ASIANOVERLAND.NET SYDNEY TO LONDON  DAY 333/101/13: AGRA, INDIA

30th September, 1980

The two best times to see the Taj Mahal are at the full moon and at dawn, so we enter the Taj at 5.45am for the dawn viewing.

“THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDING IN THE WORLD.

The Taj at 0545- 20 little top deckers in amazement and awe & f.....g tired.”

Sikandar Lodi was the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate to move his capital from Delhi to Agra (1504), and is regarded as being the founder of Agra. Sikandar Lodi's son was defeated in 1526 by Babur, which marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire.

Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1648, under the Mughal Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, after which Shah Jahan shifted the capital to Delhi. The Mughal Empire built many monuments, the best of which is the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the southern bank of the Yamuna River. It was commissioned in 1632 by Shah Jahan (reigned from 1628 to 1658) to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan, both tombs are side by side in the centre of the Taj Mahal, down an inlaid marble staircase. Intricate inlaid marble everywhere.

The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42-acre complex, which includes a mosque, a guest house, and formal gardens.

The Taj Mahal is believed to have been completed in 1653, about 21 years after construction commenced.

The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art, and regarded as the best example of Mughal architecture.

The Taj Mahal is awe-inspiring, and has very few contenders for the most beautiful building in the world.

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