Taj Mahal
A white marble tomb built for a dead wife, perfectly symmetrical but for one thing.
Duration
2 hrs 30 min – 4 hrs
Best time
At opening, at sunrise
Open
Closed on Friday
Entry price
To confirm
Shah Jahan had it built between 1632 and 1653 for Mumtaz Mahal, his third wife, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Twenty thousand workers, marble from Makrana, semi-precious stones inlaid from China, Arabia and Sri Lanka.
Everything is symmetrical to the point of obsession: the four minarets lean slightly outward so they would fall clear of the dome in an earthquake, and the mosque to the west has a twin to the east, with no function, built for balance. One thing alone breaks it: Shah Jahan's cenotaph, added beside his wife's, off the axis.
Getting there
Three gates, east, west and south. The east gate is least congested at opening. No motor vehicle comes within five hundred metres.
What the price covers
paid entry, with a foreign rate distinct from the Indian one; the mausoleum itself costs extra. Rates to be checked
Rules on site
Closed every Friday for prayers. The banned-items list is long and strictly enforced: tripods, drones, food, playing cards, large bags. There is only one left-luggage counter, and it fills.
