From Agra Fort we make our way across the river to Itmad-ud-Daula, also known as Baby Taj. Similarly to the much larger Taj Mahal it is a mausoleum, in this case for the father of the chief consort of Jahangir. It is speculated that it served as a model and inspiration for the Taj Mahal and represents a transition between the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture, primarily built from red sandstone with marble decorations as in Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, and its second phase, based on white marble and pietra dura inlay, most elegantly realized in the Taj Mahal. The entrance gate is certainly built from red sandstone and looks similar to Humayun’s tomb and is in that style.
However the tomb proper is built from white marble similarly to the Taj Mahal and we certainly see the similarities from the outside and we understand how it got its name colloquial name. But before getting there we have to avoid the roaming macaques, but they seem more interested in flowers than cameras or tourists today.
Then we take our shoes off and it is time to visit the mausoleum proper. And the surrounding area, all of it is a no shoes zone. But there are few other tourists and everything is clean so we don’t mind as we start exploring.
The exterior is beautifully done with inlayed marble, even more beautiful that the Taj Mahal in our opinion. We walk all around it enjoying the intricate pattern and then it is time to move to the interior.
As we enter we are quite surprised, the walls are still painted and decorated like in the olden times. This is surprising as most other tombs we visited had no decorations left so we really enjoy seeing the care and detail that went into decorating each room.
Room to room we are amazed at how beautiful they are, we are happy that we can explore them without many other people and that entering the mausoleum is permitted without any additional restrictions.
There are lots of paintings and beautiful details, there are still representations of trees and flowers which makes it likely it was prior to the Mughals become more strict and abstract with their art.
And then it is time to explore the outside again and get our shoes back. There are lots of opportunities for great photos and we stop a lot just to snap some photos.
As the tomb sits on the banks of the Yamuna River we also spend a while looking over the river, looking for birds and also just enjoying the views. And then we return via the gardens to the car and it is time for our last destination of the day, Mehtab Bagh, for some closer looks of Taj Mahal.
