This sight is located in Agra, India. For travel information about Agra, read the Agra Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to India, read also the India Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
The Taj Mahal is undoubtedly the most famous building in Agra, and probably the most famous in India as well. I took the above photograph very early in the morning. It was part of the trip which I organised for members of AsiaExplorers to India. It was early morning when we hired a taxi to take us to the banks of the Yamuna. We arrived when it was still totally dark. The sight of the Taj Mahal before me was one of the most awesome sights. We waited until the sun began to creep up the sky, colouring it in varying shades of vermillion, pink and crimson.
There was this man who appeared with his camel, and I have to honestly tell you that I gave him some money so that he would walk his camel in front of me. I got a few great shots of him and his camel.
The Taj Mahal was built by the fifth emperor of the Mughal Dynasty, Shah Jahan, as the mausoleum to his wife Arjuman Banu Begum, who went by the royal title of Mumtaj Mahal. She died bearing his 14th child. According to legend, before she died, she asked her husband to keep three promises: never to remarry, to be kind to their children, and to build for her a tomb. It is said that he kept all three.
Sunrise at the Taj Mahal.
The Taj derived elements from existing tomb designs, owing much to that of Humayun's Tomb in Delhi.
The Taj Mahal stands in a formal garden measuring 1900ft by 1000ft with its back to the Yamuna River. Agra was the site for it because it was the capital of the Mughal Empire, which took in much of northern India, in the 16th and 17th centuries. One enters through a pavilion at the main axis. The mausoleum sits on a raised terrace and as we approach it, we can see it reflected on the reflecting pools. On its left and right are identical red sandstone buildings. One is the mosque, the other serves no particular purpose but erected simply to preserve the symmetry with the mosque.
Shah Jahan intended to build a second, similar tomb for himself, out of black marble. In fact, the project to build the Black Taj Mahal was afoot, but political circumstances intervened - his son Aurangzeb disposed him. He spent the remainder of his life at Agra Fort, Members of AsiaExplorers explored the opposite bank of the Yamuna river where ruins of the incomplete Black Taj was located.
Taj Mahal in the morning
Experience Taj Mahal in the morning, when the sun is just coming out.
Taj Mahal in the evening
Return to the Taj Mahal in the evening, and mingle with the throngs of visitors admiring the mausoleum.
About the Author: AsiaExplorers is researched and written by Timothy Tye. We take reasonable care to check and verify the accuracy of the content. However, we disclaim any responsibility for any inconvenience, mishap, injury or death resulting from following the advice provided directly or indirectly by AsiaExplorers and the comments on its pages. All the photographs in AsiaExplorers are available for publication. Please contact AsiaExplorers at the following email address for your enquiries:
