Often
people think of the question that "how was Taj Mahal named".
However, the name of Taj Mahal has a number of legends surrounding it.
One of the legends is that the name Taj Mahal is derived from the
Persian language, the language spoken in Mughal court. In Persian, the
word Taj means Crown and the word Mahal means place or area. In
combination, the word Taj Mahal more or less means, "Crown Place"
or "Place of the Crown". Another one of the myths behind the name of Taj Mahal is that the monument is named after the wife of Shah Jahan, its founder. Originally named as Arjumand Banu Begum, she was later christened as Mumtaz Mahal. And, Taj Mahal is supposed to be a shorter version of Mumtaz Mahal. Still another legend of Taj Mahal's name is that it was derived from the name of a Shiva Temple, "Tejo Mahalaya". It is said that the temple was taken over by Shah Jahan and then remodeled as the Taj Mahal.