A teardrop on the cheek of time — the white marble mausoleum that took 22 years and 20,000 hands to build.
Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631, the Taj Mahal is the most refined achievement of Indo-Islamic architecture. Some 20,000 craftsmen, masons and artisans worked for over two decades to complete the central tomb, four minarets, gardens and gateway.
The mausoleum is faced entirely in white Makrana marble, inlaid with semi-precious stones in elaborate floral patterns. Its perfect symmetry shifts with the light of the day — pink at dawn, white at noon, gold under the moon.
The site is closed on Fridays. Sunrise entry tickets are sold by the Archaeological Survey of India and offer the best light and the smallest crowds.
Visit tajmahal.gov.in