Love is the most valuable and overwhelming feeling a human can experience. People have chosen different ways to manifest this sublime feeling. Some have chosen to write poetry some to sing songs and verses. Emperor Shajahan chose to build a monument. Not exactly a monument but a tomb. A tomb for his beloved wife Noorjahan. So that He can remember her always. But such is the splendor of this magnificent white marble monument that even after 350 years , Agra is known throughout the world through this eternal work of man’s ability.
Agra might have gone into history as any other North Indian city without this white miracle. Even with modern construction equipments this architectural wonder will be impossible to dream. The sad part of the story may be that the emperor cut the hands of the a sculptor who made this tomb. He didn’t want any one built anything near to this tomb. We may feel this to be cruel, but Shahjahan was just a bit selfish.
A History records Shajahan as the most extravagant emperor of the Mughal Dynasty. He was over thrown by his son Aurngazeb and was jailed. The only thing the deposed emperor asked was to put him somewhere from where he could see the Taj. He was put in the Red fort across river Jamuna It would have been a great relief to emperor to see Taj mahal on the other bank of Jamuna. It’s said that view of the moonlit Taj Mahal on full moon day is a direct vision of paradise.
People may fall in love and do may things for it. But it needs emperor to built a Taj . Some may disagree and say it needs a shahjahan to built the Taj and a Noorjahan to be his wife. What ever history says Agra and India will always have a place in it as long Taj remains the attraction.
How to reach :
Taj Mahal, the embodiment of love and romance is accessible from many places by air, rail and road. People come to there even on foot. It lies 204 km south of Delhi, the capital city of the nation. The fastest way to reach Agra is by air. Indian Airlines and other private services operates flights from different cities to Agra. The is a good network of train and bus services from Agra to various cities of India. After reaching the city you have to depend on some sort of local transport to reach the destination.
Visiting Time
The building is open from 06.00am to 7.00 pm weekdays except for Fridays. The complex is open for night viewing on the day of the full moon and two days before and after, excluding Fridays and period of ‘Ramadan’ for security reasons only a little things will be allowed to carry inside the building.
Entry Fee
S.No. Tourist Type Amount(Rs.)
1. Foreign tourist 750/-
2. Citizens of SAARC and BIMSTEC Countries 510/-
3. Domestic/Indian 20/-
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