Photograph exhibits the majestic Taj Mahal – an ivory white marble mausoleum built on 17 hectares or 42 acres of land on the southern bank of the river Yamuna at Agra, India. Discover exquisite catalogues of royalty free stock images of the Taj Mahal and other historic monuments designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.  So extensive was the architectural work, the Taj Mahal took 20 years for completion from 1632-1653 AD and the estimated cost (in the 17th century) was estimated at 32 million rupees (nearly 1 million US dollars). The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. Nearly twenty thousand artisans and craftsmen worked on the site and over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials. The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble. Download high resolution stock photos of the Taj Mahal captured in different moods.