The incredible Taj Mahal

---

---

I was told that dawn is the best time to see this because the light on the marble is best then and there are far fewer tourists. Both of these explanations are true.

Gate of red stone, mausoleum of white marble. Dawn’s light tinted it slightly pink for a few minutes, then it softened to the colour of fingernail white. The building is not monochromatically white. The marble plates vary from one to the next, giving a slightly mottled effect and you can see the joints between them clearly. Four decorative minarets shaped like lighthouses surround it. Oriental arches that rise to a point in the middle, unlike perfectly round Greco-Romano-European ones. Main dome is bell-shaped while the domes on the minarets and the gate remind me of helmets from Asian suits of armour. Japanese? Chinese? Mongolian? Can’t quite remember.

Overall effect of this monument is awe. It is impressively beautiful and serene. Inside the tomb of Mumtaz sits in the centre with the slightly larger tomb of her husband, Shah Jahan, just beside.

Many restrictions here. Can’t bring cell phones or chew paan, for example. Can’t use cameras inside the mausoleum. In this I think the Indians get it right for once. A shame they can’t prevent air pollution from destroying the marble slowly.

Despite the constant hounding, you still get value for money at times. A Mr. Singh approached me as I was taking pictures, pointed to a spot and said to shoot from there, then showed me a dozen good places. He isn’t a photographer but when I asked he said he’d learned from watching them. These are postcard-style photos, but better than I could have done without him. I paid him 50 rupees, money well spent.

---

Photos

View through the gate to the Taj Mahal.
The gate leads to the grounds of the Taj Mahal and is intended to frame it this way as you're entering.

At the Taj Mahal.
My guide, who attached himself to me like a helpful remora, kindly took this picture.

Non-standard view.
Rather than down the reflecting pool, this was taken from a position indicated by the resourceful Mr. Singh.

Taj Mahal entrance.
This is the opposite to the usual view. It was taken from in front of the Taj Mahal, looking down the length of the reflecting pool towards the entrance gate.