Taj Mahal Marathon marathon is also India's longest in terms of the distance. The Taj Mahal Marathon is not the first long-distance running event held in the city, which starts around Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal Marathon was organized by Adventure Marathon in 2008 and was discontinued thereafter. It was a 42.195 km long marathon. The course started in a small village of Niyamatpur and winded through the countryside before joining the main highway to the city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Set over a largely flat course along the Chambal River from River Yamuna, and spanning 222 kilometres (138 miles), The
Taj Mahal and the mausoleum was completed in 1643, while the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The imperial court documenting Shah Jahan's grief after the death of Mumtaz Mahal illustrates the love story held as the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun's Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the "Baby Taj"), and Shah Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While