Agra Attractions

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is one of the world's most recognisable and evocative sights and a visit here does not disappoint. Set overlooking the River Yamuna, visible from Agra Fort in the West, the Taj was built by Shah Jahan to enshrine the body of his favourite wife who died giving birth to her 14th child, in 1631. This story of this great monument to love is given an added poignancy by the fate of Shah Jahan himself. When his devout and austere son Aurangzeb seized power, Shah Jahan was interned in Agra Fort where he lived out his final years gazing wistfully at the Taj Mahal in the distance. When he died there in January 1666, with his daughter Jahanara Begum at his side, his body was carried across the river to lie alongside his beloved wife in his peerless tomb. Completed in 1653, the Taj Mahal is set in a large walled garden, between two mini-Tajs (one of which is a mosque), in front of a long reflective pond. Close up the craftsmanship is as spectacular as at a distance; the inside of the vast double-dome is inlaid with verses from the Koran and semi-precious stones. Visitors should aim to visit it at dawn and dusk when the reflection of the sun changes the colour of the dome from white to shades of pink. Note that there can often be smog and fog in the mornings.

Telephone: (0562) 233 0496; Opening time: Sunrise to sunset; Admission: Rs. 250 entry fee plus Rs. 500 levy (valid at various sites for 1 day)