| Rabindranath Tagore called
it 'a tear on the face of humanity', and Mark Twain wrote that 'You cannot keep your emotions within bounds when that soaring bubble of marble breaks upon your view.' It may be an over-exploited image, but Agra's breathtaking Makrana marble mausoleum is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, and surely its most splendid monument to love. Just 600 metres away is the luxurious Oberoi Amarvila¯s (00 91 562 223 1515; www.oberoihotels.com). Most of its rooms (from US$530) have views of the Taj Mahal. Check into the Kohinoor Suite (US$2,500) and you can marvel at it not just from the bed but from the bath, too. Abercrombie & Kent (0845 070 0615; www.abercrombie
kent.co.uk) offers a variety of nine-day Indian itineraries, combining a visit to the Taj Mahal with time in Delhi (200km away, and the nearest airport) and Jaipur, a five-hour drive away, via Fatehpur Sikri, from £2,429 per person.
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