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| Taj Mahal at night |
“You know Shah Jahan, life and youth, wealth and glory, they all drift away in the current of time. You strove therefore, to perpetuate only the sorrow of your heart? Let the splendor of diamond, pearl and ruby vanish? Only let this one teardrop, this Taj Mahal, glisten spotlessly bright on the cheek of time, forever and ever.”- Rabindranath Tagore
Nobel
Laureate and world renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore’s quote dedicated to the
Taj is perhaps one of the best to describe its’ beauty. The word ‘Taj’
originates from Persia and it literally means a ‘Crown’. True to its meaning,
Taj Mahal is indeed considered to be the ‘Crown of the Palace’!!
It took 20
long years to complete the Taj Mahal (1632-1653) and since then it has been an
eternal symbol of beauty and love. Indeed, timeless love it was which made the
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan build this white marble mausoleum in the memory of
his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal!
Well… you
can easily come to know a lot about Taj Mahal across the internet as there are
numerous articles describing the history, the engineering marvel of Taj, the
love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz etc. Today I am not here to discuss all
those stories…. Rather I want to share with you my experience of viewing Taj
Mahal on a full moon night!
Taj Mahal
has been a center of tourist attraction since long. It was declared as the
winner of the ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’ initiative long back in 2007. But
the Taj Mahal has been attracting its admirers from all over the world since
its completion. I had read about the mesmerizing view of Taj mahal on a moonlit
night in a novel and since then I had cherished the dream of viewing the Taj
Mahal on a full moon night. The opportunity finally came on 12th
November, 2019, the night of ‘Guru Purnima’ (Guru Nanak Jayanti).
My trip to
Agra was a part of the famous ‘Golden Triangle’ tour with my family. Since the
ticket for night view Taj Mahal is not available for purchase online, I was a
little concerned about the availability of tickets as the stock is limited.
However, I managed the tickets through a travel agent (after agreeing to pay some
extra amount) and was finally able to view the magnificent Taj Mahal on a full
moon night.
Night
viewing of Taj Mahal is allowed from two days before the date of full moon and
continues till two days after the date of full moon. The tourists are allowed from
8:30 PM onwards and the viewing continues till 12:30 AM with approximately 50
visitors per batch (8 batches are allowed per day). Maximum viewing time is 30
minutes per batch. As per the instructions printed in the ticket, I had to
report to the Shilpagram gate by 8 PM with my family members. After verifying
the ID details and passing through almost four security checks, we finally boarded
a battery operated bus along with fellow visitors (mostly foreigners) which
took us to the main gate of the Taj Mahal. Thereafter, following another round
of verification and security check, we were finally allowed inside the Taj
mahal!! After around 5 minutes, all the spot lights were switched off and in
the darkness the Taj Mahal was there infront of us!! Although the infamous fog
of Delhi and Agra region during that time of the year played spoilsport to some
extent, but the Taj mahal was a sheer visual treat under the full moon!! It
took around another 5 minutes or so to adjust my vision in the darkness and
then it was there right infront of me!! My long desired wish of viewing Taj
Mahal on a full moon night eventually fulfilled!!
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| The much coveted ticket |
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| A Chandelier |
I tried to
capture the moment with my Nikon D-3200 35mm Low Light lens but the light was
very insufficient to capture a perfect moment. The grain visible in the
pictures is due to the fog out there. I am not a novelist who can perfectly
describe the moment by using perfect literary verses or a poet who can pen down
a poem or two describing this moment perfectly, all I can say is the feeling
was wonderful, something words cannot describe!! So if you also have a desire
to view Taj Mahal on a full moon night, just don’t delay anymore…. Experience
it with your own eyes and treasure the memory forever!!
SOME MUCH NEEDED INFO:
· Tickets
for night view of the Taj Mahal are available 24 hours before the actual date
of viewing from the counter of ASI office at Agra. Please click here for pricing
and other details. Keeping in mind the limited availability of tickets, I would
suggest that you better contact any Agra based travel agent to collect the
tickets on your behalf if it is not physically possible to collect the tickets.
They might charge a little extra as handling charges, but trust me the view
will compensate all.
· Be
sure to carry your Photo ID / Passport for verification and ofcourse don’t
forget to carry the ticket. A copy of Photo ID / Passport is also required at
the time of purchasing tickets.
· No
electronic gadgets are allowed inside. Mobile phones, headphones / headsets,
laptops etc. are strictly not allowed. Even camera tripod is not allowed
inside. Only the camera and lenses are allowed provided you carry them on your
hand. Backpacks are also not allowed. Locker facility is available to deposit
all the electronic items.
· Food
items and water bottle are not allowed. Although, the guards allowed us to
carry water bottle for my 2 year old daughter on request.
· The
area is well guarded by the CISF and you have to go through multiple security
checks. So be sure not to carry anything which can be treated as a weapon.
· Taj
Mahal is our pride and a World Heritage Site…. so please do not litter or spit
around. Also, refrain from committing any nuisance. Enjoy the beauty of the Taj
and cherish the memory forever.
