Taj Mahal
UNESCO World Heritage Site (1983); Monument Of National Importance Under The Archaeological Survey Of India · Agra, Uttar Pradesh
The mausoleum Shah Jahan built for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631, and the reason most first-time visitors to India route through Agra. It took around twenty years, and the white marble is inlaid with semi-precious stone in the technique called pietra dura. The tomb is only one part of a planned complex: a red sandstone gateway, a charbagh garden cut into quarters by water channels, a working mosque on the west side and a matching hall on the east built purely for symmetry. It stands on the bank of the Yamuna, and the view back across the river from Mehtab Bagh is the one most photographs never show. The marble shifts colour through the day, which is the real argument for sunrise, when it is also coolest and least crowded. It is CLOSED EVERY FRIDAY. Expect airport-style security, a strict list of banned items, dual pricing that charges foreigners many times the domestic fare, and Agra itself, which is congested and hard work. Most people give it a morning and Agra Fort the afternoon.
Dharmapuri, Forest Colony, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, 282001, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the gates open roughly 30 minutes before sunrise and close roughly 30 minutes before sunset, so the hours move with the season, earlier in summer and later in winter. CLOSED EVERY FRIDAY to tourists, when only worshippers enter for prayers at the mosque. Ticket counters stop selling before closing, so do not arrive in the last hour. Night viewing runs only on the full-moon night and two nights either side, in small booked groups, never on Fridays or during Ramadan. The traps that ruin a day: arriving on a Friday, arriving late morning into the heat and crowds, and bringing banned items that are confiscated at security. Confirm the Friday closure, current hours and night-viewing dates before travelling.