Taj Mahal with a Baby

It has been two years since we were at the Taj Mahal with a baby but I found myself reflecting on that most anticipated journey with the Little Monkey two months after she was born. Prepping for our travels with Baby Boy has me digging through the archives for our tips and tricks…I easily forget you see! I shared our travel through the Golden Triangle in three days but I didn’t get a chance to really share the amazing photos we took at the Taj Mahal so for today’s #IGTravelThursday post here’s some of my favourite photos of the exquisite monument. 

While the Taj Mahal was ironically not on my travel bucket list I’m glad we made it out as it is one of our most talked about travel stories. The sheer architectural details are mind boggling and truth be told I don’t even remember half of them. The half that I do are intense. The Taj Mahal is not only full of wonder and amazement but there’s many facts and historic stories that many may not know.

My favourites include :

It took over 22,000 people nearly 22 years to build the Taj Mahal and more than 1,000 elephants were employed to transport the construction materials used to build the Taj.

Emperor Shah Jahan was to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river but the war with his sons interrupted his plans. His son kept him captive with only a key hole to look out through at his beloved Taj Mahal where his wife was buried

The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines

You can leave your shoes outside as you enter the mausoleum (and risk them being stolen) or wear shoe covers. Highly recommend the shoe covers.

This was the most bizzare sign I’ve ever seen…. this is at the women’s entrance into the Taj Mahal. Yes men had their own line.

Everything was hand crafted including the carved designs and calligraphy. The inlay stones of yellow marble, jasper and jade were polished and leveled to the surface of the  white marble walls.

Baby friendly tips : While there’s plenty of room for a stroller, we recommend a baby carrier as it can get very busy and crowded. Not to mention the various steps (though they are few and very easy to maneuver ). Lockers are available for storing items but we never used them so I cannot speak to how safe they really are. You can bring in milk and water without any issues.

The Taj Mahal is truly magical…have you been? Do you want to?