DFRAC Editor 
The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world and a major tourist attraction. It is said that Shah Jahan made the monument in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz after her death. However, many types of claims about Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal are becoming massively viral.
A social media user tweeted, “We know Taj Mahal as symbol of love, but lesser-known facts are:
1) Mumtaz was Shahjahan’s 4th wife out of his 7 wives.
2) Shahjahan killed Mumtaz’s husband to marry her.
3) Mumtaz died during his 14th delivery.
4) After her death Shahjahan married Mumtaz’s sister.”
Similarly, many other users have shared the same type of claims on their social media handles.
Fact Check
The claim mentioned that Mumtaz was 4th wife out of seven wives of Shah Jahan. However, according to various historical sources, Mumtaz Mahal aka Arjumand Abu-al-Hassan was Shah Jahan’s second wife. Therefore, the claim that “Mumtaz was Shahjahan’s 4th wife out of his 7 wives” is not true.
Mumtaz was betrothed to prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) on 7 th Zil Hijjah 1015/5th April 1607 at the age of fourteen/thirteen years. Then She got married to Shahjahan on 10th May 1612 and the celebrations continued for a whole month. There is no record of any other marriage of Mumtaz. Shah Jahan was her only husband throughout. Therefore, the claim that “Shahjahan killed Mumtaz’s husband to marry her” is wrong.
Furthermore, it is true that Mumtaz Mahal died after giving birth to the fourteenth child of Shah Jahan. After her death, there is no record of Shah Jahan marrying anyone. Therefore, the claim that, “After her death Shahjahan married Mumtaz’s sister” is wrong.
Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui 
Aayushi Rana 