Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal; it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenelated wall.

While it’s hard to get a bad shot of the Taj, the most vivid photos are usually taken at sunrise and sunset from Mehtab Bagh, the Mughal garden across the Yamuna River. Arrive just before dawn and watch the colours change on this sublime monument dedicated to eternal love. Over the course of a day, the sun paints the marble in different hues, transforming the dome from pale pink at sunrise to orange at sunset.

Before leaving Agra, pay a visit to the eye-catching tomb of Itimad-Ud-Daulah – a precursor to the Taj Mahal, constructed in the 1620s and dubbed the “Baby Taj.” It was created for Mumtaz’s grandfather, Mirza Ghiyas Beg, by his daughter, Nur Jahan.