Exploring the wonder of the world - THE TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA 🇮🇳

THE TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA 🇮🇳

Hey everyone! We are back with something more exciting. This time it’s time to travel all the way to Agra. Being a doctor by profession, I hardly get time to be at home 🏡 so finally, with my brother being around and me being back from Mangalore for hardly a weekend, we decided to go on a really quick, short trip.

Getting into the place:

Agra is a beautiful city located in Uttar Pradesh along the banks of the Yamuna river. And is most definitely a major tourist destination because of various Mughal-era buildings – the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is very well connected to the major cities of India 🇮🇳. The name Agra is explained by three different derivations. The most accepted one is from the Hindi word agar meaning salt-pan, a name which was given to it because the soil in the region is brackish and salt used to be made here once by evaporation.

The Taj Mahal – the “crown of the palace” was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is an ivory-white marble mausoleum. It is a symbol of love 💕and India’s rich history.

It’s very exciting and upsetting at the same time that we all have been to various countries and cities around the world 🌎 and have seen other “wonders of the world” but could never plan a trip to the main wonder 💭 of our own country. So when we finally got a chance to spend quality time with family I could have never been happier.

Since we only had the weekend in front of us we got into our car and started the journey. Agra is located at a distance of 218 km from Delhi which is just a 3-hour drive. The connectivity is really good and we choose to reach there via Noida which connects you to Yamuna Expressway. This expressway connects you directly to Agra. They have few tolls along the way and you don’t have to worry about food and refreshments as the expressway has plenty of options. We took a break near Mathura and again continued the journey. There is a straight road till you reach Agra and then as you enter the city you can expect some bad traffic and bad roads.

Tip 1: Do download the maps and music 🎼 as you don’t get signals.

We had booked ourselves at The Taj hotel, Agra. Loved the hotel and the service. Plenty of options are available in the city and you can choose according to your budget. They have really good hospitality. The food was also good (could have been better).

The next day early in the morning we started off to visit the Taj Mahal.

As we entered we were stunned by its beauty. It’s just amazing and so peaceful out there. Loved the Mughal architecture. It’s a masterpiece. With Yamuna river just behind the monument, 🏛 it adds to its beauty.

It’s a jewel of Muslim art in India. It’s a symbol of love ❤️ and purity. The relief work in marble and inlay with precious and semi-precious stones make this monument apart. Integrity is maintained in the intactness of the tomb, mosque, guest house, main gate, and the whole Taj Mahal complex

Tip 2: You can’t take your cars 🚙 Therefore you have to get into the local autos available there in order to reach the entrance. The road to the entrance is quite narrow.

Tip 3: There are three entrances with quite a reasonable entrance ticket 🎫 for both Indian and foreign tourists. Extra charges if you wanna visit inside the main mausoleum.

Opening and closing hours:

Opens 30 mins before sunrise and closes 30 mins before sunset.

Closed on Fridays.

Special tip 4: If you can, just plan to visit them on a full moon night. It’s just marvelous and amazing.

Night viewing is available only five days in a month i.e. on full moon night and two nights before and two nights after the full moon. This comes at an extra cost but is totally worth watching.

Tip 5: Do not forget to carry your Adhaar card or any government-approved identity card.

Local guides are available in case you are interested in knowing more about its history and culture.