On June 17, 1631, Mumtaz Mahal passed away during childbirth. Over the next 23 years her grieving husband Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in her memory.

Monumental quest

1 It was designed by Augustus Pugin, named after a large mechanical device it featured and renamed in honour of the British queen in 2012. However, it has always been known by a more popular third name. Name this structure, which you might be reminded of while driving into Kolkata from its Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport?

2 In which unique way are the two 15th-century monuments related — Vijay Stambh built in Chittorgarh by Rana Kumbha and the Victory Tower built by Sultan Mahmud Khilji in Mandu?

3 The three tallest statues in the world are currently at Lushan in China, Khatakan Taung in Myanmar and Ushiku in Japan. Who is depicted in each of these statues?

4 Which celebrated Indian monument is named after a Sufi priest who, born as Bakhtiyar, got his sobriquet from a miracle attributed to him in the 12th century?

5 Which monument was supposed to be torn down in 1909, but was allowed to remain as it proved useful for communication purposes?

6 The creation of which American monument, finally completed in 1941, was hugely opposed by Native Americans as it was on grounds they considered sacred.

7 In 1997, which foreigner, known to the locals as Saint Ernesto, was honoured with a statue in the Bolivian town of La Higuera?

8 Which late 18th-century monument was designed by Lala Chand Ustad in the form of the crown of Krishna and has 953 windows in its five floors?

9 This monument has many legends associated with its creation. The most famous is inspired by the two-year- old Lord Godfrey of Leuven who was put in a basket suspended from a tree as his soldiers battled the Berthouts, and encouraged them in the only way he could. Which engaging European monument is this?

10 It was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre and has even been filled with water to stage mock sea battles. By what name is it more commonly known?

Answers

1. Big Ben in London, originally just called Clock Tower. Do watch out for a smaller replica on the way in from Kolkata airport

2. They were built by opposing rulers who both claimed victory in the same battle. Rana Kumbha probably has a better claim, as he decisively defeated Mahmud Khilji in the battle of Mandalgarh in 1443

3. All three of them feature the Buddha. The statue of the emperors Yan and Huang in Zhengzhou, China is in fourth place

4. Qutub Minar, named after Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. While Sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak started the construction, it was not named after him

5. The Eiffel Tower, built as the entrance to the 1889 Exposition Universelle

6. Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four American president are carved

7. Che Guevera. The statue marks the place where he was captured and executed

8. Hawa Mahal, created to allow the women of the royal household observe everyday life in Jaipur

9. The Manneken Pis in Brussels; the two-year-old lord reportedly urinated on the opposing troops

10. The Colosseum in Rome

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup; Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

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