Also known as Baby Taj, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is a Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh . Often described as 'jewel box', sometimes regarded as a "draft" of the Taj Mahal.
Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb is among the interesting places in Agra that we visited during our stay in Agra. This place is situated not far from our hotel. It cost around Rs 100 by tuk-tuk. We hired the same tuk-tuk driver throughout our stay and it was recommended by the hotel itself.
The mausoleum was commissioned by Nur Jahan , the wife of Jahangir , for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg , who had been given the title of Itimâd-ud-Daulâ (pillar of the state). Mirza Ghiyas Beg is also the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal (originally named Arjumand Bano, daughter of Asaf Khan), the wife of the emperor Shah Jahan , responsible for the building of the Taj Mahal.
Located on the left bank of the Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways. The mausoleum itself is set on a base about 50 meters square and about 1 meter high. The mausoleum is about 23 meters square. On each corner are hexagonal towers, about 13 meters tall.
The walls are white marble from Rajasthan encrusted with semi-precious stone decorations - cornelian , jasper , lapis lazuli , onyx , and topaz in images of cypress trees and wine bottles, or more elaborate decorations like cut fruit or vases containing bouquets. Light to the interior passes through delicate jali screens of intricately carved white marble.
Many of Nur Jahan's relatives are interred in the mausoleum. The only asymmetrical element of the entire complex is that the cenotaphs of her father and mother have been set side-by-side, a formation replicated in the Taj Mahal.
The tour of this tomb will take approximately 30 minutes.
You're required to take-off your shoes before entering the mausoleum and the shoe keeper will normally ask you for around Rs 1.
