The Taj Mahal is the crown jewel of India and the one place that virtually every tourist must visit. The Raj, however, did not simply spring out of Shah Jahan's brain when he wanted a tomb for his wife. There were at least two other buildings that influenced it.
Humayan was the second Mughal (Islamic) ruler of India. His tomb is in Delhi and was built by his wife. Humayun had been exiled in Persia for a number of years during his reign and so the design of his tomb was a mixture of Persian and Indian elements.

 Except that it is built of red sandstone instead of white marble, the first view of the tomb is reminiscent of the Taj, with its central dome and two wings framed by an entry gate.
The red and white designs contrast beautifully with the blue sky and the green of the gardens in which it is set. On each side of the building are gardens with canals running through them to evoke the rivers of Paradise.
Inside is a symbolic casket; the actual body is buried below ground level, in accordance with Muslim tradition.

 The entire complex is surrounded by a wall, which makes it very peaceful in the chaos off Delhi, and originally included a mosque.
in Agra a highly embellished gate leads to the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah or "Baby Taj." It is fairly small and lacks the soaring dome of the Taj Mahal, but this structure earns its nickname of the Jewel Box. Like the Taj, it is made of white marble and covered with inlay work.
The interior is decorated with tiles that gleam in the light. This is the top of the dome. The builders also made use of inlaid semi-precious stones and reflective surfaces on the outside of the structure. The background of this page is an example of the inlay work.
When the inlay was done it was not superficial. Here where a vandal has pried out one of the pieces you can see how deep they go.

 Oyr first view of the Taj Mahal in Agra. This is the view from across the river. It was Friday and since there is a functioning mosque there, visitors are not allowed to enter on Fridays.
The Taj Mahal from the entrance gate. We had hoped for a nice sunny day but instead saw the Taj rising from the mist of the river.

 The amount of work and level of craftsmanship on the Taj is astounding.
Every one who visits the Taj says that words and pictures cannot describe it. And they are right. We were very lucky; while we were there the sun came out and gave us the picture-perfect Taj Mahal. Pat and a fellow traveller sat on a bench looking at this scene for about 20 minutes, just drinking it in.