Taj Mahal
One of the Three
world heritage site in Agra, Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of
white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, the Taj Mahal is the
jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired
masterpieces of the world's heritage.
Tourists from all
over the world visit Agra not to see the ruins of the red sandstone
fortress built by the Mughal emperors but to make a pilgrimage to Taj
Mahal, one of the world’s most famous architectural wonders, in a land
where magnificent temples and edifices abound to remind visitors about
the rich civilization of a country.
Taj Mahal means
"Crown Palace"
and is in fact the most well preserved and
architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. It is best described by
the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, as
"Not a piece of architecture,
as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love
wrought in living stones."
It is a celebration of woman built in
marble and that’s the way to appreciate it.
When to go: The
Taj
is open from 6 AM to 7:30 PM every day
except Friday. Get there
as early as possible to beat the crowds, and plan to visit the Taj at
least two different times during the day (dusk and dawn are best) in
order to experience the full effect of changing sunlight on the
amazing building.
Agra Fort
The fort is similar in layout to the Red Fort in Delhi. It is also
constructed mainly from red sandstone and was started by the
Mughal
Emperor Akbar in 1565 and added to by Emperor Shah Jahan who ended up
a prisoner in the fort which has a beautiful view of his masterpiece,
the Taj Mahal, on a clear day.
Akbar, king at 14, began consolidating his empire and, as an assertion
of his power built the fort in Agra between 1565 and 1571, at the same
time as Humayun's Tomb in Delhi.
Other sights
-
Akbar's Tomb,
Sikandra (10 km north of Agra on the Agra Delhi highway). The tomb
of Akbar lies here in the centre of the large garden. Akbar started
its construction himself but it was completed by his son, Jehangir
who significantly modified the original plans which accounts for the
somewhat cluttered architectural lines of the tomb. Four red
sandstone's gates lead to the tomb complex: one is Muslim, one
Hindu, one christian and one is Akbar's patent mixture. Akbar's
mausoleum is open from sunrise to sunset.
-
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's
Tomb. Empress Nur Jehan built
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes
called the Baby Taj, for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief
Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Small in comparison to many other
Mughal-era tombs, it is sometimes described as a jewel box. Its
garden layout and use of white marble, pietra dura, inlay designs
and latticework presage many elements of the Taj Mahal.
-
Mariam's Tomb, west
from Akbar's Tomb on Agra-Delhi highway. Constructed by Jahangir in
the memory of his mother
Mariam Zammani a title bestowed upon her,.
The grave is made of white marble. Though this building is in a
ruined condition, yet it has in its vicinity, a Christian Mission
School and a church. It is also said; Akbar himself made that it in
the memory of his Christian wife.
Gardens
-
Soami Bagh, 10 km
north of Agra. The white marble samadhi of the Radah Soami religion
is currently under construction. It was started in 1904 and is nor
expected to be completed until sometime next century. You can see
pietra dura inlaid marblework actulally being worked on.
Soami Bagh
is 2km north of Agra and can be reached by bus or cycle.
-
Mehtab Bagh,
directly across the Yamuna River from the
Taj Mahal. These botanical
gardens give you an opportunity to view the Taj at a remove from the
crowds of tourists. The trip takes about 30 minutes from the center
of town by autorickshaw and will cost about Rs 200. Entrance to the
park is Rs 100 for foreigners. Alternatively, walk past the entrance
and straight to the sandy banks of the river: the view of the Taj is
every bit as lovely (perhaps more so, since the barbed wire fence
surrounding the gardens will be behind you), although you may have
to deal with aggressive touts.
