If there were to be an 8th wonder of the world , the Taj Mahal would surely be on the list of contenders. Its gigantic proportions, its light, its beauty, its shapes, this luminous white, its precious stones, the whole building carries within it something royal, sublime.
Located on the right bank of the Yamuna River, in the center of a gigantic Mughal garden of almost 17 hectares, very close to the city of Agra in India, the Taj Mahal is today an emblematic monument, made of marble finely chiseled white. It is considered the most beautiful architectural jewel of Indo-Islamic art. So much reason to finally visit this famous monument! Here we explain how to get to Agra from New Delhi , and how to visit the Taj Mahal once there.
The Taj Mahal on a winter morning
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- A complex and fascinating monument
It is for its incredible architecture that the Taj Mahal attracts up to 4 million visitors each year, making it the most visited monument in India. The Taj Mahal for Indians is a true symbol like the Eiffel Tower for France, the Statue of Liberty in the United States or even Christ the Redeemer in Brazil.
Indeed, this very complex architecture is based on a combination of solids and voids, on elements that are both concave and convex but also on a cleverly orchestrated play of light. The bright green flowerbeds line the reddish-tinted paths while the whole is a sparkling white, ultra-bright contrasting with the pure blue sky.
Minaret of the Taj Mahal
And what about the marble sculptures with inlays of precious and semi-precious stones which offer a whole new singularity to this originally religious building!
The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and finished in 1648. childbirth while that she gave birth to their 14th child after 30 hours of labor.
A multiple architecture
Although the mausoleum is the best-known part of the Taj Mahal, this building should not be reduced to this single room. Indeed, the Taj Mahal is a set of buildings, gardens, fountains and other bodies of water whose symmetry has been carefully developed, all on a plot of land measuring 305 by 580 meters. The mosque, the main entrance and the guest pavilion as well as the exterior courtyard were added in 1653. There are also two mosques.
The interior of the Taj Mahal
It is behind the entrance patio, surrounded by arcades, that the Taj Mahal truly offers a magical vision of all its splendor: when you look towards the South, you will see a garden divided into 4 equal parts with marble terraces and a fountain in its center.
If you look towards the North, the mausoleum and the annexes are presented to your eyes across the entire width of the garden. Finally, on the west side there is another mosque and to the east you will find a meeting hall.