Taj Mahal-An epitome of eternal love, one of the world’s most admired tourist destinations, situated on the south bank of river Yamuna in Agra city of Uttar Pradesh. Taj Mahal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and is now considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world. It draws approximately four million tourists each year. Taj Mahal is Agra Tourism’s face and certainly a must include place in your packages of Golden Triangle travel.
The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658) built Taj Mahal in 1632, in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The monument building was finished in the year 1653. The Taj Mahal was designed under architects Abdul-Karim Ma’mur Khan, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. It took 21 years to build the Taj Mahal with more than 20,000 men.
Taj Mahal is one of the world’s most revered Mughal masterpieces and it reflects the architectural styles of India, Persia and Islam. This is an integrated monumental complex that includes a white marble mausoleum housing Shah Jahan’s graves and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoleum is entirely made of white marble, set on a high plinth with four tall minarets in it. The Taj Mahal’s interior chamber is an octagon, decorated with precious and semi-precious gemstones in lapidary service. Mumtaz Mahal’s cenotaph is located at the middle of the inner hall, and Shah Jahan’s cenotaph lies west of Mumtaz Mahal.
The most amazing feature of this tomb is the Marble dome, also referred to as an onion dome. The top of this tomb is adorned with a lotus pattern and features a golden finish which is surmounted by a moon. A mixture of typical Persian and Hindu decorative elements is expressed in the finale. The Taj Mahal’s exterior is painted with paint, stucco, and stone carvings.
Taj Mahal Complex has a 300 sq. M big garden also known as Mughal Garden or Charbagh. The complex is vsurrounded by red sandstone walls at three sides. The entrance to the complex is through a wide ornamental gateway known as Darwaza-i-Rauza, inscribed with Quranic inscriptions and the calligraphed line ‘O Soul, you are at peace.
On full moon day and two days before and after that, Taj Mahal is open for night viewing. No petrol or diesel vehicles are permitted in the Taj area to preserve the beauty of the monument; hence, tourists must use cycle-rickshaws, tongas and electric buses to enter the monument.
Entry Fee: Indians Rs.20 and Foreigners Rs.750. International tourists who purchase the Rs.500/- Toll Tax Card from the Agra Development Authority for Taj Mahal do not need to purchase any other toll tax tickets if they visit monuments such as Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s Tomb, Itimad-ud-Daulah’s tomb on the same day.
Timings: from 6 AM to 6.30 PM. Friday locked.
