The Agra issue
Mehtab Bagh and Kachhpura on Agra's east bank
Agra's east bank in one afternoon: a guided village walk through Kachhpura, then the garden the ASI empties at sunset.
By Matteo FerraroAgra is a Mughal city, not a single monument
Guards clear Mehtab Bagh at sunset, so in winter you want to be through the gate by 17:00. The garden is a 25-acre walled charbagh on the Yamuna floodplain, and the large octagonal stone tank at its south end holds the Taj's reflection from straight across the sandy riverbed. Behind the garden wall, Kachhpura village keeps a mosque built in 1530 and a Mughal baoli along a 1.5 km lane.
Mehtab Bagh at the end of the afternoon
Mehtab Bagh (Yamuna east bank, facing the Taj) is the main reason to cross to this side of the river. The dome stands dead centre in the view across the riverbed. A red-sandstone river wall runs along the garden's river edge, and one octagonal corner tower survives at the end of it.
Take the straight-on view from the river wall first, then the corner tower for the angle down the bank, then the stone tank at the south end, where the reflection sits in the water. The garden is walled on all four sides, and the river edge is the only one that matters for the view.
Tickets come from the ASI counter at the gate and nowhere else: ₹25 for Indian nationals and ₹300 for foreign nationals. Nothing is sold online and there are no advance slots, so bring the ticket money with you. Coaches and tuk-tuks park on the lane outside.
Staff clear the garden at sunset and will not hold it open for the afterglow, so plan on spending the last full hour of light inside the walls. If the day has run late, buy at the counter and go straight to the tank.
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Kachhpura village on foot
Mughal Heritage Walk (Kachhpura village, behind Mehtab Bagh) covers 1.5 km of paved lane through a mud-and-brick farming village. Buffalo stand along the route and dung cakes dry on the walls. Villagers trained as guides lead it, and the fee stays in the village.
Walking it with one of them is the sensible way to find Gyarah Sidi, the baoli and the mosque. The route includes a rooftop chai stop where the Taj shows over the fields. Packaged tours cost ₹3,500 to ₹4,400 per person, with private transport and water included. Hiring a village guide at the start of the walk costs far less, so ask for that rate at the top of the lane if the packaged price is more than you want to spend.
Book the walk to finish at Mehtab Bagh with an hour of light still in hand, which puts the village in the warm part of the afternoon.
Humayun's Mosque (Kachpura Masjid, inside the village) went up in 1530, the year Humayun took the throne. Only the sanctuary survives, a five-arched facade with a tall central iwan. Patches of original glazed turquoise tilework still hold on to crumbling plaster, and village houses press right up against the walls.
Entry is free and five minutes is enough. The building is partly ruinous and in use for prayer at the same time, so go in a small group with a local guide, dress modestly and keep away from prayer times.
North along the east bank
Three more Mughal sites sit upriver on this same bank, at 1.5 km, 2.5 km and 5 km from Mehtab Bagh. Take a vehicle. In order of distance they make one drive out and back.
Chini ka Rauza (east bank, the nearest of the three) is a squat riverside mausoleum faced in glazed Persian tiles. Surviving panels carry cobalt, turquoise and yellow against bare brick where the rest has fallen away, a big bulbous dome sits above them, and an unkempt garden runs down to the Yamuna. It is India's only substantially tile-faced Mughal tomb, and it stands unstaffed and usually empty. Entry is free, nothing needs booking, and 10 minutes covers the visit.
Tomb of I'timad-ud-Daulah (the Baby Taj, the middle stop) is a small, low tomb in white marble. Four squat octagonal minarets stand at its corners and a barrel-vaulted canopy sits where a dome would be. Pietra dura inlay of flowers, cypresses and wine flasks covers every surface, and the jalis are pierced marble.
This is the prototype for the Taj's marble and inlay work, and here you can get your eye close to the inlay, which you cannot do at the Taj itself. Allow 40 minutes. Entry is ₹30 for Indian nationals and ₹310 for foreign nationals, and the ASI site has parking that handles coaches.
Ram Bagh (Aram Bagh, the far end of the run) was laid out by Babur in 1528. It is the oldest surviving Mughal garden and the ancestor of every charbagh, the Taj's included. Terraced stone platforms step down to the river with open pillared pavilions on them, and dry channels and chutes are cut into the sandstone. Mature trees give shade, footfall is low, and there is room to spread out. Entry is ₹25 for Indian nationals and ₹250 for foreign nationals.
Boats from Dussehra Ghat
Yamuna rowing boats (Dussehra Ghat, below the Taj's east gate) push off a muddy ghat behind the Taj's perimeter wall. The boats are flat and wooden, the rower stands at the stern, and the line of travel is across towards the Mehtab Bagh bank. From the water the mausoleum's rear plinth and minarets rise straight out of the shallow brown river. This is the only way to see the Taj reflected at water level.
Each boat holds four to six people, so a larger party hires several at once. Reckon on ₹300 to ₹800 per boat for 30 minutes, negotiated and settled before anyone boards. Outside the monsoon the water runs low and smells, so come for the light rather than the river.
Eating and drinking over the bridge
The Mehtab Bagh side has no restaurants at all. Food, drink and beds are back over the bridge.
Hichkee Rooftop Cafe (Hotel Alleviate, Yamuna Kinara Road, 2 km across the water) is the closest proper place to eat or stay on the riverbank. The rooftop is open to the Yamuna embankment and four monuments show from it at once: the Taj, Agra Fort, Jama Masjid and the Baby Taj. Seating is cane, and UV strips light the roof after dark. Mains run ₹300 to ₹600, and Taj-facing rooms start at ₹4,000. Book ahead for a Taj-facing table.
Nucler Lounge & Cafe (Yamuna Kinara Road by Jeoni Mandi crossing, 2.5 km from Mehtab Bagh by road over the bridge) is the nearest nightlife to this bank. The fifth-floor roof has dome-shaped cabanas, a DJ floor and a live bar, and both the Taj and the Baby Taj stand on the skyline over the Yamuna. It opens 14:00 to 00:00. Two people with drinks come to ₹1,500 to ₹2,500. The roof is large and keeps a private party area.
Ram Babu Paratha Bhandar (Belanganj, 3 km from Mehtab Bagh) has been serving since 1930. Cooks work a row of blackened tawas in a plain tiled room off a crowded bazaar lane, and the parathas come stacked on steel thalis with potato curry, pickle and curd. A full paratha thali is under ₹200. Tables are tight at peak times. It is the obvious stop on the drive back from the river.
Where to stay on this bank
The Coral Court Homestay (quiet residential colony behind the Taj east gate) is a family house with a shaded courtyard and terrace, and home-cooked thalis served at a shared table. Rooms run ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 a night with breakfast. The hosts arrange the sunset run to Mehtab Bagh and the Kachhpura walk, and the house stands minutes from the Taj east gate. With only a handful of rooms, book well ahead.
The Oberoi Amarvilas (600 m from the Taj, on the Taj's own bank) is a Mughal-palace-style resort with terraced lawns dropping to reflection pools, fountains and colonnaded pavilions. Every room balcony frames the mausoleum without interruption. Premier rooms start at ₹41,000 and Taj-view rooms run ₹65,000 a night. The resort has banqueting and event space, though the price limits how large a party can be. It suits a visitor building the day around river light. Budget 25 minutes by road to Mehtab Bagh via the bridge.
Before you go
Mehtab Bagh sells tickets at the gate alone and empties at sunset. Book the village walk in advance, and the homestay's few rooms well before you travel.
See the Agra guide and the Agra hotel search.
Gallery
Mehtab Bagh–Kachhpura in pictures
Mehtab Bagh–Kachhpura — your questions
What time does Mehtab Bagh close?
The ASI clears the garden at sunset, with no extra time for the afterglow. In winter, be inside by 17:00 and keep the last hour of light for the stone tank at the south end.
Can I book Mehtab Bagh tickets online?
No. The ASI sells tickets only at the counter by the gate: ₹25 for Indian nationals, ₹300 for foreign nationals.
How much does the Mughal Heritage Walk in Kachhpura cost?
Packaged tours run ₹3,500 to ₹4,400 per person and include private transport and water. Hiring a village guide at the start of the walk costs far less, and the fee stays in the village either way.
Is there anywhere to eat near Mehtab Bagh?
Not on that side of the river. Hichkee Rooftop Cafe at Hotel Alleviate is 2 km across the water on Yamuna Kinara Road, and Ram Babu Paratha Bhandar in Belanganj is 3 km away on the drive back.
How do I see the Taj Mahal reflected in the Yamuna?
Hire a rowing boat at Dussehra Ghat below the Taj's east gate. Rowers pull across towards the Mehtab Bagh bank. A boat takes four to six people, and 30 minutes costs ₹300 to ₹800 per boat once you negotiate.
