The grounds of the 17th century monument to love in Agra were closed during their visit Saturday evening, protocol officer Alok Shekhar Tiwari said. Photographers and TV cameramen were not allowed inside. Sarkozy toured the Taj Mahal alone during a visit to India in 2008.

At the time, India made it clear that Bruni, who was then his girlfriend, would not be welcome on the official visit if the two were not married. On Sunday, the French first couple visited Fatehpur Sikri, a town on the outskirts of Agra that was the capital of the Mogul empire in the 1500s. Rais Mian, a cleric who hosted them at a religious shrine in Fatehpur Sikri. "He (Sarkozy) asked me to pray for him and wish him success," PTI quoted Mian as saying.

"Carla said she wants a son and I prayed for them." Sarkozy and Bruni then left for New Delhi, about 200 km to the north, for a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.