Facts about Taj Mahal

Construction Year: 1631
Completed In: 1653
Build Time: 22 years
Built By: Shah Jahan(Mughal Emperor)
Dedicated to: Mumtaz. Real Name - Arjumand Bano Begum, the wife of Shah Jahan
Location: Agra (Uttar Pradesh)
Building Type: Islamic tomb for love & Beauty
Architecture: Islamic
Construction Cost: 32 crore rupees
Spread Over: 42 acres
Number of workers: 20,000
Highlights: One of the Seven Wonders of the World
A UNESCO World Heritage site
Timings: 6:00 am to 7:30 pm (Friday closed)
Fee: Rs 970 (Foreigners)
Rs 20 (Indians, during daytime)
Rs 110 (Indians, during sunrise and sunset)

How to reach Taj Mahal

By Rail: There is a good network of trains connecting Agra with the rest of the country. Apart from the main railway station of Agra Cantonment, there are other two stations also, that of Raja-ki-Mundi and Agra Fort. The main trains connecting Agra with Delhi are Palace on Wheels, Shatabdi, Rajdhani, and Taj Express.

By Road: There are regular bus services from Agra to a number of important cities. The main bus stand of Idgah has a number of buses running for Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura, Fatehpur-Sikri, etc.

Local Transportation: After reaching the city also, you need some sort of local transport to reach Taj Mahal. You can easily get taxi, tempo, auto-rickshaw and cycle rickshaw in the city that will take you to your destination. Prepaid taxis are also available if you want to visit the various places near the city. For the adventurous kind, there are bicycles that can be hired on hourly basis from different parts of the city. Since, diesel and petrol vehicle are not permitted in the Taj Mahal area, you can find battery-operated buses, horse-driven tongas, rickshaws and other pollution-free vehicles there.