The Taj Mahal’s construction cost was estimated at about 32 million rupees at the time.
This figure refers to an estimate for the completed Taj Mahal complex in the currency of the Mughal period. The project was commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. Construction of the principal mausoleum was completed around 1648, while work on the wider complex continued until approximately 1653.
The estimate covered an enormous undertaking involving white Makrana marble, red sandstone, skilled calligraphers, stone inlayers, dome builders, engineers, laborers, and elaborate waterworks. Materials were transported over long distances, and the complex included the tomb, mosque, jawab, gateway, garden, forecourt, and supporting structures.
The number should not be treated as a precise audited bill. Historical sources describe it as an approximate or estimated cost, and comparisons with modern money vary greatly depending on whether inflation, wages, purchasing power, or precious-material value is used. Modern-equivalent figures therefore differ, but the period estimate of 32 million is the standard answer to this quiz question.