The Taj Survivor’s guide

A universally admired masterpiece, the Taj Mahal is an UNESCO World Heritage Site that represents the pinnacle of Mughal achievement in art & architecture. It showcases India’s rich history and is considered the finest example of muslim art in India.

This majestic white mausoleum was commissioned by the fifth Mughal Emperor – Shah Jahan in 1631 A.D. in remembrance of his favorite wife – Mumtaz Mahal. The design was conceived as an earthly replica of the house of Mumtaz Mahal in paradise. Born Anjuman Banu Begum, Mumtaz Mahal was the daughter of a persian noble. She was renowned for her beauty and grace and died giving birth to her 14th child.

A teardrop in the face of eternity

– Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Laureate, Literature, 1913

The Taj Mahal is largely inspired by Islamic, Persian and Indian designs and it took over 20,000 men over 10 years to build this monument. Materials and precious stones were shipped from around the world to construct this masterpiece. The architecture work was largely thought to have been headed by the chief Mughal architect – Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, and the calligraphy work by Amanat Khan. Verses and passages from the Holy Quran are inscribed on the Taj Mahal by inlaying jasper into the white marble. Every visitor is greeted with the following verse at the main gate – ‘O Soul, thou art at rest. Return to the Lord at peace with Him, and He at peace with you.’

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Tips for surviving a Taj visit

A visit to this immense mausoleum of pure white dedicated to love should evoke nothing but unbridled joy & splendor. Unfortunately, that is not often the case for various reasons. The intense heat of India can leave you tired and hot. Set in a very crowded & polluted town – Agra’s squalor & poverty is devastating. As if that’s not enough, the touts, the pushy vendors & guides surrounding the Taj, the crazy crowds inside the Taj, the heavy security & the unbelievable amount of seemingly arbitrary rules can leave you with a sense of overwhelmingness.

However, with a little planning ahead of the visit, you have the power to change this to a magical visit. Here are some pointers we feel are important for you to consider while planning a visit to the Taj.

1. Plan a visit in Winter

Winter – November through February is the best time to visit the Taj Mahal. This way you can avoid the intense heat of the summer, and the rains of the monsoon season as well.

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2. Taj is closed every Friday

The Taj is open from sunrise to sunset all year around on every day of the week except Fridays. On Fridays, the mosque inside the Taj Mahal complex is filled with locals trying to offer their Jumma prayers.

If you do end up visiting Agra on a Friday, there are other things to do in Agra to fill the time until Saturday – Agra Fort, Itmad-Ud-Daula, Mehtab Bagh, among others.

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3. Beat the crowds

Even though the Taj is open from sunrise to sunset on all days of the week except Fridays, I highly recommend being there really early in the morning i.e. 30-45 minutes before the gates open. Since the gates open at 6AM, this would mean being in the ticket counter by 5:15AM. There’s nothing more exhilarating than being one of the first few to enter the Taj Mahal.

This is really the only way to experience the Taj in peace and relative calm – all the shops and vendors are not yet open at this time, and the swarms of tourists have not yet started their day.

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4. Avoid the South Gate

There are three gates to the Taj – the East Gate, the West Gate & the South Gate. The East Gate & the West Gate are open at 6AM every morning, whereas the South Gate is open only at 8AM. If you want to be among the first few into the Taj, avoid the South Gate.

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5. Be prepared for heavy security presence

There is a very heavy security presence at the Taj. After paying for the ticket, before entering the monument, the lines are split up into males and females, and further into foreigners and Indians to clear the security check.

Be prepared to be searched. Do not carry food or tobacco products. Tripods are not allowed as well.

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6. Experience the Taj on a full moon night

We have this on our bucket list. For five nights of every month, two nights prior to the full moon, two nights post the full moon, and on the night of the full moon, from 10PM onwards, the Taj can be visited in 8 batches of 50 people each for a duration of 30 minutes per batch. This ought to be magical. Tickets are more expensive than the regular tickets, and can be bought a day ahead. Details of the tickets and the hours can be found here.

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Photographing the Taj

The Taj has been photographed in every angle imaginable. But there are still interesting ways to capture it. Here are some ideas for you to consider on your Taj trip.

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1. The classic Taj shot

Probably the most cliched photo ever, every tourist that enters the Taj has one. But who can resist the classic photo of the Taj Mahal! The trick to getting a half decent photo without all the multitudes however, is to be among the first to get into the Taj. This means getting up early in the morning, and getting in line well before the opening hours. Getting in early is the best way to see the Taj – it is also cooler & much less noisier.

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2. Look for ways to frame the Taj

Try to use the exterior building to your advantage. The Taj has quite a few archways that form a beautiful frame to the Taj. And if people get in the way, try to use that to your advantage as well. Imagine capturing a photo of someone wearing a colorful sari juxtaposed next to the Taj!

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3. Right opposite from the Mehtab Bagh

The Mehtab Bagh is a charbagh garden located diametrically opposite the Taj to it’s north. The Yamuna river separates the garden from the Taj Mahal. Legend has it that this is the location Emperor Shah Jahan handpicked as the best place to view the Taj. He was supposed to build a replica of the Taj Mahal in black in this location for his own mausoleum, but was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb before he could do that.

The Mehtab garden is great for both sunrises and sunsets, and does tend to get crowded during sunset owing to its recent popularity. It is still much more walkable, green, and much less crowded than inside the Taj.

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4. From the banks of the Yamuna river

We were at the Taj really early, and were trying to figure out how to kill time. Seeing my camera gear, someone approached us and asked if they would be interested in a sunrise shot from the Yamuna river. A small fee later, I was out walking through the gardens and to the bank of the river Yamuna for a beautiful silhouette of the Taj.

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5. From the Agra Fort

The majestic Agra fort is a must-do for anyone visiting Agra. Until the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi, this fort was the seat of the powerful Mughal Empire.

Towards the end of his life, Shah Jahan was taken seriously ill. The Mughals did not have a tradition of primogeniture, and successions were typically brutal affairs, with brothers killing each other, and overpowering the father on their path to the throne. His eldest & favorite son – Dara Shikoh (Mumtaz Mahal’s first born) assumed control & this act triggered a war of succession between the four brothers.

In the bitter war that ensued, Aurangzeb proved to be the more able commander, and succeeded to the throne. Shah Jahan eventually recovered, but was imprisoned by Aurangzeb in the Agra fort.

It is rumored that Shah Jahan tragically spent the rest of his life as a prisoner pining from the Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.

If you have a medium zoom lens, you will be able to get this beautiful shot of the Taj from the Muasamman Burj as well.

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6. Zoom into the Details

Given how grand the monument is, it’s natural to just do wide angle shots to capture the monument in its entirety. However, do not forget to get a decent zoom lens as well to capture the details. The Taj is inscribed with beautiful calligraphy from the Holy Quran, and it’s interiors filled with jali frames with intricate carvings of plant and flower patterns.

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Baby Taj

If you have had your fill of the Taj Mahal, head over across town to the beautiful Baby Taj. Commissioned by Nur Jahan, the wife of the fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir (Shah Jahan’s father), it was built to commemorate her father – the Persian noble Mirza Ghiyas Beg.

Coming into hard times, Mirza Ghiyas Beg had immigrated to India from Persia, and offered his services to Mughal Emperor Akbar. He gained the faith of the Mughal emperor, and rose up through the ranks as a trusted member. He is also the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal. He earned the title of ‘Itmad ud Daula‘ (Pillar of the State) for his service. The tomb is called the ‘Itmad ud Daula ka Maqbara‘ (Tomb of the Pillar of the State), and is considered a smaller draft of the Taj Mahal.

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