Taj Mahal!

From just inside the main gate

We rolled into Agra yesterday afternoon. At the time, we thought our driver was just abiding by the local pollution restrictions - a number of years ago, restrictions on types of vehicles and general traffic were placed around Agra near the Taj because the pollution was causing discoloration to the marble, so generally speaking, the roads are closed to large cars. He dropped us at a checkpoint outside of the main part of the city around the Taj, and had us catch pedicabs in the pouring rain. We found out later that, had he paid the cop 50 rupees (about a dollar and change), he could have driven us to our hostel. So we, and our luggage, arrived soaking wet. Awesome. I began praying to the powers that be to allow us a clear day so we could really enjoy the Taj Mahal. Sure enough, I got my wish and we awoke at 5:30 this morning to a mostly clear sky.
The walk to the main gate from our hostel was under 10 minutes and the ticket ine was relatively short. I felt the same as I did as a child on the way to Disney World – this is one of those end-all, be-all moments in life that you always look forward to and never forget. Not to sound totally cliche, but I will tell you: the Taj Mahal is every bit as breathtaking as people say, and pictures don't do it justice. You could see it from the roof of our hostel, and it looks like a painting - so real it looks fake. Up close, it is even more incredible. The structure is not completely white as I had thought - the four symmetrical sides are inlaid with semi-precious stone in black, reds, yellows and blues.
The inlay work on the front of the Taj

Quick history: Shah Jahan, a Mughal emperor, began construction on the Taj Mahal in 1632, as a mausoleum for his third wife after she died giving birth to their 14th child (birth spacing, anyone?). Rumor has it that he was planning to build an identical structure in black marble on the opposite side of the river on which the Taj sits, but 1. black marble comes from Europe and at the time, it was too costly to import it, unlike white and other marbles which come from India, and 2. before the Taj was completed, Shah Jahan's son imprisoned him to take over the throne, locking him up in a prison cell about 2 km up the river. He was able to see the Taj from his cell, but was never allowed to see the completed inside. He is now buried with his beloved below the main floor of the Taj.
We had a free tour guide, provided by the India Archaeological Survey, and got professional photos done, as suggested by some friends. Under normal circumstances, there is no way I would ever hire someone to take my picture at a monument, but even at 6am, the crowds were growing and we knew that he would be able to move people out of the way, providing flawless photos; just me and the Taj!


The tour was good; not much that wasn't printed in Lonely Planet, but he was super patient with our incessant picture-taking, and even offered to take photos of us with our cameras. The really cool part of the tour was inside – he took a flashlight to show us how the marble and the inlaid stones glow. Real white marble is semi-translucent and you can see the light penetrate the stone about an inch deep (this is also a good test to tell if something is actually marble. Though this white marble comes from India, many local vendors try to pass off mini-Taj statues and other memorabilia made of soapstone as marble, and if you're not an expert, how could you tell?). Apparently, it is best to see the Taj under full moon light, which makes the whole main dome glow. As we learned when we got their, along with their no-shoes rule, no photography is allowed inside, so you will have to go see it for yourself!
After the tour, we split up for some quiet time and more picture-taking from different angles. The whole complex is completely walled-in and the Taj, as well as the symmetrical buildings which flank it – one a mosque and one a guest house, are surrounded by a park of indigenous trees, with stone benches underneath, providing ample opportunity to just stop and reflect. It really was a beautiful morning.