Taj Mahal

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In photos, the Taj usually looks rather cheesy. It's amazing in person.

I had to go to the dentist in Agra. It turned out to be a fairly pleasant experience, cost me only 100 rupees, plus 100 rupees at the chemist shop, and relieved the problem.

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Photos

Scroll on outside
The Taj complex contains about 14 Koran passages done in marble inlay. This is a portion of one that spans the entrance. It describes the creation story.

Taj
One of the surprising things about the Taj is that while its exterior is pretty massive, it has a much smaller interior. This is so because there are two concentric domes, which was required to support the weight. The interior dome causes the internal space limitation, and the external causes it to appear massive.

Semi precious stone inlaid in marble
The external inlay uses about 8 semi-precious stones. But the inside is really amazing. Virtually every surface is made from inlay, usually displaying flowers including roses and lilies, and makes use of 42 stones.