Visiting Taj Mahal - Arjay Neyra

THE SITE

A place that doesn't need any introduction at all. The Taj Mahal is a world renown site, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. A beautiful mausoleum located in India, in the city of Agra to be exact. Visitors from all over the world come here year after year to witness and appreciate the beauty of Taj Mahal.

Although, I've also met travellers who said that Taj Mahal is "overrated". I completely disagree with that statement. I was actually quite offended when I heard several people saying this. I couldn't believe it because it is one of a kind. There's nothing else like it in the world. To me, it's a must see, it's beautiful, and it was definitely worth all the hype. For as long as I can remember, I've seen this structure through a screen, and now I've finally come face to face to it up close. It did not disappoint! I would see it again if I could!

The marble construction white mausoleum was built between 1631-1648 by the Mughal emperor named Shah Jahan to honour one of his wives, Mumtaz Mahal. She died while giving birth to their fourteenth child (that's right, there's no typo there, fourteenth!) in 1631. Aside from the romantic gesture behind the build, Taj Mahal is also one of the most impressive architectural achievements to date. Its shapes, patterns, the arches, the dome, the symmetry, and just the overall aesthetic of this place is such an amazing thing to see. Some may even say it's very eye-gasmic! (I may or may have not just made up a word...)

There were a lot of planning in terms of how it was going to be built. It really was thoroughly thought out but I'm not going to get into details about the structure, sections, parts and placements etc. There's a ton of information online about the construction of the place. I won't be getting into that although I will be sharing with you what you need to know when you're visiting Taj Mahal. So let's jump right into it shall we?!

SUNRISE OR SUNSET?

Being that this is a UNESCO site and one of the most popular places to visit in India by both foreigners and locals, you definitely want to avoid the crowd. That being said, you want to come here for sunrise. There are a couple of benefits when coming here bright and early. It's much cooler than coming later in the day, there's a lot of people in the morning but there's definitely more after 10 am as this is when a lot of the tour groups come as well as the ''non-morning'' people, and it is more satisfying to wake up early to see Taj Mahal first thing in the morning.

There are plenty of hostels and hotels surrounding the Taj Mahal, I suggest staying near it so that it makes the commute first thing in the morning much easier for you. I stayed in a place within a 5 minute walking distance from Taj Mahal, I highly recommend you do the same.

Taj Mahal is open from 6 am till 8 pm everyday (except Friday as people visit the site to pray). You want to get up around 5 am, grab a bite to eat and get your tickets once you're done. Night viewing is also available every full moon (2 days before and 2 days after the full moon) from 8:30pm - 12:30 am. I've never experienced it so I won't be getting into too much detail about it.

ENTRANCE FEE

Prior to entering, you need to queue to get your tickets (obviously). You may get your tickets online or at the ticketing office near Taj Mahal. The eastern and western gates have a ticketing office, the south gate does not (you may enter here also but not till after 8 am). Make sure you know this the night before. You need to know where you're going to queue to get your tickets.

The entrance fee is 1,100 INR ($20 CAD or $15 USD) for foreigners and 50 INR ($1 CAD or $.70 USD) for locals. Anyone under the age of 15 is free to enter the site (and no, a fake ID won't work). The entrance fee includes shoe covers, a small bottled water, and a tourist map, or what I like to call it, the Taj Mahal Starter Kit.

WHICH GATE TO ENTER

East Gate - This is a popular gate used by tourists because it's close to a lot of the hostels/hotels within walking distance. This gate get's crowded because of that. Although when I was there, in the morning I didn't have to wait that long. I would highly suggest entering from here out of convenience. This is where I entered from. As the day goes on, it gets less crowded here.

West Gate - Used mainly by local Indian visitors. Throughout the day this is where the majority of the people enter except for sunrise. So if you want to avoid the line first thing in the morning, come here to enter.

South Gate - On this side of the Taj Mahal is where a market with local vendors is located. Very congested, and somewhat shady, I would avoid this gate if I were you. Besides, if you're going to go for sunrise (which I highly suggest as I mentioned), this gate doesn't open till 8 am.

ENTRANCE/SECURITY

Once you get to your gate, there will be a queue. 2 lines for males and females. You will be separated if you're travelling with people in the opposite sex.

Massive backpacks, regular daypacks, tripods, battery chargers, spare batteries etc. are not allowed inside. In fact, only a small bag, cell phone, a camera, wallet, water is allowed inside. Security is really tight.

You don't want to carry unnecessary things at the line up, then go through security only to go back out again to have these things go in the cloak roam. A cloak room is located near the entry and it's where you can leave your bags etc. If you do have these things, before lining up, make sure you leave your bags in the cloak room and the rest of the things you're not supposed to bring inside.

TAJ MAHAL GUIDES

Officially, there are only between 50-60 approved Taj Mahal guides. The thousands claiming to be an official guide is a fraud. Be aware of this as many will try to solicit you to earn your business on the streets. If you've set up a tour with your hotel, or a credible agency, it may be a different story.

Audio guides are available if you'd like to learn more about the Taj Mahal or if you'd like to have more freedom in terms of going your own pace instead of being with a tour group. There are many inexpensive audio guides that are downloadable apps that is readily available in different languages.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Taj Mahal is a jaw dropping site. It is an impressive structure waiting to be captured. Whether you're a professional photographer or just someone who likes to capture moments, there are a couple of things I'd like to share with you if you would like to get beautiful shots.

First and foremost, photography and videography is not allowed in certain areas inside the Taj Mahal. See one of my vlogs down below and forward to :27. Many ignore this sign (including myself), but just be aware of this. The only time I obeyed the sign was in the area where the tomb was out of respect. Some people were trying to sneak in some shots still which I couldn't believe. Also, as I mentioned, there will be no tripods of some sort allowed inside the Taj Mahal.

There are many spots that are very photogenic but I wanted to touch up on some of my favourite shots inside and outside. The first spot would be once you enter the gate. The place is called the Great Gate. Right off the bat it will give you an idea of how magical this place is (Bottom left).

The next spot would be the classic shot of Taj Mahal. There are probably millions of photos from this spot everywhere online. Once you pass through the Great Gate, you will most likely see a lot of people here capturing the classic Taj Mahal photo, selfies, group photos and so forth. How the water leads your eye to a full view of Taj Mahal from a far is definitely one of everyones all time favourites (Bottom middle). One of the most underrated spots to shoot from is across the Great Gate (Bottom right). Many people are so busy looking at the Taj Mahal which is understandable, but people tend to forget that where they're standing is just as photogenic from afar. The other great thing about the spot across from the Great Gate is that it's not as crowded.

The next spot is to walk towards Taj Mahal as there will be another spot with the same view, it's just much closer. The problem is, this place is also just as crowded. There's a queue here but being that we're in India, lining up don't mean anything most of the time. There were people lining up at this spot, including myself, and even when it was my turn to get a photo of me, people would just walk up beside me as if I didn't exist and just snap away. PATIENCE is the key when taking photos inside the Taj Mahal. (On the right)

Appreciate the details. They are just as capture worthy as the overall structure. It really is mesmerizing to see it up close and in person (Below left).

The clothing of the Indian women are very colourful and photogenic. You may take photos of them but don't do it excessively, or if you want a specific shot or just as a courtesy, ASK! I wanted a group shot of this family and I asked if I could do a simple shot of them. I think they somewhat understood me and said yes, so I did! (Below middle)

Out of all the places and things to capture inside, this is definitely my all time favourite spot to take photos. Inside the Kao Ban Mosque (on the west bank of Taj Mahal). When I got inside Kao Ban Mosque in the morning, there were barely anyone there. You can get super creative with your shots here without having that many people to share the space with! Also, the sun rises across from here so you could watch the sun go up over Taj Mahal. The prime time (aka golden hour) to take photos! It is so surreal! Click HERE to see one of my photos. (Below right)

CLOTHING

While dress code is not strictly enforced, be mindful of the place. Remember, this place is a mausoleum, it's also a place where people come to pray. If you're going to come in the middle of the day which I don't suggest, get ready to sweat in your clothes. Be sure to have something on to fight the sun and heat during midday. And, good-luck!

OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Indian's love their photos. Be prepared to get asked by locals for a photo. You may say yes or no. Throughout my 2 months travelling around India, it got to a point when it got really overwhelming, yes even for me. So just be polite and say no. At least they asked, as there are many times when locals would just take a photo of you, or stand beside you and take a selfie without asking. This happens often in the country and it will happen inside the Taj Mahal as well. Especially if you are a female or if you have children, this can be very intrusive and at times uncomfortable. Just be aware of your surrounding and kindly say no to photos when it gets too much. Click HERE to see how I handled when I got asked for photos, at this point it was just too overwhelming so I decided to do something fun about it (fast forward to 10:00).