The former California governor travelled to the Indian city of Agra on Friday, the one day each week the monument is closed to tourists because of Muslim prayers at a nearby mosque.

His tour guide Nitin Singh said the movie star was disappointed and had to view the Taj Mahal from a nearby road.

Schwarzenegger took pictures with his cellphone and posed for photos with the Taj as the backdrop.

He is in India for an environmental conference.

He told a TV channel he would consider acting in Bollywood if offered an interesting script with a good director.

"I'll be back," he told the cheering studio audience.

Copyright The Canadian Press