The Great Gate - A Frame for Paradise

Photo: Jakub Halun, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

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

This towering red sandstone gateway, the Darwaza-i-Rauza, is the Great Gate of the tomb. It was built to do two jobs: to announce that you are entering a sacred place, and to hide the Taj Mahal until the very last moment.

Look at the black lettering that frames the arch. It is a passage from the Quran, chapter 89, called Daybreak, which ends with an invitation for the faithful soul to enter Paradise. The calligrapher, Amanat Khan, signed his work and dated it to around 1648. Notice how the letters near the top of the arch look the same size as those at the bottom. They are not - the higher ones were drawn larger so they read evenly from the ground.

Along the top runs a row of small white domes. A popular story says their number matches the years it took to build the Taj, but treat that as a tale. Now walk into the shadow of the arch, and watch the white tomb appear, perfectly framed.

Getting here: Cross the forecourt to the large red sandstone gateway on its north side; the Great Gate is about 150 meters from the East Gate.

Did you know?: Walk slowly toward the tomb from the gate's arch and back again: many visitors notice the Taj seems to shrink as they approach and grow as they step back, a trick of the frame around it.

Photo op: Stand just inside the gate, in the shade of the arch, and use the dark archway as a frame for the white tomb at the far end of the garden.

Nearby: There is little shade in the garden ahead, so this is a good spot to put on a hat and sip some water.

The Great Gate - A Frame for Paradise

Stops on this tour