Mehtab Bagh, Agra

Mehtab Bagh is the Mughal garden across the Yamuna from the Taj Mahal, and the calmest place to watch the sun set on it. Here are its timings, fees and how it differs from the ADA viewpoint next door.

Mehtab Bagh, the 'moonlight garden', lies on the left (east) bank of the Yamuna directly opposite the Taj Mahal. It is described as the last of a series of eleven riverside gardens on this bank, attributed originally to Babur, and it was later incorporated into Shah Jahan's Taj plan. The garden is roughly 300 m square and is laid out exactly on the axis of the Taj, so the mausoleum appears framed at the southern edge. Much of it was lost to floods and silt over the centuries.

Excavations revealed a large octagonal tank on the southern edge, facing the Taj, with pavilions (baradaris) on the east and west, a small tank at the centre and a gateway in the northern wall. ASI has replanted the garden along its original charbagh lines. It is best known today as a quiet place to see the Taj Mahal across the river, away from the crowds, especially at sunset and on Fridays, when the Taj itself is closed.

Visitors cannot reach the Taj from here; the two are separated by the river. Close to the garden, the Agra Development Authority runs a separate Taj View Point on the riverbank, with its own tickets and evening hours. Reaching it from the Taj means crossing the Yamuna by road. Allow 45 minutes to an hour.