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Published: November 30th 2011
The Shot
Taj MahalThe Taj Mahal is one of those iconic images recognized around the world. It is THE image of India and for us it was a must see. Whenever we get a chance to see an iconic place like this, we always wonder if it will be as impressive as the image in our mind and how it will meet our predetermined expectations. As for the Taj, lets just say the emotions were mixed.
We were a little concerned about the weather because the fog had been so dense in both Delhi and Agra, so we weren’t even sure if we would be able to see the Taj when standing right next to it. Fortunately for us the afternoons cleared up and we were able to see the massive mausoleum/mosque complex. Funny enough the day we chose to see the Taj was Republic Day in India and the place was packed. Although busy, the Taj was a beautiful sight to see and we both thought it was even bigger then expected. What’s most impressive about the complex is it’s symmetry. Everything from the ornamental gardens to the two flanking mosques to the mausoleum building itself, including the four massive minarets, are
all built in perfect symmetry.
Inside the massive marble Taj lies the two cenotaphs (tombs) of Shan Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Shan Jahan was the Mughal Emperor during the 17th century whose second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died giving birth to their 14th child. He was so heartbroken that he built this memorial for his late wife as a symbol of his love. It took nearly 22 years to build the complex with workers and architects from all over India and Asia. Shortly after completion Shan Jahan’s son overthrew him and held him prisoner until he died in 1666, 35 years after his beloved wife‘s death. Although his son despised him, he did “honour” him by burying him next to his wife in the Taj Mahal; ironically the addition of his cenotaph is the only non-symmetrical component in the whole complex.
We spent about three hours wandering around the complex, taking in all the amazing craftsmanship, including the insanely detailed inlaid precious-stone mosaics that decorate the marble walls. The mosques inside the complex had Muslims coming and going amongst all the tourist, which on this day seemed to be mostly Indian tourists. We checked out the place
from all angles and after many clicks of our camera we were very satisfied with our visit.
Once you leave the massive walls of the beautiful Taj everything changes. The ramshackle buildings surrounding the complex are disgraceful, with touts and rip-off artists ready pounce the minute you exit. While these “entrepreneurs” are expected at tourist spots like this, the sad fact is that they have nothing worth buying. The souvenirs are crap, the food is horrible (worst we had in India) and the accommodation is very, very sub-par even on Indian-backpacker standards. This is the first place we stayed where we thought that maybe a day-trip from Delhi (about 2-3 hours away) is a better way to go: see the Taj, see the fort and get out of Agra!
All things aside though, the next day we did visit the Agra Fort and were impressed by it’s massiveness. Actually only 40% of the fort is open to tourists and the other 60% is still used by the military. Still the mosques, gardens, view points and courtyards were worth checking out and it was interesting to see the similarities in the designs compared to some of the places we
saw in the middle east.
The two nights we spent in Agra were more then enough and unfortunately the poor amenities definitely dampened our time at the Taj, but the Taj Mahal itself was beautiful and an amazing example of Mughal love and engineering.
Until Next Time…
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Chris and Nikki
Chris
Must have been amazing to see it in person, great picture.