Mehtab Bagh - The Moonlight Garden at Sunset

Photo: g.kaustav, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Taj Mahal and Agra: A Self-Guided Visit, a free self-guided tour.

End your day across the river from the Taj Mahal, in Mehtab Bagh, the Moonlight Garden. This square garden, about 300 meters on each side, was laid out in Mughal times in perfect line with the tomb, as a place to enjoy the view of the Taj by moonlight.

Near the river edge, archaeologists in the 1990s uncovered a huge octagonal pool with 25 fountains. On a still evening its water would have held a reflection of the Taj itself.

You may hear the story that Shah Jahan meant to build a second Taj here in black marble, for his own tomb. It is a famous legend, probably traced back to a 17th-century European traveler, but there is no evidence for it. The dark stones once thought to be its foundations turned out to be ordinary stone that had discolored with age.

Find a spot facing the river, watch the marble turn gold, then pink, as the sun goes down.

Getting here: From Itimad-ud-Daulah, take an auto-rickshaw or car along the east bank of the river, about 4 kilometers, to the Mehtab Bagh entrance; aim to arrive about an hour before sunset.

Did you know?: To uncover the garden's pool and layout in 1994, archaeologists removed about 90,000 cubic meters of earth.

Photo op: Walk to the riverside edge of the garden and frame the Taj Mahal across the water, with the river in the foreground catching the sunset colors.

Nearby: Restrooms are near the entrance. The garden closes around sunset, so check the time and plan your ride back before dark.

More on Wikipedia: Mehtab Bagh · Jean-Baptiste Tavernier · Taj Mahal

Stops on this tour

1. Taj Mahal East Gate - Where the Procession Began
2. The Great Gate - A Frame for Paradise
3. The Charbagh Garden - Paradise in Four Parts
4. The Mausoleum - A Promise in White Marble
5. Inside the Tomb - Flowers Made of Stone
6. The Taj Mahal Mosque - Facing West to Pray
7. The Riverside Terrace - Shah Jahan's River View
8. The Jawab - A Building Made Only for Symmetry
9. Agra Fort - The Hall Where the Emperor Listened
10. Musamman Burj - Shah Jahan's Last View of the Taj
11. Itimad-ud-Daulah - The Jewel Box Known as the Baby Taj
12. Mehtab Bagh - The Moonlight Garden at Sunset