The Taj may be hailed as architectural perfection, but it has a challenger. To the north, across the Yamuna, lies the elegant and intricately inlaid Itimad-ud-Daulah (adult/under 15yr ₹310/free), the graceful tomb of the Persian noble Mirza Ghiyas Beg, built by his daughter between 1622 and 1628.
The name of this jewel-box mausoleum translates to "pillar of the state" and Beg was indeed a pivotal figure in the Mughal court, serving first as Kabul treasurer, then prime minister, before joining the extended royal family when his daughter, Nur Jahan, married Jehangir in 1611.
Set in a charbagh garden, the minister's tomb is beautifully proportioned, and less ostentatious than the Taj, while sharing a similar taste for gleaming white marble and intricate floral and geometric motifs.
Blending Mughal and Persian themes, this was the first monument to be built in marble during the Mughal era, and the first to use the distinctive technique of pietra dura, using inlaid semi-precious stones to create ornate patterns of flowers, vases and cypress trees. It was also the first tomb to be built on the banks of the Yamuna, which until then had been a sequence of beautiful pleasure gardens.
The nickname "Baby Taj" is misleading – the building is squat but refined, with neat corner minarets and a rectangular turret in place of a central dome. However, its delicate pietra dura work was undoubtedly an influence on the Taj, which was constructed a few decades later, while its red sandstone entry gateway shows the influence of earlier Mughal styles.
You can combine a trip here with Chini Ka Rauza and Mehtab Bagh, all on the east bank. An autorickshaw covering all three should cost about ₹500 return from the Taj, including waiting time.
