The iconic shape of this monument to love represents India visually to most foreigners and it is more often than not, on top of their India Todo List. Built by the emperor Shah Jehan as a memorial for his wife Mumtaj, the Taj is held to be one of the most beautiful buildings ever built, if not the most beautiful. I have seen it three times, once as a little boy, once as a teenager and once as a father with my wife and teenage son, so I have experienced a full range of emotions while viewing it and can say that it is indeed a sight to behold and to cherish. But if you ask me to describe the Taj, the impression that stands out is not the standard picture one sees on tourist brochures but the vision of it on a moonlit night. Without hesitation, I will recommend it as something that every world traveler should put high up on their list of things to do.
It is unfortunately not as easy as you might expect to see the Taj by moonlight because viewings after dark have been severly curtailed following terrorist threats to the monument. Add a heavy dose of overzealous red tape and your planning becomes a little more difficult but interesting! Tickets to view the Taj must be bought from the Archaeological Survey of India office at least 24 hours before your visit. Many people have been disappointed because of this small, little-known detail on which the bureaucracy is unyielding. A total of 400 visitors are allowed per night and unsold tickets will not be sold for that night's viewing!
Viewings are allowed only on 5 nights each month--on the full moon night, the night immediately preceding it and the following night. Given this narrow window, it makes sense to maximize your chances of success by avoiding nights where bad weather can affect visibility. This means avoiding the winter months between December and February when Agra can experience heavy fog and the monsoon months between April and September, which leave you only March, October and November. Of course, you can get lucky in any month but paranoids should plan for these 3 months. Another detail to be aware of is that moonlight visitors to the Taj are allowed to go no farther than a viewing gallery that is about a 100 yards from the monument itself. So be prepared and take a telephoto or zoom lens if you want close-ups.
An unfortunate wrinkle to this moonlight plan is the fact that day viewing weather is exactly the opposite with winter the best time to visit since the air is the cleanest then and the temeratures the most perfect! And daytime photographs of the Taj can be unusually dramatic and beautiful if you play with the breaking clouds and rain of the monsoon. In my opinion, I would take my chances in the early monsoon--April or May--to shoot for the best of both. A daytime visit is a must in order to see the building up close and to take pictures with you in them. Besides the obligatory pictures from the front, I would suggest exploring from other angles too, both from afar and closer up. Note that the Taj faces south so you will get the best lighting from the front and sides throughout the day though the early mornings and evenings can be spectacular.
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