Itimad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj): Tickets, Timings and How to Visit

Short answer: Itimad-ud-Daulah, the “Baby Taj”, is the white-marble Mughal tomb that Empress Nur Jahan built for her father on the east bank of the Yamuna in Agra between 1622 and 1628. It opens sunrise to sunset every day, Friday included. Foreign visitors pay ₹310 (about US$3.30), under-15s go free, and 45 to 60 minutes is enough.

What is Itimad-ud-Daulah, and why is it called the Baby Taj?

It is the tomb of Mirza Ghiyas Beg, a Persian noble who rose to become chief minister to the emperor Jahangir and was given the title I’timad-ud-Daulah, “pillar of the state”. He died in Agra in 1622, a few months after his wife Asmat Begum. Their daughter, Jahangir’s wife Nur Jahan, commissioned the tomb that year and it was finished in 1628. The couple’s cenotaphs sit side by side in the central hall, and other members of the family lie in the corner rooms.

The nickname comes from what it led to. This was the first Mughal tomb finished in white marble rather than red sandstone, and its walls are covered in pietra dura: semi-precious stones cut and set into marble to make flowers, cypress trees, wine jars and geometric patterns. Shah Jahan’s builders took both ideas and scaled them up into the Taj Mahal, begun in 1632. The family link is direct too: Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj was built, was Ghiyas Beg’s granddaughter.

It is far smaller than the Taj. The tomb itself sits on a red-sandstone plinth roughly 50 m square and about 1 m high, with four short octagonal minarets of about 13 m at the corners, inside a walled charbagh (a garden divided into four by water channels). That small scale is the point: you can stand close and see every inlaid petal, which you cannot do at the Taj.

What are the Itimad-ud-Daulah timings and ticket prices in 2026?

The Agra district administration lists the tomb as open from sunrise to sunset on all days. In practice that is about 6:00 am to 6:30 pm in early summer and about 6:45 am to 5:30 pm in December and January; aim to be at the gate by 5 pm in winter.

Fees are set by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The table below is from the official fee table on tajmahal.gov.in, checked on 4 November 2026. The Agra district page also mentions a separate Agra Development Authority (ADA) toll for foreigners that is paid once a day across the major Agra monuments and is not charged on Fridays; if you have already been to the Taj that day, you will have paid it there. Fees change, so confirm at the counter or on the ASI booking site.

Dollar figures are approximate, at about ₹95 to the US dollar (late October 2026). Tickets can be bought online through the ASI Agra Circle booking site linked from tajmahal.gov.in, or at the counter; carry some cash in case the card machine is down.

Is the Baby Taj worth visiting if you are already seeing the Taj Mahal?

Yes, if you have a spare hour in Agra, and especially if you care about craft. Three reasons it earns its place:

• Detail you can touch with your eyes: the inlay at the Taj is seen from metres away behind barriers and crowds; here it is at arm’s length on every wall, including the painted and carved ceilings of the inner rooms.
• Quiet: even in peak season you will share the garden with a few dozen people, not thousands. It is the calmest monument in Agra.
• The river side: the pavilion on the Yamuna wall looks across the water, and on clear days you can make out the Taj downstream.

Skip it only if you are on a same-day trip from Delhi and short of time; in that case the Taj and Agra Fort come first.

What should you look for inside?

• The gateway: enter through the red-sandstone east gate with white inlay; the first view of the tomb framed in its arch is the classic photo.
• The exterior inlay: walk all four sides. Look for the cypress trees and wine-vessel motifs, Persian symbols you will not see on the later, more formal Taj.
• The central chamber: the yellow-marble cenotaphs of Ghiyas Beg and Asmat Begum, with painted floral ceilings above. Shoes come off before the plinth; shoe covers or a counter are at the steps.
• The marble screens (jali): pierced screens filter the light into the inner rooms. Photograph them from inside, looking out.
• The river pavilion: on the west wall facing the Yamuna, a good place to sit for ten minutes.

How do you fit Itimad-ud-Daulah into a day in Agra?

The tomb sits on the opposite bank from the Taj and Agra Fort, so it pairs naturally with the other east-bank sights. Allow 15 to 25 minutes by car from the Taj area, depending on bridge traffic.

On a Friday, when the Taj is closed, swap the morning for Agra Fort and Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra, then do the same afternoon on the east bank. Our guide to things to do in Agra beyond the Taj covers the rest of the city, and if you continue west the next day, see Agra to Jaipur by train or car.

How do you get there?

There is no metro to the east bank yet, so most visitors come by car, taxi or auto-rickshaw (a three-wheeled taxi; agree the fare before you set off). A private car with driver is the simplest way to link the Taj, the fort and both east-bank sights in one afternoon, because the driver waits at each stop; our private driver in India page explains how that works. From Delhi, Agra is about 230 km on the Yamuna Expressway, 3.5 to 4 hours.

What are the rules: shoes, photos, dress?

• Shoes: removed before the marble platform. Socks help on hot afternoons; the marble can burn in May and June.
• Photos: phones and personal cameras are fine. Tripods for professional shoots and drones need ASI permission.
• Dress: no formal code, but covered shoulders and knees are respectful at a tomb.
• Guides: only take ASI-approved guides who can show a licence card.

What this means for your trip

Treat the Baby Taj as the afternoon half of an Agra day: Taj at sunrise, fort at midday, then cross the river for Itimad-ud-Daulah and finish at Mehtab Bagh for sunset. If your dates land you in Agra on a Friday, this side of the river is where you spend the day. For a first India trip, the usual shape is two nights in Delhi, one in Agra and two in Jaipur; our Golden Triangle tour lays out that route.

Itimad-ud-Daulah: frequently asked questions

Is Itimad-ud-Daulah open on Friday?

Yes. The tomb opens from sunrise to sunset every day, including Friday. Only the Taj Mahal closes on Fridays. On Fridays the foreigner ticket is ₹300 instead of ₹310, and the Agra district page says the ADA toll is not charged that day, which makes Friday a good day for the east-bank sights and Mehtab Bagh.

How much is the Itimad-ud-Daulah ticket for foreigners?

₹310 on a weekday, about US$3.30, according to the official fee table on tajmahal.gov.in checked on 4 November 2026. It is ₹300 on Fridays or if you have visited the Taj the same day. Indian and SAARC visitors pay ₹30, and children under 15 of every nationality enter free.

Why is Itimad-ud-Daulah called the Baby Taj?

Because it came first and looks like a small rehearsal for the Taj Mahal. Finished in 1628, it was the first Mughal tomb faced in white marble and covered in pietra dura stone inlay, both of which Shah Jahan’s builders used on the Taj from 1632. It is also family: Mumtaz Mahal was the granddaughter of the man buried here.

Who is buried in Itimad-ud-Daulah?

Mirza Ghiyas Beg, chief minister to the emperor Jahangir, who held the title Itimad-ud-Daulah, and his wife Asmat Begum. Their cenotaphs are in the central hall. Other relatives of their daughter, Empress Nur Jahan, are buried in the side rooms. Nur Jahan herself and Jahangir are buried in Lahore, in present-day Pakistan.

How far is Itimad-ud-Daulah from the Taj Mahal?

It is on the opposite (east) bank of the Yamuna, about 4 km from Agra Fort by the bridge, and usually 15 to 25 minutes by car from the Taj area depending on traffic. You cannot walk directly between them because there is no crossing near the Taj, so plan on a car or auto-rickshaw.

How long should I spend at the Baby Taj?

Forty-five minutes to an hour is enough to walk the garden, see the inlay on all four sides and visit the central chamber. Add half an hour if you walk to Chini ka Rauza next door, and plan the visit for mid to late afternoon so you can reach Mehtab Bagh for sunset.

Is Itimad-ud-Daulah a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

No. Agra’s three UNESCO sites are the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Itimad-ud-Daulah is a centrally protected monument looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India, which is why its fee is set by the ASI and its ticket costs far less than the Taj.