Vertical Section through the Tage

This drawing made by a Delhi or Agra artist for the British Superintendent of Public Buildings in India from 1816 to 1822 depicts a cross section of the Taj Mahal. Two stories of eight rooms surround a central chamber in which are the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the tomb was built by her husband Shah Jahan, and Shah Jahan himself. The empress died in Burhanpur in 1631, following which orders were given by Shah Jahan for construction to begin in Agra. The tomb was essentially completed by 1643.