The Riverside Terrace - Shah Jahan's River View

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

Walk around to the back of the tomb and you find the side most visitors never think about: the Yamuna River. The Taj Mahal was built on the riverbank on purpose. In Mughal times the river was Agra's main street, lined on both banks with walled gardens, palaces and tombs belonging to the emperor and his nobles. Boats carried the court between them, and from the water the Taj would have risen straight up from the riverbank.

Look upstream, to your left, and you may make out the red walls of Agra Fort, where Shah Jahan spent his final years. Across the river lies a green patch of trees and walls: that is Mehtab Bagh, the Moonlight Garden, built in line with this tomb. You will end your day there.

The river level changes a lot with the seasons, so you may see wide sandbanks or high water. Stand here a moment and imagine the royal barges sliding past below.

Getting here: From the mosque, walk along the riverside edge of the terrace behind the mausoleum, toward the river side of the complex.

Did you know?: The whole Taj complex sits on a raised platform about 300 meters long and nearly 9 meters high along the riverbank.

Photo op: Lean on the railing and photograph the river and Mehtab Bagh across the water, or turn for a rarely seen view of the tomb's back facade.

Nearby: There is no shade on the terrace; morning visits are much more comfortable in the hot months.

More on Wikipedia: Yamuna · Agra Fort · Mehtab Bagh

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