The Taj Mahal is a beautiful white marble mausoleum in the city of Agra, India. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in the world and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Every year, the Taj Mahal receives visits from between four and six million tourists from all over the world.
Interestingly, less than 500,000 of those visitors are from overseas; the vast majority are from India itself. UNESCO has designated the building and its grounds as an official World Heritage Site, and there is much concern that the sheer volume of foot traffic may have a negative impact on this wonder of the world. Still, it is hard to blame people in India for wanting to see the Taj, since the growing middle class there finally has the time and leisure to visit their country's great treasure.
Why the Taj Mahal Was Built
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628 - 1658) in honor of the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal, his beloved third wife. She died in 1632 while bearing their fourteenth child, and Shah Jahan never really recovered from the loss. He poured his energy into designing and building the most beautiful tomb ever known for her, on the southern banks of the Yamuna River.
It took some 20,000 artisans more than a decade to build the Taj Mahal complex. The white marble stone is inlaid with floral details carved from precious gems. In places, the stone is carved into delicate vined screens called pierce work so that visitors can see into the next chamber. All of the floors are inlaid with patterned stone, and incised painting in abstract designs adorns the walls. The artisans who did this incredible work were supervised by an entire committee of architects, headed by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The cost in modern values was about 53 billion rupees ($827 million US). Construction of the mausoleum was completed around 1648.
The Taj Mahal Today
The Taj Mahal is one of the loveliest buildings in the world, combining architectural elements from across the Muslim lands. Among the other works that inspired its design are the Gur-e Amir, or the Tomb of Timur, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Humayun's Tomb in Delhi; and the Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah in Agra. However, the Taj outshines all of these earlier mausoleums in its beauty and grace. Its name literally translates as 'Crown of Palaces.'
Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal Dynasty, descended from Timur (Tamerlane) and from Genghis Khan. His family ruled India from 1526 to 1857. Unfortunately for Shah Jahan, and for India, the loss of Mumtaz Mahal and the construction of her amazing tomb utterly distracted Shah Jahan from the business of governing India. He ended up being deposed and imprisoned by his own third son, the ruthless and intolerant Emperor Aurangzeb. Shah Jahan ended his days under house arrest, lying in bed, gazing out at the white dome of the Taj Mahal. His body was interred in the glorious building he had made, beside that of his beloved Mumtaz.
The Taj Mahal is one of India's most dominant architectural marvels and is among the country’s most popular landmarks. Situated in the city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum that sits on a 17-hectare piece of land next to the Yamuna River. More than 20,000 laborers drawn from the Mughal Empire were involved in the construction of the mausoleum under the leadership and guidance of the project’s chief architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Construction of the mausoleum primarily occurred from 1632 until 1643. However, construction of the complex was not officially complete until 1653.
History of the Taj Mahal
The mausoleum’s construction was commissioned in 1632 by Shah Jahan, Emperor of the Mughal Empire, in honor of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Born to a prince and princess in 1592, Shah Jahan ascended to the Mughal throne in 1628. The emperor’s reign was long and relatively prosperous, and result in the expansion of the Mughal Empire and the construction of many iconic pieces of Mughal architecture. The emperor married Mumtaz in 1612, who became his favorite wife (the emperor had nine wives during his lifetime) and bore him 14 children. Mumtaz died in 1631 while delivering their 14th child and was temporarily buried along the Tapti River. After a lengthy period of mourning, Shah Jahan decided to have a grand mausoleum built where Mumtaz’s remains would be interred.
Construction of the Mausoleum
Experts from the empire and beyond had to come up with new innovative ideas to enable them to build the Taj Mahal. An example of this innovation is the earth ramp, which stretched over nine miles in length and was specifically built for the transportation of materials. Oxen and elephants to move construction materials. Specially designed carts were pulled by at least 20 oxen to transport huge blocks to the construction site along the earth ramp. Another example of the grandeur of the Taj Mahal’s construction was the gigantic scaffold made of bricks instead of the usual bamboo scaffold. The scaffold was so immense that the laborers thought it would take years to dismantle. However, sources suggest that the Shah Jahan announced that laborers could keep any bricks they removed from the scaffold, which motivated peasants to dismantle it in only one night.
Scale of the Taj Mahal’s Construction
The Taj Mahal consumed materials on a scale that had not been witnessed before, and historical accounts suggest that the materials were transported using more than 1,000 elephants. The materials were sourced from regions surrounding the Mughal Empire, with jasper coming from neighboring Punjab and white marble sourced from Rajasthan. However, some materials came from as far as Arabia, where carnelian was sourced, and sapphire was imported from Sri Lanka. The construction of the mausoleum complex is believed to have cost over $827 million (adjusted to 2015 US dollars).
Tourism to the Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal has become synonymous with the Mughal period of India’s history and is one of the country’s most recognizable structures. Due to its popularity, the mausoleum complex is among India’s most visited tourist spots and receives more than seven million visitors each year. In 1983, the Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What Is The Taj Mahal Used For Now
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Visiting the Taj Mahal has been a lifelong dream for me, so you can imagine how excited I was to visit last week as part of a small group tour with TD Active Holidays. Before visiting the Taj Mahal for the first time, I was pretty clueless about the best time to visit, how strict they are about letting people in and what the best times to visit are. I actually hoped to see the Taj Mahal at sunset but turns out due to haze and pollution in Agra, and the direction in which the sun sets in relation to the Taj Mahal, sunset isn’t really a good time to visit.
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Sunrise is by far the best time to visit the Taj Mahal. Not just because the early morning light turns the dome of the temple a soft, golden colour, but because this is the time when there are the least amount of tourists and if you get in early enough, you might even get some perfect portraits with no people in them.
There’s also something magical about watching the sun rise behind the Taj Mahal, a building that symbolises one of the greatest true love stories ever told. I’m sure other times of day can be nice too, and if you’re travelling to the Taj Mahal with kids, for example, getting up at the crack of dawn might not be an option.
While I’m sure it’s clear to you by now that sunrise is the best time to visit, I want to emphasise that the earlier you get there, the better. I didn’t realise how tight security would be, and how long the queue to get i would be so early in the morning. It’s honestly like going through security at the airport, with bag and body scanners to pass through.
We arrived at the Taj Mahal at around 6am and there were already big crowds in front of us in the ticket queue. Our guide queued up to get tickets for us all, and as part of the package every one is given one bottle of water and disposable shoe covers.
You CANNOT bring in your own water bottle into the Taj Mahal, only the water bottle supplied with your tickets. You also cannot bring in any liquids (think mosquito repellant, sunscreen, hand sanitizer etc), any food or drink or anything that isn’t really needed. No lighters, no cigarettes. Seriously just bring your camera, phone, spare lens and that’s it. They are also very strict about professional photography and videos so best to leave the tripod at home. We were told selfie sticks were prohibited but there were quite a few tourists inside using there.
The smaller your bag, the quicker you get in. They actually have two queues at one stage – one for people with hand bags and small rucksacks and one for people with no bags at all. If you want to get those perfect photos, bring AS LITTLE as possible.
One you’ve got your ticket, shoe covers and water, you join one of 4 queues. One for male foreigners, one for female foreigners, one for female locals, one for male locals. Queue takes about 10 – 15 minutes at sunrise and probably much longer later in the day. You walk through a body scanner, a woman pats you down, your bags get scanned, and then your free to check out the Taj Mahal for as long a you like. In my case….RUN to get that shot before the crowds arrive!
Perfect reflection shots
Once you walk through the main gates, you will no doubt stand in awe for a few moments at your first glimpse go one of the world’s most beautiful buildings. it really is a sight to behold, so beautiful and so perfect that it actually looks photoshopped no matter what angle you look at it from! You can get some nice shots from this raised platform but to get those much coveted reflection shots you’ll need to walk down into the gardens, into the middle of the ground and crouch down by the blue-tinted ponds and play around with angles until you find that perfect shot. The first pond has a fence around it so you can’t take photos too close to the water, but the second pond, in front of the famous “Princess Diana bench” has no fence and it the perfect place to get photos. If you’re early enough, you can get shots with no tourists. If you’re planning on visiting the Taj Mahal at sunrise, these shots are a must!
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Through the golden arches
What Is The Taj Mahal Purpose
My next stop was the red mosque to the left of the Taj Mahal. if you’re here early enough, just as the sun is rising in the distance, the perfect rays shine right into the arches on the mosque. The arches frame the Taj Mahal perfectly and you can always find a perfect symmetry shot. This is where I took one of my favourite shots of the day.
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Get up close
What Is The Taj Mahal History
Many photographers are so fixated on photographing the Taj from a distance, they forget to get a little closer and appreciated the details of this architectural masterpiece. While you can’t take shots inside, you can take them outside the main dome which is a stunning building that has to be seen up close to be fully appreciated. The tiles, the arches, the white dome. lovers sitting around admiring the world’s greatest love story, people crying at the sight of a symbol that have longed to see all their lives.
Alternative angles
As one of the most photographed buildings in the world, it can be difficult to take a photo that doesn’t look like every other shot of the Taj Mahal. Try walking around and thinking outside the box. Make use of the gardens, the unique flowers that bloom and even that thick haze from the pollution that can make for an atmospheric shot. The river at the back of the Taj Mahal can also make for a nice backdrop for pics.
From the Mehtab Bagh park
If you have some spare time in Agra, I recommend going to Mehtab Bagh park for sunset. This park is across the river from the back of the Taj Mahal and is a fun place to get more unique shots of the temple. Sadly the river water has receded in recent years which means you can no longer get those perfect river reflection shots that photographers in the past were able to shoot. The park is a relaxing place to spend an hour or two, there are trees, gardens and perfectly planted flower beds to help frame your alternative photo of the Taj Mahal. There were many women walking around carrying heavy loads on their heads. We stopped to talk to a few and for a small donation they allowed us to photograph them and even posed for some portraits.