mahal is modeled on an Islamic vision of Paradise. This memorial tomb and garden were built for the Emperor's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died in 1831. Her cenotaph is located at the centre of the tomb and the emperor's larger cenotaph was located to the west after his death in 1666. Return to the Indian Adventure Home Page.