Roses? Love Letters? PAH!! Build her the Taj to show your love!!

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After two non-eventful days and a 7 hour bus journey that should have taken 3, i arrived in Agra yesterday lunchtime, all revved up to go for my visit to the Taj Mahal. It is a sight that is ideal to be seen at any time of day (apparently), however i wanted to be there in the cool and relative calm of dawn, when it opened, ratehr than trying to sneak a peek in 40 degree heat amongst a throng of other excitable tourists. I therefore chose to wait until today, and so yesterday, after some grub and a rest, i went over to Agra Fort. This is a monument that unfortunately often gets overlooked by the day-trippers who come to Agra for just the Taj, but it is actually very attractive inside. It has a mixture of private mini-mosques and secluded areas, plus a fascinating black (i believe marble or granite) 'Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' style slab that is actually a throne...although bloody hot to perch on in the middle of a hot Indian Summer afternoon!!
There are also private gardens, and although one can whizz round in little over an hour, it is still a good exercise in sightseeing.
As Agra is pretty much a dump other than its famous sights, there was little else to do with the rest of my day, however my incredibly honest (a rarity in India) rick-shaw driver told me about the official Indian Cotton Industries Shop, and that he would take me there free of charge. He explained that it was more a favour for him, as if he took a tourist there to look at the selection of clothing for 10 minutes he would get free petrol. With nothing else in my days itinerary i agreed, and the ol, mangled tooth chappy was right, the shop was amazing, with a wide and really impressive selection of pashmina and silk shawls, carpets, sarees and suits, and with absolutely no pressure to buy. We both went away happy, as he got his free petrol, and I had seen something off the tourist trail that actually really interesting, for free.

This morning I arose bleary-eyed at 5am, but after a quick shower and some good news regarding buses to Jaipur, I headed off to the Taj Mahal, a 2 minute walk around the corner from my hostel.
The Taj Mahal is claimed to be one the man-made wonders of the world, and is often hyped to what could claimed as absurd levels, thus in danger of leaving visitors underwhelmed. I can categorically deny any chance of being underwhelmed, as the Taj is breathtaking.
The towering marble structure is fronted with beautiful and symetrical Persian-style gardens, and either side are two equally-beautiful red-stone structures, one of which is a magicaland incredibly peaceful mosque.
The Taj was built by, and I apologise if this is incorrect, Shah Shan as a commemorative tomb for his recently deceased wife, as a gift emphasising his love for her and despair for her death. It is constructed of incredible marble, with inlays of various other stone, and coral. The architect was from Persia, and he designed it to the slightest detail, even preparing the 4 minarets that stand on the corners of the Taj in such a way so as if there were to be an earthquake, they would fall away from the tomb.
It is so so hard to explain the beauty of the carvings and the Qu'ran inscriptions that decorate the structure, but trust me, it is exquisite.
Another interesting aspect, inside the Taj, was the acoustics...absolutely perfect, although im not sure you could fit an orchestra inside and an audience to appreciate it!

Being 6-7am it was obviously still very very cool in the gardens of the Taj complex, and so i sat for a while soaking in my surroundings, which included a great number of variations of birds and other wildlife, including cuckoos and woodpeckers, and the obligatory chipmunks that scamper about.
It was actually really hard to leave the Taj, as i dont want to forget how wonderful it actually is to see close-up, but i guess the photos will have to do!!
The Taj Mahal is definitely one of the highlights of my trip so far, as i expected, but it did exceed the hype surrounding its fame, which made it even better.

This morning I am now going to attempt a trip to Rajastan, Jaipur specifically...however there have been lots of protests recently, blocking routes in and out of the area, so we will see what bus i can get, and where i end up tonight!!

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Comments

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Taj Travel
It is really fantastic blog. I knew about Taj. But i came to know the truth now. It made me to do travel over there.