TAJ MAHAL

The Taj Mahal is synonymous with India, and for good reason. The white marble mausoleum is the tomb of Shah Jahan’s most favorite wife — Mumtaz Mahal (which translates to“the chosen one”in Arabic), who was the mother of the emperor’s 14 children. One of the children was Aurangzeb, who was notorious for imprisoning and murdering his own father.

During the 17th century, most Mughal architecture was built using red sandstone. But this monument was created using white inlaid marble and semi-precious stones. Shah Jahan was immensely fond of architecture and wanted to express his love for his deceased wife by creating a tomb that was nothing less than a spectacle. He employed 20,000 laborers who worked for 20 years to build the structure. Bear in mind, modern construction machinery didn’t exist at the time; everything was done by hand.

The monument’s exteriors are decorated with calligraphy, vegetable and flower motifs and abstract forms. The design is notable for the symmetry of the cenotaph; the Taj Mahal viewed from all four sides looks identical. It is surrounded by three main gates made of red sandstone. The east gate is the VIP gate (foreigners enter from here too), while the west gate is usually accessed by local tourists and residents. The mausoleum overlooks fountains and a marble bench known as the Lady Diana bench, as the princess was photographed seated on this very spot.

There are separate lines for foreigners and local tourists (the ticket price varies too) and upon entering the Taj, one has to strain to view the interiors due to dim lighting. This has been done intentionally to avoid insects hovering around the place. A circular edifice holds the replica of the tombs, while the original ones of the emperor and his wife are kept downstairs, in an area that can’t be accessed publicly.

Open every day except Friday, sunrise to sunset. Ticket prices are INR1,000 ($16) for foreigners and INR40 ($0.62) for Indians.