Above photograph shows a view from one of the gates to enter into Taj Mahal compound. Certainly this doesn't cover everything but gives a view of front part.

The Taj Mahal complex is set around a large 980 feet square charbagh or Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four-quarters of the garden into 16 flowerbeds. Halfway between the tomb and gateway in the centre of the garden is a raised marble water tank with a reflecting pool positioned to reflect the image of the mausoleum. The elevated marble water tank is called al Hawd al-Kawthar. You can't see that tank in above photograph as that's too far from where this photograph is clicked. Look closely at the photograph above and notice lot of people walking just below the Taj Mahal. That would give you a sense about it's size and grandness.

Taj Mahal is built in ~42 acres complex in Agra city of Uttar Pradesh State in India. The Taj Mahal attracts approximately 8 million visitors/tourists in a year.

Western Gate (Main Gate) opens an hour before sunrise and about 45 minutes prior to sunset.

To enter through Taj Mahal Western Gate, you can buy the tickets near Saheli Burj. This is actually the main entrance to the mausoleum. Outside this gate, don’t miss the beautiful red sandstone structure ‘Fatehpur Begum’, dedicated to another of Shah Jahan’s wives.

Eastern Gate opens an hour before sunrise, and 45 minutes before sunset

Taj Mahal Eastern Gate is another entry gate and tickets are available at this gate itself. Facing Fatehbad, there is a domed tomb here nestled on an elevated plinth, also known as ‘Sirhi Darwaza’.

Southern Gate is only for Exit

You can only exit from southern gate and no entry is allowed from this gate. Southern gate of Taj Mahal faces the old town, Mumtazabad. There is a tomb here too of red sandstone complete with a rambling courtyard and a dome. The grave is believed to be of a maid of Mumtaz Mahal’s who always kept her company and looked after her.

Above photograph shows view of Yamuna from one of the 4 pillars of Taj Mahal. On the right side of this photograph you see other structures made with Red stone. I have always wished to go to other side of the river to click Taj Mahal but haven't been able to do so. The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the southern bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal also has the tomb of Shah Jahan.

The construction of Taj Mahal employed approximately 20000 artisans under the guidance of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri who has architected many other monuments in India. Red Fort is one of the others deigned/architected by Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

The exterior decorations of the Taj Mahal are among the finest in Mughal architecture. As the surface area changes, the decorations are refined proportionally. In line with the Islamic prohibition against the use of anthropomorphic forms, the decorative elements can be grouped into either calligraphy, abstract forms or vegetative motifs. Throughout the complex are passages from the Qur'an that comprise some of the decorative elements.

Above photograph is very special for me which was clicked from my first helicopter ride, when I was going to Morena for an Aerial photo-shoot. It's not a sharp image because of lot of vibrations in a helicopter and I had no option but to click with hand-hold camera on a not so clear day. Irrespective of all that, I love this aerial view of Taj Mahal, huge green patch in front of it and Yamuna flowing behind it. And notice that Yamuna is looking blue in this aerial shot of Taj Mahal. Certainly this photograph is edited but you see the colors which were present, may be a little more saturated.

Are you wondering what this non-Taj photograph is doing in this post? Above photograph shows Humayun's Tomb which is in Delhi and a smaller version of Taj Mahal & in red stone.

The Taj Mahal is inspired by design traditions of Persian and earlier Mughal architecture. Some of the key examples were Gur-e-Amir (the tomb of Timur in Samarkand), Humayun's Tomb in Delhi which inspired the Charbagh gardens and hasht-behesht (architecture) plan of the site, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble and this monument looks stunning during full-moon night.

Thousands people coming every day to see this Magnificent architectural piece and the trend is increasing with time. During your visit, if you wish you know about it's history and stories associated, we recommend that you take an official guide because right information during explorations make your visit more memorable.