The actual tombs of the Shah and his wife rest within the Taj itself. No shoes are allowed so all visitors must take them off and pay a small fee to workers to watch them before they enter. Socks are recommended because the heat of the Indian sun makes the marble feel hotter than a frying pan!
Inside, two stories of eight rooms surround a central echoing chamber that rises 80 feet high to the dome. These rooms were originally used for reciters of the Quran or for musicians who played soft Indian and Persian melodies. he interior usually feels pleasantly cool and dark after being in the outside heat. In the main chamber within the Taj, an octagonal screen of marble surrounds the tombs more than six feet in height. Originally when the tomb was first constructed, the screen was made of gold. However in 1643, fearing vandals, Shah Jehan ordered it replaced by marble.
The Taj Mahal interior marble reliefs are of flowers that are strangely in vases unlike the outside where they are just in bunches. This might have been done to make the inner rooms special somehow. Flowers, especially those in vases could have been symbols of the bounty promised to the faithful in paradise. Within the screen, two marble cenotaphs (coffins) lie side by side. These however, do not contain the actual bodies, which are cryptically (no pun intended!) buried in the crypt below. Following Islamic practice they are oriented longitudinally north to south with their faces towards Makkah. Her cenotaph is in the center, while the Shah's is to her right.
Pietra dura inlay work with precious and semi-precious stones of many colors (sapphire, topaz and coral) cover the marble surface of the screen and the cenotaphs in the form of graceful flowers, delicate arabesques and superb calligraphy. The many guards standing with rifles protect the jewels from anyone wanting to take home priceless souvenirs. Gazing at the inside makes one imagine how the outside of the Taj might have looked in its original glory, before according to most Indians the British absconded with much of the treasured stones on the outside edifice.
Many of the decorations in the inner chamber are made from transparent marble, which you can see by placing your hand behind one. Both cenotaphs are quite similar except that the calligraphy on Mumtaz's includes verses from the Quran.
On either side of the Taj Mahal are buildings of red sandstone. The one to the west is a Mosque. It faces towards Makkah and is used daily for prayer. On the outside, the Mosque has Pietra dura work twining across and a red sandstone platform in front.The floor of the Mosque is of exceedingly fine and sparkling material that appears velvet red in shade.