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Now this is where I would share my personal experiences together with the amazing facts about this “crown of palaces”, a white marble beauty and one of the seven wonders in the world. So kids here we are with the assimilated Taj mahal facts for kids about the biography and eternal beauty of this Indian monument which is the embodiment of the love of an emperor for his wife.

Taj Mahal Facts For Kids

Impact on the map…

Needless to remind that it is a renowned UNESCO world heritage site since the year 1983.

In July 2007, it made an important mark of its popularity over the globe as it was chosen among the Seven Wonders of the World.

One of the universally admired masterpieces it speaks highly about Muslim architecture under imperial supervision of Shah Jahan and today is recognized as “The jewel of Muslim art in India”.

It won’t be an exaggeration if we call it the most beautiful and costly tomb on the planet.

Biography of a monument – The Taj Mahal

This is a famous mausoleum situated in Agra, India stands on the southern bank of Yamuna.

It celebrates Indian culture and spreads the message of love in this world.

The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered the building of this magnificent mausoleum at the bank of river Yamuna after the tragic death of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal following the birth of their 14^th child.

Around 1632, the construction began and continued for the next two decades.

If a frightful story is to believe the emperor Shah Jahan, had his flatterers cut off their hands of architects and his workers after the structure was completed, making sure that no another monument of this kind could ever be built again.

Few stunning Taj Mahal facts for Kids

Beside the stunning beauty of the tomb, its garden is also another man made marvel which uses raised pathways which divide it in four quarters or flower beds.

At the centre of the lush green garden there stands a massive white marble water tank halfway between the tomb and the gateway with a pool of crystal clear water reflecting the most beautiful example of human architecture.

The decor of the white marble beauty has been accomplished with precious white stones which add to the royalty of the palatial tomb.

A speculation speaks that most probably the mind behind such an intricate design was Ustad Ahmed Lahouri, an Indian of Persian descent who also hold credits for the making of the Red Fort.

More than 20,000 labourers were employed in the project belonging to Perssia, Ottoman Empire, India, and Europe along with some 1000 elephants.

Though the spectacular beauty of the place creates a magical imprint in viewers mind but still the centre of focus remains to be the tomb.

There are 99 names of god in calligraphic inscriptions found on the sides of the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal .

As an exterior spangle, passages from the Quran are used in complex throughout.

Taj Mahal Under the full moon

It is needless to praise its beauty a thousand times. But the panoramic view of Taj Mahal showering under moonlight on a full moon could make anyone fall in love with the symbol of love itself.

Not to forget that its mesmerizing beauty is not only limited to full moon night but its horizon is much wider than that. You can catch a glimpse of this earthly unparallel beauty daily during sunset and sunrise which could be most cherished moment for any painter or photographer striving to trap the mystic picture.

Tourism and Taj Mahal

This Indian monument have a huge fan following and so is among the prime centre of attraction for tourists.

As earlier we mentioned that it spots a remarkable place in the world heritage site’s list and is a prominent revenue fetcher in tourism industry.

The Taj Mahal attracts 7 to 8 million visitors annually with more than 0.8million from foreign land.

Taj Mahal An incomplete dream

We all know that it’s a timeless saga but little did we know about the concept of Shah Jahan which as fate had its way is not completed till date.

Though for us t is an uphill task even to imagine building of another Taj Mahal but it was on plans for Shah Jahan.

The emperor, who often fulfilled the wishes of his beloved, somehow could not fulfil his own wish of making a black Taj Mahal in front of the white marble beauty to express his grief and mourning for his wife Queen Mumtaz Mahal even after his death.

The Black Taj Mahal was intended to build just opposite to the original one with only use of black marble.

Shah Jahan was put under house arrest by his own son and heir by muscle power, Aurangzeb. The latter obviously did not agree with his father on most issues and was particularly not willing to him building a black Taj as his own mausoleum.

In the last days of Shah Jahan , when he was arrested by his own son Aurangzeb it is believed that he used to see Taj all day with the help of a diamond making an angle from his bed. Well! may be there are many more hidden emotions behind the structure which we could never know but the serenity of his love for his beloved queen still continues to be a matter of pride for the Indians.

Threats to Taj Mahal

As my personal experience says no cellulosic prints or painting could catch the real pure love story of the emperor behind building this wonder on earth.

So this has to be a sophisticated one and is adversely damaged due to acid rain which is a resultant of rising pollution level near the region.

It’s a sad part of the story that the shine of Taj is being diminished because of the high sulphur dioxide content in air.

Another shocking fact prevails that many visitors who come to see a glimpse of this world famous monument take away a part or a small piece of marble as a memento of the trip which seems to be lame and would damage the Taj in the long run severely.

The iconic Taj Mahal needs no introduction – the epitome of love with one of a kind architecture!!! Last month I got a chance(again!) to visit the iconic Taj Mahal – One of the Seven Wonders of the World. I have been to Taj before as well yet this time I documented it in my camera more like a traveller and not a tourist. I’m going to present one day Taj Mahal tour from Delhi with all the details of the trip.

History Of Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal a 17th-century architectural landmark in the world history, a part of Seven Wonders of the World is known both for its striking architecture and the love story behind it.

The Taj was built as a mausoleum by Shah Jahan and his 13th wife Mumtaz Mahal. Well, one must be surprised to know about the number of wives he had, I was too! But Mumtaz was his favourite and that’s the reason he gave her the name Mumtaz Mahal meaning ‘Jewel of the Palace’ and thus very few people know her real name – Arjumanad Banu. It is believed that it was love at first sight for Shah Jahan when he saw Mumtaz working in Meena Bazaar. She even accompanied him to the military sites. While giving the birth to their 14th child, Mumtaz died and it was then Shah Jahan promised her never to remarry and will build the richest memorial for her. Thus we have the iconic Taj Mahal here in India.

Planning Taj with Kids? Read this fabulous guide from Jenny about Visiting the Taj Mahal with young kids.

One day Taj Mahal tour from Delhi

The Trip – Delhi – Mathura – Vrindavan – Agra

Agra can be covered as a one day Taj Mahal tour from Delhi as it is a 2.5-hour hour drive from the capital. The Delhi–Agra expressway routes through Mathura and Vrindavan which are another popular religious destinations near Delhi. Besides their religious values, the small towns are famous for their mouth-watering delicacies. I recommend tasting the famous food of Mathura while heading (or coming back) to Taj Mahal. We (the family) started early morning around 5h00 via the Expressway & reached the outskirts of Agra around 8h00. While still on way, we got to know about the new route especially for the Taj without having to enter the main congested town. This helps to save a lot of time. We parked the cab approx. 1.5 km before Taj and not walking till the entry we decided to hop on the government cab at a merely 10/- per person. You might find other options as well including a carriage which charge as high as 250/- for that small distance. Read more on how to reach Agra from Delhi from Bianca.

Suggested Read – Places to see in Agra beyond Taj Mahal!

Taj Mahal Entry Fees

Agra’s Taj Mahal entry fees are 30 INR for Indians and 1000 INR for foreigners. The entry fees can be bought from the office near Parking lot itself. We boarded the cab and it took us no more than 5 mins to reach Taj. Children below the age of 15 have free entry but with a zero charge ticket.

P.S. Entry to Taj Mahal is now restricted to a 3-hour limit.

The 17th-century mausoleum is clearly showing the signs of ageing despite all the efforts & restoration in place. As of 11th April 2018, one of the minarets clattered because of the heavy rain and strong winds. Although this may seem unfair to the people coming from far off, this is what is needed to preserve the monument. The number of tourists visiting the Taj Mahal has exceeded 60000, so to reduce “human load”, that’s why ASI put the time constraint in place.

Entry Lane to the Taj Mahal

To my surprise, the entry lane to the Taj have improved significantly and the road/shops are much more organized now. We took a small halt at one of the shops to buy sunglasses & hats as we forgot to bring ours 🙁 and it’s actually difficult to enjoy the historic monument when you can’t keep your eyes open in the scorching sun. That was a nostalgic moment as I remember how much the area around Taj have tidied up and the shops are well maintained. Moving on, we passed through the security at the entry gate quickly as it was still quiet in the early morning hours.

Suggested Read – Have you seen Taj Mahal from above?

Taj Mahal Tour

As we got inside there was a huge entry gate to the Taj built of Red Sandstone. Went ahead within the premises, took a stroll around the beautiful gardens and found the newly restored (still in progress) the shining white Taj in the front which indeed was mesmerizing in itself.

Buildings in the Complex apart from the Taj Mahal

The main complex has two red sandstone monuments mirroring the Taj on left & right side which are also an architectural marvel. One of the building is a Mosque and the other is a Jawab (answer) hall. The Jawab hall later went on to being majorly used as a guesthouse.

The Yamuna across Taj Mahal

After exploring the Jawab hall, we moved on to exploring the exteriors of the Taj Mahal. The rear ends face the holy river – the Yamuna when going towards the Mosque. The boat rides are also available for viewing the Taj Mahal from a different perspective. We missed it for now but will cover it the next time.

Resemblances in the Tombs

The Humayun Tomb, in Delhi, is also built on the similar lines and one might find the similarity in the outer structure of both the tombs. Yet the two differ greatly in the use of stones as the former used Red Sandstone and the Taj used White Marble with intricate Mughal style decorations. Well, also in terms of grandeur as well.

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Photography Tips

Photography is seriously prohibited inside the Taj Mahal and you might lose your camera/mobile if you try to click and the security officials are on the watch for preventing it. Once you’re out of the main hall where the real graves are kept, you can click pictures again. You can see one of the pictures here which I clicked from the outer hall of the main tomb of Taj and that is one of my favourite shot from the Taj. After visiting the Tomb coming towards the exit gateway from the gardens, we get another gorgeous view of the Taj. If you’ve finally visited Taj and fulfilled your dream, don’t forget to click awesome pictures and read this guide about How to visit the Taj Mahal & Agra Fort with tips on where to find the best sunset!!

No matter what angle you choose for clicking Taj, the pictures are surely going to be amazing. The above one I tried while entering the Taj from the Jawab Mahal route and liked the perspective of the corner!!

The Minarets surrounding the Taj Mahal

The four minarets surrounding the Taj Mahal became an essential part of Mughal architecture from the 17th-century under Shah Jahan’s reign. The minarets stand high at 137 feet and are an important part of the Islāmic architecture. They were introduced as the stairs to the sky and their decoration is exceptional when compared to other minarets in mosques. These minarets have three balconies, an umbrella-shaped dome and a crescent at the top. But these are not open for the tourists, but that doesn’t stop us from capturing it from outside!!

The Gardens of the Taj Mahal

When coming out of the mausoleum, the gardens stand in the front of the grand entrance gate. The grandeur of the entry is as magnificent as the Taj Mahal itself.

The exit from the Taj Mahal takes us through the side gardens with another spectacular view of the mausoleum and another photographic opportunity.

As a native Indian and Taj being just being a 2.5-hour drive away, I always take it for granted. But I completely get it, sitting in your home and planning a trip to the Taj is tough.

If you’re a foreigner, you might have some interesting stories to share, read this one about Putting on the Ritz in India.

Did I inspire you enough to visit the Taj Mahal? Liked this one day Taj Mahal tour from Delhi? Save it to your Pinterest boards…

– The Wanderer

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**Last updated on 12th April 2018.

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