It was recorded inside the Taj Mahal in Agra, India on April 25, 1968, during Horn's visit to produce a documentary about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation.

[1] In 1967, Horn decided to pursue a "spiritual pilgrimage" and became one of the celebrity musicians to accompany The Beatles on their visit to India in February 1968 to complete a Transcendental Meditation course with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at his ashram in Rishikesh.

[2] Horn wrote: "Quite unexpectedly he bursts forth a vocal 'call' every few minutes to demonstrate the remarkable acoustics emanating from the solid marble dome", which produced a 28-second unbroken echo.

[1] On April 25, during a stop in Agra, he returned to the Taj Mahal assisted by a 14-year-old boy named Sankar, who Horn paid to translate and carry out odd jobs for the crew.

[2] Inside, the tomb guard granted Horn permission to return at 8:30 p.m. that evening, one hour before closing time, so he could play the flute when it was less busy.

"[2] With his alto flute assembled Horn blew a low C note, which "filled the entire room and hung there" as the guard "stood there transfixed".

[6] The first contact was his friend Richard Bock, the founder of Pacific Jazz Records, who forwarded the album to the marketing man, Massey Lipton.

The album was not picked up; Lipton considered its concept too difficult to gain enough radio airplay and suggested the addition of percussion instruments, which Horn refused to do.

[7] Roughly a year later Horn reunited with his friend Chuck Gregory, by now a director of the A&R team for Epic Records, and played the album to him.

Gregory was immediately enthusiastic, and got head A&R man David Kapralik in New York City involved, who also liked the album and secured Horn a record deal with Epic.

[10] Initially, Horn wanted a photograph of the Taj Mahal on the front cover, but "freaked out" when he saw what Epic had decided upon: a close up of his face from the top of his eyes to his chin.

[13] In a review published in the Pensacola News Journal, Cliff Smith wrote: "To hear this LP is to know why Horn was compelled to play in this acoustical wonderland.

[14] Gene Lees of High Fidelity called the music "serene" in a recording that "has an incredible ambience, an otherworldly beauty that communicates itself with gentle insistence.