While in India, we took a trip to the city of Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. I have always wanted to see this amazing building and so has Valerie and we were not disappointed. It is by far one of the most beautiful building I think I have seen in my life.
I love the symmetry and elegance of it. The mostly white color and the detailed inliad carvings throughout.
The entrance fee was the highest we have and probably will encounter in India at 750 Rupees ($15) per person, but it is a sight that should not be missed if you visit India and was worth it in the end.
We happened to be visiting Agra right around the time of the full moon and were also excited to learn that for the two nights before and after the full moon as well as the night of the full moon, you can purchase moonlight viewing tickets for the same rate as the day tickets. We went the last night of our stay in Agra and 2 nights before the full moon. We would recommend doing this if you have a chance. The experience was very peaceful and something special. It was only us, two other foreigners and an Indian family when we went which was in stark contrast to the hundreds upon hundreds of tourists we had visited with in the daytime. It was very dark even with full moon and is to dark for pictures with anything but and SLR and full manual settings, but just to sit ther and listen to the far away sounds of an arab prayer call and the crickets while looking at the Taj was quite special.
How To Get Moon Viewing Tickets
Moon viewing tickets cannot be purchased at the main ticket gates of the Taj. They must be purchased typically a day in advance from the Archeological Survey Of India Headquarters in Agra. It is a pink building about a 3 KM drive from the Taj and should cost about 150 Rupees return to go to. You will need your passport to purchase the tickets.
NOTE TO PHOTOGRAPHERS: No tripods of any kind are allowed in the Taj Mahal grounds. In the daytime you can usually get an exception to this by going to Archeological Survey Of India Headquarters Office in Agra a day before and asking for permission and the proper paper work. For night viewing you are not allowed a tripod and, as far as I could find, can;t get special permission for it at all. You are only allowed one camera per person and no video cameras for the night viewing. On the day viewing I had already put my larger Velbon tripod in the locker and came back though the security check were they found my Joby cell phone tripod I had forgotten was in my bag and they made me take that to locker as well.
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