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Taj Mahal today found pride of place in a new list of seven wonders polled by people around the globe. The most photographed monument is accompanied by The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Statue of Christ Redeemer in Brazil, Machu Picchu in Peru, Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico and the Roman Collosseum in the list announced at a gala ceremony in the Portuguese capital Lisbon to coincide with the date 07.07.07.
In a colourful ceremony amid songs and dance, Bollywood star Bipasha Basu announced Taj Mahal as one of the wonders. Agra Mayor Anjula Singh received the award.
Taj Mahal is considered to be the finest example of Mughal architecture, its style combining of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architecture.
Historians say Shahjahan consulted experts from the Middle East and Europe while planning the monument.
It took 20,000 people over 22 years to build it. The government and the Archaeological Survey of India say it was finished in 1654, but some dispute this date. The surface of the monument has yellowed over the years due to pollution from vehicle fumes, factories, an oil refinery and funeral pyres at a nearby cremation ground In 1983, the Taj Mahal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India.
Taj Mahal is located 200 km (125 miles) south of Delhi, and is surrounded by ornamental gardens. One white minaret stands at each of its four corners and two smaller red sandstone buildings balance the postcard image on the banks of the Yamuna river.
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