GIT India

If you are going to India the one thing that you have to make sure that you see is the Taj Mahal. It is one of the best known structures in the world and is by far the country's largest tourist attraction. That of course means that you will have to deal with large crowds to see it but most people think that it is well worth it.

The Taj Mahal is the most visited tourist attraction in India and one of the most recognizable landmarks in the country. Located just outside the city of Agra the Taj Mahal was constructed starting in 1632 as a tomb and a memorial to the wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Construction took more than twenty years and took many thousands of craftsmen to complete.

The Taj Mahal is rather unique for India in that it is designed mainly in the architectural style of Persia. This is not hugely surprising given that the Mughals came to India from the Middle East. That being said you don't see a lot of Persian architecture in India anymore . The building is constructed mainly of white marble with arches being the dominant feature. There are actually quite a number of Hindu elements incorporated into the design and it is this combination of Persian and Hindu styles that really makes the Taj Mahal stand out.

While the outside of the building is impressive the inside is even more so. There is a great deal of artwork that incorporates many different styles. Again it is largely a combination of Persian and Hindu. In this case however the materials that are used are made up largely of precious metals and gemstones.

As the most popular tourist attraction in India the Taj Mahal is fairly easy to get to. At least it is fairly easy to get close to. The city of Agra is one of the largest in the country and it has all of the transportation and tourist infrastructure that you would expect. However in order to keep pollution form damaging the Taj Mahal vehicles are not allowed to get within a few kilometers of the site. That means you have to either walk to it or use one of the electric buses that will take you out to the site.

If you are planning to visit the Taj Mahal you need to remember that it is a Muslim site so its accessibility will be affected by Muslim holidays. Generally it is open from six in the morning until seven in the evening every day but Friday. It is also open at night when there is a full moon however this is not the case during Ramadan. It is also important to realize that there are security restrictions that you will need to comply with. The biggest is that you are limited in what you can bring into the site. Only a clear water bottle, camera, mobile phone and a purse for ladies are allowed inside.