Is the Taj Mahal worth a visit?
It's not the usual postcard image, it's not like having seen it on the pictures. Someone will advise you not to go, avoid the crowd, because after all it is nothing so special. Maybe it's subjective, but for me to see live the building that is the symbol of India, one of the most iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one of the new 7 wonders of the world, was an indescribable emotion.
It is a mausoleum, built in 1600 by the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan to honour his beloved and deceased wife. An imposing and symmetrical construction in white marble, studded with precious stones, inlaid with verses of the Koran and surmounted by a dome about 70 meters high. It is accessed by a building with two large portals, which frame the Taj Mahal on the horizon.
At dawn it is all shrouded in morning mist, and the huge white building almost camouflages itself in the fog. A very long pool, which has its vanishing point in the mosque, reflects the faded image of the monument, flanked by an orderly row of cypresses.
When the fog begins to thin out, the white marble stands out against the blue sky, and begins to turn golden reflections as soon as the first rays of the sun cross the horizon.
Up close, the structure is imposing and majestic, and its symmetry on each side allows you to have the same view from every vantage point, more or less crowded. Two symmetrical buildings stand guard over it, with vast porticoes on whose cold stone you can only walk barefoot as it is a sacred place. From here the ogival portals frame the Taj, which almost vanishes in contrast to the sun that lights up behind it.
The wonderful complex of pointed domes and turrets can also be seen from the Red Fort in the old town.
The Taj Mahal is located on the outskirts of Agra and is open for visits from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. It is a mosque, and is closed on Fridays for prayer. There are two entrances, the Eastern and the Western Gate, where you can also buy tickets, although we recommend that you book them online in advance (where they are also sold at a reduced rate).
The ticket only includes access to the courtyard, for the visit of the mausoleum (impressive, but very small) an additional ticket is required. The ticket allows you to stay 3 hours inside the complex, but no one will check your stay. However, it is an adequate time to explore the monument and take some photos. At the entrance, of course, you will be searched and you will have to leave all sorts of food. Needless to say, of course no tripods are allowed.
The advice is to visit it at dawn, taking the first available entrance. Not because there isn't a crowd at this hour, mainly because you will be able to see the monument with different facets: the morning fog that muffles everything, the dull fountains that reflect the image of the mosque, the fog that thins out, the sun that begins to shine on the white marble and a few moments of light, with the fountains that gush and the gems that shine on the Taj in all their splendor. I think there's no time when there isn't a crowd of tourists admiring the Taj Mahal. If you are lucky enough to be there on a full moon night, the monument has special openings to admire the Taj in the light of the full moon.
The site is functionally built and the crowds of visitors who flock to the site are actually of little disturbance. Don't stop in the initial crowd across the entrance portal, where most people stop impatiently to take a picture. In the middle of the large courtyard, there is a tall wooden base that provides a raised platform to cut out almost all other tourists. In addition, the area around the large central water basins is off-limits to passage, which leaves the view of the monument clear. For a few photos without unwelcome guests, you'll just have to wait a few minutes to earn your spot.
TICKETS
The entrance ticket costs 1100 INR (Indian Rupees), about 14€. The additional ticket for the Mausoleum 200 INR. The ticket for the night visit costs 750 INR. Tickets can be purchased on the Archeological Survey of India website http://www.asiagracircle.in/tajmahal.html
HOW TO GET THERE
Wherever you stay in Agra, the best solution is to take a tuk tuk that in a few minutes leads you to the entrance gate for a few Rupees.
SMART TIP
Visit the Taj Mahal at 6am to avoid the crowds that increase throughout the day. Take some pictures from the side mausoleums, from which you will have a beautiful view of the Taj Mahal without tourists.
GOOD TO KNOW
No food, drones, and tripods are allowed. Information on rules of conduct, timetables and tickets can be found at https://www.tajmahal.gov.in/
