Taj Mahal - Agra - TravBuddy

If you go to the Taj Mahal, make sure you use the south or east entrance instead of the west. The west is the busiest, where most people are dropped off and therefore the lines are massive! If you are waiting in line at the west entrance, people will tell you they can get you ahead of the line for 200 Rs. Little do you know is that they will just guide you to the south entrance instead - because there is literally no line there!...something you could easily figure out on your own and save you the 200 Rs scam fee. If you do use the west entrance, there are 2 lines: one for females, one for males. The female line is much shorter!

Tickets to the Taj Mahal cost 750 Rs ($19 USD) unless you buy your ticket for the Taj Mahal in conjunction with the Agra Fort ticket, in which case it will cost you 750 Rs total, saving you 200-300 Rs. If you buy your combined ticket at the Agra Fort, you will pay 500 Rs and then have to pay another 250 Rs at the Taj Mahal with a special ticket they give you. You also receive a free bottle of water (life saver, really) and shoe coverings because you will have to take your shoes of to enter the Taj and the marble is HOT! If you don't want to look like a complete nerd in the shoe coverings, wear socks!

Though it took twenty thousand engineers, architects, craftsmen, and laborers twenty-two years to construct the stunning Taj Mahal, they didn't wire the place! There were no outlets, wall-switches, lamps or lighting present the last time that I was there (in 1984.)

So, something to consider when you plan a trip to Agra is timing your arrival to coincide with a full moon. The white marble wonder of the world takes on a dull, grayish glow in moonlight and to see it then adds a whole new dimension to the Taj experience. Like seeing it that first time, you will once more be gripped in awe and wonder. This picture isn't spectacular but the best of the several that I had taken, experimenting with various camera settings since I am normally not a night photographer.

When you want to see the Taj Mahal without a lot of people go there very very early in the morning. We were there around 6am, and there was about 50 people. As well the light is really good for taking pictures.
With the morning sun the white marmor is almost pink in colour.
Go early its worth it!!

Taj Mahal is cool, I really enjoyed it. But you should be prepared to the "wall" of indian people that want you to go with their rickshaw , telleing you that its "wery far to Taj", ore people that wants to give you a private guided tour.  You can't get rid of them if you not say the magic words "we are not going to Taj Mahal" (even if you are doing that) That might help.

/fredrik stattin

Taj Mahal is what I went to India to see. It has been pictured in countless photographs, and when I first saw it from Agra Fort just as the king Shah Jahan would have seen it during his last years. He was being imprisoned there by his son and could only see it from afar. The air was slightly hazy, as supposedly was common this time of the year (November), the Taj Mahal looked like it rose out of a dream. Later I saw it up close, and went inside. It is as beautiful as the postcards, if only there weren't so many people around! It is supposed to be open to the public during the few nights of full moon each month, pity we didn't go during a full moon!

It is really the tomb for a queen, not a temple or place of worship. The fifth king Shah Jahan of the Mughal Dynasty (a Mulsim rule) had a wife Mamataz, they were married 19 years and she bore 14 children for him (most died). When she died after complications of the last birth, the king built the Taj Mahal as her mausoleum. It took 22 years to build. The style is a combination of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture. The white marbles are inlaid with precious stones. The same technique was used in the Sheesh Mahal in Agra Fort where the king was later imprisoned by his son!

The Taj Mahal site is quite large, and one enters through a grand gate made of red sandstones. After entering the gate, you are on a platform where you can see the white Taj Mahal straight ahead, beyond many fountains (not always running). It's still a long distance to walk through the formal and symmetrical Mughal style garden to get there. Then you have to either leave your shoes at the bottom of the platform or put on some paper shoe coverings. You then walk up the steps onto the platform where the Taj Mahal is. On four corners of this platform are 4 towers. The Taj Mahal is symmetrical on its four sides!

People queue up to go inside. But there is really not that much to see inside, other than 2 symbolic tombs for the king and queen, their real tombs are below not for tourists to see. You can walk along the inside corridors and exit at the back.

At the back side you can see the river Yamuna, on the left and right side are mosques, made of red sandstones mostly and some white marbles.

If you are anywhere in Northern India (a la Delhi), you have to duck over to see the Taj. I was fortunate enough to have an extra day after a business trip this past February and drove down in the evening. 2 pieces of advice: (1) The drive is very interesting to say the least and is 4 hours. Be prepared. Since you cross a state line and private vehicles must be taxed, most likely you will have to make this journey in a taxi as most have paid the tourist tax required to cross state lines. (2) Head over to the Taj early in the morning; the weather will be very pleasant and you will beat the insane crowds that flock later in the afternoon. There is a pick-pocket problem there when it gets crowded so beware. (3) Take the bike-taxi ride to the main gate. There are beggars and street merchants everywhere trying to sell you things and the ride will cut this down to a minimum, unless you enjoy that sort of thing and see it as part of the experience.

Overall, this was an awe inspiring thing to see; It is one of the world's wonders for a reason. The building, actually a shrine to the king's late wife, was designed and built on the banks of the Yamuna River in the 1600s by 20,000 workers and took over 20 years to complete. Without modern technology, they were able to make working fountains, achieve perfect symetry, use optical illusions and move very heavy marble rocks. This in and of itself is amazing. A side trip to Agra is definately a must.

The Taj Mahal really is a wonder of the old world. Make sure and go early in the morning or near sunset to take full advantge of the beautiful scenery and try to escape the heat. You will pay more if you are not an Indian citizen. You can save a lot by going on a holiday. There are lots of pickpockters, and don't bother to register your camera. Take note that you do not have to pay for shoe covers, nor do you have to make an offering at any of the tombs, but you will be pressured to. This truely is a must see