Agra, the city famous for it’s wonder of the world, the Taj Mahal. I found out very quickly that the small city lacked any inspiration or significance – in other words, was plain and boring – and was best planned as a day trip from Delhi.
On the train to Agra, Mel and I met a Canadian girl from Toronto who spotted my Canadian baggage tag. Tina was already on her second month in India with another two months to go. She had a spunky personality and an intriguing travelling knowledge. As travelers from the same country we quickly became good friends and decided to visit the sites together.
That evening Mel and I met up with Tina at the Taj, where she surprised us with two tickets. Tina, although Canadian, had an Indian heritage and went out of her way to purchase us local passes for a mere 20 rupees (instead of the tourist rate of 750 rupees). Unfortunately, we were stopped short of entering the grounds as we obviously did not look like locals. Tina on the other hand was let through without question. Although750 rupees doesn’t convert to being all that much, when you’ve been in India long enough, you’ll find yourself pushing to get the best price for everything. No complaints though, as the money goes towards guards and the maintenance of the beautiful palace.
The Taj Mahal (also “the Taj”) is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
It is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architecture. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”
While the white domed marble mausoleum is its most familiar component, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision including Abd ul-Karim Ma’mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri Lahauri.
Like the McDonald’s logo, the iconic image of the Taj is known by all around the world. It is a magnificent monument of pure marble that shines from all angles and never looks bad on any occasion. I found it surprising how the marble has remained in great condition after 350 years and even to this day the building’s sheer size and architecture is a work of art. Every girl’s fantasy of having a palace built by their husband seems almost a reality in the Taj.
Here is a quote from Emperor Shah Jahan about what the Taj was to him:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator’s glory.
The interior was a bit of a letdown. For all the people rushing to get in and out, the inside was small and very dark. They could have at least put in some lights.
Concluding the day, we dined at a rooftop restaurant with a view of the Taj and experienced the slow and painful process of waiting an hour for a meal *stomach growls*
I woke up the next morning to find I had missed the sunrise by an hour. I put on my stuff, grabbed the camera equipment and ran out the door to catch a rickshaw. It was a cool and misty morning in Agra and when the rickshaw hit top speed you could feel the chill in the air. I covered myself with a shawl and hoped we’d arrive soon.
At the back, along the Yamuna river, the Taj was engulfed in fog. At first, I was very disappointed. But with time, the sun started cleaning up the morning mystery. Guards manning the posts wouldn’t let me onto the beach, as apparently it was too dangerous. I’d seen photos from the beach, and had to find a way.
Original Taj complex papers dispel the myth of plans for another Taj in black marble across from the Taj in white. What does exist is the Mahtab Bagh, or “Moonlight Garden,” which is perfectly aligned to the gardens at the Taj and an extension of the gardens across the river. Original plans indicate that central to the garden was supposed to be an octagonal pool that would hold the nighttime reflection of the Taj, the idea perhaps being to make it a location from which to view the Taj during a full moon. How incredible would it have been to see a mirror image reflection at moonlight! Unfortunately, before the pool could be built, the emperor was overthrown by his own son and so construction ceased. Take another look at the image just above with the Taj in the fog. The gardens path leads to bed of bricks where the pool was supposed to be made.
Mel and I had to miss out on the World Heritage Site of Fatehpur Sikri, all because we we tried to book our train tickets at the station. (I have a video of the whole fiasco). What really should have taken fifteen minutes took two hours in India. Some words to sum up the experience would be slow, painful, and disorganized. As one local put it, the country runs on IST (Indian Stretched Time). If you ever visit India, book your trip accordingly.
That evening we went back to our hotel for dinner and got ready for our train ride to Jaipur the next day. So far into the trip I enjoyed Varanasi the most, whereas Agra had nothing significant to offer in terms of culture. I really disliked the traffic and messy atmosphere it provided, which was why I liked the peaceful nature of Varanasi once we got along the Ganges. All I’ve read and heard about Rajasthan had been positive, so I felt I had nothing to fear.
