5 Stunning Sides of the Taj Mahal You Never See

Every famous landmark, like the Taj Mahal, has its token “good side”, kind of like girls do when they’re taking a photo except, they get to decide which side is their most stunning one. Landmarks can’t exactly tell you which side is their good side for taking a selfie with them, or in what lighting they’d like to strike a pose in. For all you know, you could be taking a picture of their second-best side, simply because that’s what everyone else was doing!

Ok, enough with the metaphorical talking buildings. What I am trying to get at here is that I was blown away by how jaw-droopingly stunning the other sides of the Taj Mahal were, besides the iconic front side! I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s really hard to beat a stunningly symmetrical structure that happens to also perfectly mirror itself on an also-perfectly symmetrical lawn, and you should 100% get that token photo if you can.

But, don’t forget that angles, lighting, and less-photo-bombers can make a less-looked-at side as stunning as the token one. So here’s the five non-front sides of the infamous Taj-Mahal, that may make you re-think your next photo op!

The Back of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal gets progressively more crowded throughout the day, that means by sunset, there’s a good chance that there’s going to be a shit ton of people there invading your photos. But, since everyone is at the actual landmark, guess where they are not?

The lesser-known garden across the river behind it, which only costs 200 rupees/$3 USD (vs the 1000 rupee Taj Mahal entrance fee) for entrance. It’s called the Mehtab Bagh (which translates to “Moon Garden”), and those who know about it, know that you should definitely head there for sunset.

When I went there was only about ten other people there, but since it’s a massive area, it felt like I had the place to myself. Instead of the front of the Taj Mahal’s iconic mirroring pool, the view of the back from the garden offers a row of flowers that seem to line up perfectly with the center of the Taj. It’s like the you fell down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland and happened end up in Agra.

The East Side of the Taj Mahal

My photos and point of views are during the early hours of the morning just after sunrise, so keep in mind that the lighting and colors will be completely different depending on what time of the day you go! When the sun is still rising in the east, you’ll get a bright-white image of the Taj Mahal, which stands out even more if there’s blue skies.

For wide-angle or fish-eye looking photos like this one, I use a GoPro (mine is a Hero 4 Black). I’m also extremely patient and I wait for the perfect moment; like when the wind is (or isn’t) blowing, and people aren’t walking in the background to take the picture.

The West Side of the Taj Mahal

If you walk around to the opposite side of the Taj Mahal around the same time in the morning, you’ll have a more contrasted version of it. That means that this side of the Taj Mahal is not illuminated by light, but the area around it is, which also makes for a pretty stunning photo.

I also like this type of lighting and angle because you can really see the details of the Taj Mahal, from the different pieces of marble slabs that construct it, to the engraved writing all around it. This type of lighting also makes colors pop, which means for once it might be nice to have some people in your pics!

The Great Gate (The Entrance)

Better known as the entrance to the Taj Mahal, The Great Gate is the red sandstone structure that you walk through on your way in, and completely forget about the second you catch sight of the Taj Mahal through its archway. I mean, it’s hard not to, humans are naturally drawn to symmetrical images, and the Taj Mahal is basically the epitome of symmetry.

That being said, you also won’t be able to help but notice how symmetrically aligned the Great Gate is when you look out from the the front of the Taj Mahal. It might not be exactly as breathtaking as the bold white domes of the Taj Mahal, but its similar archway and mirroring effect in the same pool in front of it makes for a surprisingly stunning view.

The Two Red “Wing” Buildings

When I first saw the two red wing buildings that flank the East and West sides of the Taj Mahal, it threw me off a little bit because I wasn’t used to ever seeing them in photos of the iconic structure. But if you take a closer look at them, and learn a little about their purpose, you’ll find that they too are actually quite stunning.

The Western red sandstone building is actually thought to be a mosque due to its architecture, engravings, and a special niche in its wall called a mihrab, that faces West towards mecca. Its twin on the East side of the Taj Mahal is said to simply be for balance, since it doesn’t have the mihrab, or the special black marble outlines for 569 prayer mats like the West red building has.

How to Get Stunning Photos of the Taj Mahal

10 Tips for Getting Travel Photos with No People in Them

You’re probably wondering how in the hell I got photos of one of the most famous sites in the world right? I mean, after all, it is a UNESCO site, not to mention, one of the New 7 World Wonders. In a nutshell, I got there as soon as it opened, went on a weekday, and also went during monsoon season (low season).

I also was very patient, and got creative with lighting and angles. If you’d like to read more about my photo tips for major landmarks, please check out: “How to Get Travel Photos With No People in Them”!

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