to know
The Taj Mahal looms fairytale-like from the banks of the River Yamuna. It is the most recognized monument of India and is also one of the seven wonders of the world. The monument dates back to 1630 and is actually a tomb that contains the body of Mumtaz Mahal – the wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
He had it built as an ode to his love for her. It is made of marble and took 22 years and 20,000 workers to complete. Words cannot do the Taj Mahal justice, its incredible detail simply must be seen to be appreciated.
Here’s how to expertly navigate to India’s most popular destination.
Entrance tickets
For foreigners, the entrance fee to the Taj Mahal is 1,000 rupees. Indian citizens pay only 40 rupees. Children under 15 are free. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices near the entrance gates or online at this site. (Note that Taj Mahal tickets can no longer be purchased at Agra Fort or other monuments and only offer a minimal discount if you wish to visit other monuments on the same day).
Before leaving
Security at the Taj Mahal is very strict. What you can and cannot bring into the tomb complex often depends on who is handling the rather chaotic airport-style security at the entrance gates (there have been instances where cell phones are not permitted).Text and
Leave large bags and backpacks at your hotel or with your driver and bring only a small bag containing the essentials. You are allowed to bring one video camera and mobile phone per person. Video cameras are generally not permitted although it is sometimes possible to pay extra for these at the ticket office.
Prohibited items include anything edible including sweets, headphones, cell phone chargers, other electrical items including iPads, pens of any kind, torches, knives and camera tripods.
Opening time?
The complex is closed on Fridays. The east and west doors open dawn to dusk; South Gate opens 8am to 5pm.
Contact
Official website: tajmahal.gov.in
Access to the complex
To protect the Taj Mahal from further pollution, motor vehicles are not allowed within 500 meters of the complex. There are three entrances: the West, South and East gates. The East Gate offers the easiest access from most hotels. Drivers should leave visitors in the Shilgram car park which contains the ticket office which is on the right hand side after going through the entrance gate. (Note that some hotel concierge desks sell tickets to avoid the queue here.)
Show your entrance ticket to get a free bottle of water and shoe covers from the roadside kiosk next to the car park entrance. Electric trolleys and buses offer a transfer service to the East Gate itself. If the queue is long, you can walk for 15 minutes or hop on a pedicab for Rs 50 (55p) which can be negotiated from Rs 100 (£1.10) asking price.
The tomb complex is wheelchair accessible.
Avoid queues
Upon reaching the East Gate, you will find four lanes leading to security: Foreign Women, Foreign Men, Local Women, and Local Men. To see the Taj Mahal with the fewest people, it’s best to arrive at the West or East Gates at 6.30am in winter – half an hour before it opens. (The South Gate doesn’t open until 8am).
Joining the 7am queue can mean a 30 minute wait to reach security as a foreigner. If you don’t want to get up early – or it’s a very foggy morning – the queue is often shorter around 8:30am after the first rush to get in.
Get a grip on the layout
The tomb complex is easy to navigate. Most visitors spend three hours here. All three entrance doors lead into a large porticoed courtyard where, in the past, visitors could dismount from their horses and palanquins. As you pass under the Great Gate, there is a strong sense of moving from the bustling world of the city to the serene world of the mausoleum.
Set in a symmetrical Persian-style garden with lawns and streams divided by wide paths, the mausoleum is flanked by two nearly identical buildings: a mosque and an assembly hall. On the left side there is also a small museum containing the plans for the original building.
A large crowd can always be found around what is now known to all as the Princess Diana bench, which is located on the opposite side of the pool on a platform above the central channel of the water.
festival
Taj Mahotsav week takes place at Shilpgram in Agra just near the Taj Mahal from 18th to 27th February every year. The focus of this festival is Indian arts, crafts, culture and the reconstruction of the Mughal era. It begins with a spectacular procession including elephants, camels and drums. Elephant and camel rides are available, and there are also games for children and a food festival. The venue has special significance, as it is apparently located on the site where the craftsmen who built the Taj Mahal lived.
Avoid the crowds
Arriving early after dawn is the only surefire way to avoid the crowds. From 10 am till sunset Indian tourists arrive in large numbers and in large tour groups.
The mausoleum itself stands on a marble platform. From 10 am till sunset Indian tourists arrive in large numbers and in large tour groups. Access is controlled to avoid overcrowding. Put on your boot covers and join the queue on the left for foreigners.
There is another queue to enter the mausoleum which contains marble cenotaphs of Shah Jehan and Mumtaz Mahal decorated with floral designs using semi-precious stones and surrounded by a carved marble screen. (These are memorial sarcophagi, their graves are on an inaccessible lower level).
(These are memorial sarcophagi, their graves are on an inaccessible lower level). However, it’s hard to see details in the dark, so use your phone’s flashlight.
There are aggressive and whistling security guards in the tomb room to keep people moving. The pushing and shoving gets worse as the day progresses and sadly you also have to watch out for pickpockets.
To avoid the afternoon crowds – and get beautiful sunset photographs of the Taj Mahal – take an auto or rickshaw across the River Yamuna to Mehtab Bagh Gardens on the opposite bank. On the way visit the “Baby Taj” the marble tomb of Itimad-ud-Daula, father of Mumtaz Mahal.
Dangers and nuisances
Visiting the Taj Mahal can be overwhelming for all the wrong reasons. Be prepared to meet a lot of beggars and vendors there. According to this news report, it has become an increasingly problematic issue and many visitors go home feeling cheated, threatened and abused. Touts operate in sophisticated gangs that have counterparts in other cities who identify potential targets at train stations. Once the tourists reach Agra, the tourists start harassing them by claiming to be guides or taxi drivers. They commonly use tricks like free cab rides or promising deep discounts.
Note: There are 24-hour official prepaid taxi rickshaw and taxi ranks just outside Agra Railway Station.Text edit Use them to avoid the hassle, and if you book a tour, check the quality of your vehicle to ensure it is satisfactory.
Be sure to tell auto-rickshaw drivers which entrance gate of the Taj Mahal you want to reach, otherwise chances are you’ll find yourself marooned in the area where expensive horses and carts or camels wait to take tour groups to the west gate.
Apparently, there are only 50-60 approved guides at the Taj Mahal. However, more than 3,000 touts posing as photographers, guides or go-betweens, openly solicit customers at the monument’s three gates (especially at the western gate, which receives around 60-70% of visitors). Hundreds of street vendors (who pay bribes to the police) are also a problem at the Taj Mahal, despite being officially banned.
Furthermore, foreigners, especially women and parents with small children, are often asked to pose for photographs (or even be photographed without permission) by other people, including groups of boys. This can be intrusive and uncomfortable. This news article warns about selfie seekers at the Taj Mahal.
Finally, beware of the notorious gem scam, which is alarmingly prevalent in Agra.