Taj Mahal is at its best, on any full moon day. It is open on five nights in a month; two preceding days to full moon day and two succeeding days to full moon day and on the full moon day, except during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. The opening time is 6 am. The closure time is 7 pm. It is closed on Fridays. However, Muslims can pray in the mosque here on Fridays, in between 12 noon and 2 pm.
There is a beautiful Charbagh style garden (quadrilateral garden) right in front of Taj Mahal. Charbagh It symbolizes Paradise’s four gardens, which is described in Holy Quran.
Emperor Shah Jahan built this Great mausoleum. He was dethroned by Emperor Aurangzeb, his third son who reigned from 1658 to 1707. Shah Jahan was imprisoned at the Agra Fort, which is situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, overlooking the Taj!
Persian architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori is the chief architect of TajMahal. Shah Jahan is believed to have chopped off his hands of the architect to avoid him designing another one like this!
If you want to take photos, there are professional photographers and freelancers who will help you for a small charge. Please ask for their rates in advance. If you need to get printed copies of the photos, there are many studios close to the Taj.
There is a limit tourists who can visit this historic UNESCO site. The number is capped at 40,000 Indian tourists per day. Once this number is crossed, Indian tourists needs to pay Rupees 1000 instead of Rupees 40. Foreigners are charged a fees of Indian Rupees 1000. On Deepavali day and some other festival days, Indian tourists flock to this place and if you plan to visit on such days, be prepared to shell out the increased charges.
Agra Cantonment and Agra Fort are the nearest major railway stations to this white marble wonder of the world. These two stations are well connected to almost all parts of India.
If you plan to travel by road from New Delhi, the capital of India, take the Delhi-Agra Yamuna Expressway. It takes around 2 hours or little longer by road. National Highway No 2 (old number) also connects New Delhi with Agra. This road has higher traffic compared to the first road.
Agra Civil Enclave is the airport at Agra. It is connected to the nearest major international airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport (I.G. International airport) at New Delhi.
