India Travel Guide

The Taj Mahal
Described by the poet Rabindranath Tagore as a "tear on the face of eternity", the Taj Mahal (daily 6am-7pm, closed Fri; Rs750 [Rs20]) is undoubtedly the zenith of Moghul architecture and quite simply one of the world's most marvellous buildings. Volumes have been written on its perfection, and its image adorns countless glossy brochures and guidebooks; nonetheless, the reality never fails to overwhelm all who see it, and few words can do it justice.

The glory of the monument is strangely undiminished by the crowds of tourists who visit, as small and insignificant as ants in the face of this immense and captivating structure. That said, the Taj is at its most alluring in the relative quiet of early morning, shrouded in mists and bathed with a soft red glow. As its vast marble surfaces fall into shadow or reflect the sun, its colour changes, from soft grey and yellow to pearly cream and dazzling white; it's well worth visiting at different times. This play of light is an important decorative device, symbolically implying the presence of Allah, who is never represented in anthropomorphic form. The Taj is also particularly beautiful after dark, when the moonlight shimmers on the facade; at the time of writing, has been opened to visitors in 30min slots (8pm-midnights) on the night of the full moon, two days preceding and two days following it. Tickets have to be purchased a day in advance from the Archeological Survey of India office, 22 Mall Rd (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; tel:0562/222 7261).

Overlooking the River Yamuna, and visible from the fort in the west, the Taj Mahal stands at the northern end of vast gardens enclosed by walls. Though its layout follows a distinctly Islamic theme, representing Paradise, it is above all a monument to romantic love. Shah Jahan built the Taj to enshrine the body of his favourite wife, Arjumand Bann Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal ("Elect of the Palace"), who died shortly after giving birth to her fourteenth child in 1631. The Shah was devastated by her death, and set out to create an unsurpassed, eternal monument to her memory. Of all the Moghuls, only Shah Jahan, who had been designing palaces and forts since the age of sixteen, could have come up with such a magnificent design. The name of the chief architect is unknown, but Amanat Khan, who had previously worked on Akbar's tomb, was responsible for the calligraphic inscriptions that adorn the gateways, mosque and tomb. Construction by a workforce of some 20,000 men from all over Asia commenced in 1632, and the mausoleum was completed in 1653. Marble was brought from Makrana, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and precious stones for decoration - onyx, amethyst, lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, crystal, coral and mother-of-pearl - were carried to Agra from Persia, Russia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China and the Indian Ocean. The story is given an exquisite poignancy by the fate of Shah Jahan himself, who became a tragic and inconsolable figure. Eventually, his devout and austere son Aurangzeb seized power, and Shah Jahan was interned in Agra Fort, where as legend would have it he lived out his final years "gazing wistfully at the Taj Mahal" in the distance (although the truth is somewhat less poetic: see "The secret symbolism of the Taj Mahal"). He died there in January 1666, with his daughter, Jahanara Begum, at his side; his body was carried across the river to lie alongside his beloved wife in his peerless tomb.