Shah Jahan had been grief-stricken when his…

Shah Jahan had been grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in 1631 during the birth of their fourteenth child, Gauhara Begum.

Construction of the Taj Mahal begins in 1632, one year after her death.

The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal, designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the favorite architect of the previous emperor Jahangir.