Magical sunrise at the Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal (meaning crown palace) is situated in the industrial town of Agra about 200km southeast of Delhi in Uttar Pradesh. I was compelled to get up early and see the Taj Mahal at sunrise as this is the best time to see it apparently, I was not disappointed. I entered through the east gate at 6.30 am. The Taj Mahal is the resting place of Emperor Shah Jahan's second wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died during labour. The white marble building houses her tomb and is surrounded by very well kept gardens and a red sandstone perimeter wall that makes an wonderful contrast to the white marble of the Taj Mahal proper. To the west of the tomb is a mosque and to keep the symmetrical balance on the east is a guest house of very similar dimensions. The Emperor died in 1629 however work started on the building in 1631, being completed in 1653, the Emperor therefore did not get to see the beauty of his late wfe's tomb. 22,000 people were employed to make the building and materials imported from all over the world. The opal used comes from Belgium whilst other precious stones are from China and Italy, the clean white marble comes from Rajasthan which is very nearby. After completion some of the masons subsequently had their hands chopped off so that they could not replicate their work elsewhere! The four white towers surrounding the tomb lean slightly away from it so that if they were to ever fall they would not topple onto the tomb and destroy Mumtaz's resting place. The Taj Mahal is a magnificent building and words simply do not do it justice, it is perfect from every possible angle and viewpoint. The intricate hand carved marble work and inset stones are of the best design I have ever seen, every aspect of the patterns has been carefully thought through so that a building of timeless character and prestige could be created. As the sun rose the colours and shadows of the building changed, different parts become shaded while others shone. The architecture was so well planned that a single detail was not missed. The building itself evokes many emotions and it was difficult to leave and take it all in, I walked around it many times, trying to appreciate its delicacy and perfection from every possible stance. To the north of the Taj Mahal and over the river Gunga is the site of the proposed black Taj Mahal which was sadly never completed. As you sit there taking it all in listening to the birds singing and appreciating the Taj you forget that just outside there is a bustling city of over 1 million people. This is a must see monument.

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Photos

View from the guest house to the east
The effect of the lighting is most prominent here

Comments

[anonymous]

this is soooooo cool.

[anonymous]

thank you
your blog really helped me with an essay that i had to write on the Taj Mahal. thanks again sooooooooooooo much!!!!

[nafisah]

like salma said... it feels good to hear such good things about our country from foreigners.