Itmad-ud-Daula (Baby Taj)

Itmad-ud-Daula is a white marble Mughal tomb on the east bank of the Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, built between 1622 and 1628 by the empress Nur Jahan for her father, Mirza Ghiyas Beg. Itmad-ud-Daula was the first Mughal tomb faced entirely in white marble, and it is often called the Baby Taj because it anticipates the Taj Mahal's materials and inlay.

Mirza Ghiyas Beg was a Persian who rose to become chief minister to the emperor Jahangir, with the title Itmad-ud-Daula, Pillar of the State. His daughter Nur Jahan married Jahangir and became the most powerful woman of the Mughal court, and his granddaughter was Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj was built. The tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula is small and intimate, sitting in a charbagh garden, and what sets it apart is the detail rather than the scale.

What to see

• The walls covered in pietra dura inlay of coloured stones forming wine cups, cypress trees and flowers
• The finely pierced marble jali screens that filter the light inside
• The yellow marble cenotaphs of Mirza Ghiyas Beg and his wife
• Painted ceilings in the inner chambers
• The riverside pavilion looking over the Yamuna

What to wear

Itmad-ud-Daula is a tomb, so modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is respectful. Shoes come off before the marble platform, which is very hot in summer afternoons, so socks help. Bring a hat and water in the hot months, and a warm layer on winter mornings. In Agra you will see the kurta-pyjama and salwar kameez everywhere, often with chikan embroidery, the white-on-white work of nearby Lucknow.

Local food to try

Agra's specialities are petha, the candied ash gourd sweet, and a breakfast of bedai with aloo sabzi and jalebi, sold in the lanes of the old city across the river. Mughlai kebabs, korma and biryani are the city's other strength, with halal options around the old Jama Masjid area. Carry water; there are few food stalls at the tomb.

Good to know

• Best from October to March; late afternoon light warms the marble
• Open daily, sunrise to sunset
• Entry fee at the gate, higher for foreign visitors
• Allow 45 minutes to an hour
• On the east bank of the Yamuna, about 6 km from the Taj Mahal by road
• Photography allowed in the garden; the interior can be restricted

Nearby places

Itmad-ud-Daula is across the river from Agra Fort and a short drive from Mehtab Bagh, the garden facing the Taj Mahal.