Taj Mahal, Agra

Ask anyone what the most famous monument or spectacle is in India, and chances are they’ll say the Taj Mahal. And, to be honest, if you’ve never been to India before, it’s probably the only one you’ll know anyway. 

Papped and snapped by everyone and their mate, the Taj is the most iconic and probably one of the most photographed places in the country. A quick online search brings up hoards of images of famous people, from Princess Diana and Will and Kate to Bill Clinton and Katy Perry, posing outside its reflected dome, while tourists take selfies galore from the legendary eyeline at the front of the building. 

One of the world’s seven wonders – and rightly so – and India’s greatest treasure, the Taj Mahal is steeped in romance. In the 17th century, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan ruled over north-east India hand-in-hand with his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The two were inseparable; she would travel with him even on his military campaigns. But on one such journey, Mumtaz died giving birth to the Emperor’s 14th child. Heartbroken, Shah Jahan became consumed with the construction of her mausoleum – and thus the Taj Mahal was born. 

It was an incredible feat – materials and specialists from all over the world were used, as well as around 1,000 working elephants and 20,000 workers. And those who worked on it didn’t exactly get the reward they were hoping for – rumor has it that Shah Jahan cut off the hands of some builders for fear that they would make a replica of the place. 

The main mausoleum was finished in the early 1640s, but – before its full completion – Jahan was overthrown by his son, Aurangzeb, and imprisoned in Agra Fort. In a tragic end to this tale of romantic excess, Shah Jahan ended his life in a prison from where he could only gaze wistfully at his beloved creation. 

The Taj is now a World Heritage Site, welcoming seven million visitors from across the world every year for a spectacle that will stay with them for a lifetime.