1000 Places to See Before You Die 17 - Taj Mahal, Agra, India

On my first “big” trip abroad in 2004 I went to India for three months on a group tour. We partly travelled the country and partly stayed in a small town to teach English in the schools. During the traveling part of the trip we went to Taj Mahal. This place had always been on my “To see” lists and it was quite an experience finally getting to see it. I took a whole bunch of pictures, but being old school, this was with a film camera and I have had to scan them on my not-so-great scanner, so please excuse the quality. Hopefully, they convey the greatness of the experience anyway. 

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is located on the south bank of the Yamuna river in Agra. Across the river you can see the supposed foundations of a black twin mausoleum which according to legend the emperor meant for himself. It was never finished however, as he was deposed, and instead he was buried in the Taj Mahal besides his wife. Excavations have shown that these black stones are discolored white ones, but whether Shah Jahan was building a mausoleum for himself on the other side of the river to they belong to a different building is unclear. 

The foundations across the river

The Taj Mahal is constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. Earlier Mughal buildings were mainly constructed of red sandstone, but Shah Jahan promoted the use of marble instead. The mausoleum itself is surrounded by four minarets and the main chamber of the building houses false graves of the emperor and his wife. The actual graves are placed at a lower level to maintain the peace of the gravesite. The white marble dome dominates the building and is probably the most recognized feature of the building. It is nearly 35 meters high, and due to the shape it is often called an onion dome. The top is decorated with a lotus design and the dome itself is surrounded by four smaller domes placed at the corners. The minarets surrounding the mausoleum are more than 40 meters high and were designed to be working minarets from which the muezzin could call the Islamic faithful to prayer. The minarets were constructed in such a way that if they should collapse, which often happened to tall constructions of this period, the debris from the towers would fall away from the main building, protecting the tombs inside from damage. 

Decorating the building on the inside you can find paint, stucco, inlaid stones and carvings. Because Islamic art does not use images of animals or humans most of the decorations consist of calligraphy, abstract forms and plant motifs. The calligraphy is mainly made of black marble or jasper inlaid in the white marble. Panels placed higher up has slightly larger writing in order to counter the skewing effect when seen from below. 

Calligraphy

Inside the mausoleum main chamber the walls are 25 meters high with a false interior dome decorated with a sun motif. Inside here you also find carvings, calligraphy and inlaid stones decorating the chamber. Muslim tradition forbids elaborate decoration of graves, so the actual graves are placed at a lower level in a relatively plain crypt, while the empty sarcophagi in the main chamber are heavily decorated. The emperor’s wife’s (false) grave is placed precisely in the middle of the chamber, while the emperor’s own is placed west of hers and is the only asymmetrical element in the complex. This is possibly because he never meant to be buried here.

Around the building is a large complex of gardens. In the center of the garden you find a reflecting pool placed on the north-south axis to reflect the image of the Taj Mahal. The building is placed at the end of the garden which is unusual as the tomb would normally be placed in the center. The garden was described as containing a number of flowers and fruit trees, but it declined along with the Mughal empire. At the end of the 19th century the British assumed management of the Taj Mahal and laid out its garden to their own liking, making it resemble the formal lawns of England. 

The reflecting pool

Around the main white marble building you find on three sides red sandstone walls. Outside these walls are several additional mausoleums including those of Shah Jahan’s other wives and a tomb for Mumtaz’ favorite servant. The main gateway is built primarily of marble and is an impressive entrance to the complex. At the far end you find two red sandstone buildings. The western one is a mosque and the eastern one is considered to have been built primarily for aesthetic reasons, maintaining the symmetry of the complex, but it was probably used as a guesthouse. The floor of the mosque is laid with outlines of 569 prayer rugs in black marble. 

The entrance

Tourism

The Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 and that is fully deserved. Many consider it to be the best example of Mughal architecture and its beauty is undeniable. 

Millions of visitors come each year so getting some quiet time to enjoy the views can be quite hard. Luckily the area is quite large and I don’t recall it as being too crowded, even though there were lots of people. Having consulted my diary I see that we went there very early in the morning which might explain the lack of crowds. Tickets are priced higher for foreigners and lower for Indian citizens, which I only found fair. The entrance fee way back in 2004 wasn’t too bad even though I paid the higher price, and it was definitely worth it. We visited in the fall, and I remember it as very hot even though these are considered the cooler months. But being a northern European I probably have different feelings about “cool” weather than the Indians. 

Be sure to check the website for opening hours as the Taj Mahal is usually closed on Fridays and during the Ramadan. If you want to view it at night it is open on the night of the full moon and two days before and after. Again check the website for details. There are security restrictions as to what items you are allowed to bring inside; for now these seem to be water in transparent bottles, small video and still cameras, mobile phones and small purses. Big bags, big cameras and water in non-transparent bottles are not allowed so be sure to pack accordingly. The website does say mobiles phones are to be switched off, so if your phone is your only camera you might need to ally yourself with a friend who has a “proper” camera. There are also stricter security restrictions for the night viewings, so be sure to stay up to date via the website below. 

The official website: http://www.tajmahal.gov.in/tourist_information.html

All facts are from “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz and Wikpedia