Baby Taj

Did you know that there’s a monument that is popularly known as Baby Taj, which could have been the ‘draft’ of the world-famous Taj Mahal? Well, I didn’t, till I visited Agra and was told about it by the locals. The actual name of Baby Taj is Itmad-ud-Daula’s Tomb, and it is very similar to the Taj Mahal in a lot of respects. According to Wikipedia, the Baby Taj is a mausoleum commissioned by Noor Jehan, the wife of Mughal king Jehangir, for her father. A number of Noor Jehan’s relatives have been laid to rest in this mausoleum.

Here are some pics of the Baby Taj, for your viewing pleasure…

That’s the entrance to the monument, and the GREEN lawns sprawled around it.

We entered the beautifully decorated archway….

…. to find this!

This is another view of the mausoleum from outside…

I loved the sheer prettiness and craftsmanship on the walls and tiles inside the monument. That’s one of the tombs you can see in the above pic.

The place is full of intricate lattices – representing the amazing skills that the craftsmen of those times possessed.

Apparently, there were a number of precious and semi-precious stones studded into the walls and ceiling of the building. Several have been lost, but some still do exist.

That’s the beautiful design on the walls we saw in one part of the building, inlaid with pure white marble. In spite of the heat outside, the inside of the monument was cool and pleasant, thanks to all the marble.

I loved this design on the tiles inside the monument. Very Jodha Akbar-ish.

It’s a lovely structure, and I enjoyed knowing about the history of the place.