Meet the man who designed Taj Mahal and Red Fort, salary was much more than CTC of CEOs of many companies, was paid...

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was known for his love for majestic forts and buildings and during his reign many forts were built across India, including the world famous Red Fort (Lal Qila) and Taj Mahal. Red Fort is located in Old Delhi, Delhi and Shah Jahan ordered the construction of Red Fort when he decided to move his capital from Agra to Delhi on May 12, 1638.

Shah Jahan hired the services of architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who also built the Taj Mahal, for the construction of Red Fort. Ustad Ahmad Lahori was one of the best architects of that era. According to historians, Shah Jahan used to pay Rs 1000 as salary to Ustad Ahmad Lahori. If we adjust the amount to inflation then the salary of Ustad Lahori was much more than the salary of many modern-day CEOs.  

Who was Ustad Ahmad Lahori?

Ustad Ahmad Lahori (c.1580–1649) was the chief architect during Shah Jahan’s reign. Besides the construction of Taj Mahal and Red Fort, Lahori also designed the Jama Mosque in Delhi. Ustad Ahmad Lahori belonged to a family of architects and he was bestowed the title of Nadir-ul-Asar (wonder of the age) by emperor Shah Jahan.

According to historians, Ahmad Lahori knew geometry, arithmetic and astronomy and he was also familiar with Euclid's Elements and Ptolemy's Almagest. In 1631, Ahmad Lahori was appointed by Shah Jahan to construct Taj Mahal and it took 12 years and some 20,000 artisans to complete the construction of the iconic structure.