Last updated 29 September 2026
Itimad-ud-Daulah is open every day from sunrise to sunset, needs about forty-five minutes to an hour, and costs around ₹310 for foreign visitors and ₹30 for Indian citizens — a fraction of the Taj Mahal, for a building many visitors end up preferring.
It was built between 1622 and 1628 by Nur Jahan for her father, and it is the first Mughal structure built entirely in white marble and the first to use inlaid semi-precious stone at scale. Everything the Taj Mahal is famous for was worked out here first, by a daughter for her father, a decade before Shah Jahan started.
Timings, tickets and how long
It is open on Fridays, which puts it on the short list for an Agra day when the Taj Mahal is closed, alongside Agra Fort and Mehtab Bagh.
The tomb sits on the opposite bank of the Yamuna from the Taj Mahal and most of the city, which is the main reason it is quiet — it is a fifteen-minute detour rather than something you pass.
| Open | Sunrise to sunset, every day |
| Closed | Never — open on Fridays |
| Entry, foreign visitor | around ₹310 |
| Entry, Indian citizen | around ₹30 |
| Time to allow | 45 minutes – 1 hour |
| Where | Across the Yamuna, north bank |
| Crowds | Usually almost none |
Why the nickname undersells it
"Baby Taj" makes it sound like a lesser version of something else, built afterwards. It is the reverse. Itimad-ud-Daulah was finished in 1628; Shah Jahan did not begin the Taj Mahal until 1632.
It is the first Mughal building constructed entirely in white marble rather than red sandstone with marble detailing, and the first to use parchin kari — inlaid semi-precious stone — across whole surfaces rather than as trim. The technique that makes the Taj Mahal what it is was developed and proved here.
The inlay is also finer at close range than the Taj's, because the building is small enough to see it properly. At the Taj you look at the scale; here you look at the work.
The jali screens — marble cut into lattice — are among the best anywhere, and the light through them onto the floor is the thing most visitors photograph once they are inside.
Who built it, and for whom
Nur Jahan was the wife of the emperor Jahangir and, for much of his reign, the effective power behind it — she issued coins in her own name, which no other Mughal empress did. She built this tomb for her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg, a Persian nobleman who rose to be the empire's treasurer and carried the title Itimad-ud-Daulah, pillar of the state.
He was also the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj Mahal was built. The two buildings are one family, one generation apart.
So the sequence runs: a daughter builds a marble tomb for her father in 1628, inventing the style. Four years later her niece's husband builds the same idea, larger, for his wife. The famous one came second.
Fitting it in
It is on the north bank of the Yamuna, about a twenty-minute drive from the Taj Mahal, and it pairs naturally with Mehtab Bagh — the garden directly across the river from the Taj — which is on the same side.
A good Agra afternoon is Itimad-ud-Daulah, then Mehtab Bagh for sunset and the view of the Taj from across the water. Together they take about two hours and almost nobody else is doing it.
On a Friday, when the Taj Mahal is closed, this and Mehtab Bagh are the two things that make the day worth having.
Common questions
What is the Baby Taj?
Itimad-ud-Daulah, a marble tomb in Agra built between 1622 and 1628 by Nur Jahan for her father. The nickname comes from its resemblance to the Taj Mahal, but it was finished four years before the Taj was begun — it is the building the Taj Mahal was developed from rather than a copy of it.
How much does the Baby Taj cost to enter?
Around ₹310 for foreign visitors and ₹30 for Indian citizens, which is a fraction of a Taj Mahal ticket. It is open every day including Friday, from sunrise to sunset, and needs about forty-five minutes to an hour.
Is the Baby Taj worth visiting?
Yes, and a good number of visitors end up preferring it. The inlay work is finer at close range than the Taj Mahal's because the building is small enough to see properly, the jali screens are among the best anywhere, and it is usually close to empty. It is also very cheap and open on Fridays when the Taj is not.
Who built Itimad-ud-Daulah?
Nur Jahan, wife of the emperor Jahangir and the effective power behind much of his reign, built it for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg — the empire's treasurer, who held the title Itimad-ud-Daulah, pillar of the state. He was also the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj Mahal was built. The two tombs are one family, one generation apart.
How far is the Baby Taj from the Taj Mahal?
About twenty minutes by road, on the opposite bank of the Yamuna. It pairs naturally with Mehtab Bagh, the garden directly across the river from the Taj Mahal, which is on the same side. The two together make a good Agra afternoon and take around two hours.