Taj Mahal

The Taj has fascinated me ever since I was a kid, partially because we had a tiny replica of it and partly because it is so popular all over the world that it is a symbol of the country. Talk about Paris, the Eiffel Tower comes to mind, mention egypt and the sphinx falshes before you. Taj is exactly the same for India.

Most people I know had seen the Taj. Worse was the feeling when my I realized that each and every foreigner with whom I spoke about India and who have visited India had seen the Taj. Its a pathetic feeling to hear about places in your own country from foreigners and not getting an opportunity to see it. After years of lamenting and "I-really-want-to-see-the-Taj!" statements I finally had an opportunity to see it in October 2009 when I managed to make a trip to Delhi and places around it.

To tell you the truth, I was extremely unimpressed with Agra and the approach to the Taj. Small roads, traffic, crowd, dirty and pretty pathetic. Its highly possible that the road we had taken was the worst of the city but it was a one day trip and we had planned Fatehpur Sikri and Taj on the same day. So it was a pretty hurried trip.

It was supposed to be a full moon on the day we had visited. Now, I am not sure whether Taj is open to tourists for a longer period of time on days of full moon but that is what we heard. Though the timings mentioned at the counter said otherwise. The queue was HUGE, both for the ticket and entrance. Was amused to see the foreigners being charged super high, not that I cared. I would have probably, had I come to see it with a few :)

I was happy to see that they don't allow cigarettes, matches inside the premises. My Dad on the other hand wasn't. I just laughed at his sorry face when they threw his pack in the dustbin. God knows how many times I have wanted to do it :)

The main entrance or the Great gate as it is called was massive with intricate designs and patterns inscribed all over it. The geometric patterns and designs are so beautifully carved that it really mesmerizes you. The thing which really surprises me when I see these old buildings is the level of detail and the consistency. A wall filled with a particular shape seems flawless. Each unit shape is exactly similar to the next. I do not know how they managed to do it. But the scene which took my breath away was the following

I was spell bounded! There were hundreds of people around me but they simply disappeared. I felt as if it was just me and the Taj. Such was its beauty. And as I walked (rather pushed and pulled) into the garden past the entrance, I just felt peaceful. I realized that it was so much more than I had imagined. It just seemed mesmerizing. I have heard people say that its turning black and this and that and blah... blah! But at that moment nothing mattered. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and there was no doubt in my mind about it.

The only problem was that it was super crowded and once I got over the initial wonderment, I needed to get good photos of the place. I also wanted to see it up close but my parents weren't that interested as they had already seen it before and they had no intentions of standing in a queue to see the inside. I, on the other hand decided that I would see as much as possible. I went up and stood in a queue which was unbelievably long. The queue had completely circled the Taj and when I had joined the line I was near Taj's entrance. Which basically meant that I would have to take a complete circle before entering. I did not give up though a part of me really wanted to get out of there.

I went in saw the resting place of Mumtaz, though didn't find it that impressive. The work on the marble was awesome but couldn't take good photos (it was actually not allowed) due to lack of light.

I had a lot of time to see the Taj from its four sides while standing in the line. The work is really magnificent and I read that the Taj was actually adorned with precious stones. Though its just colour now.

I tried to capture the grandeur of the Taj in the following photo but I don't think its posible to capture its beauty. You really need to go there and see it. That is the bottom line :)

I came back to see mom and dad sitting on a quieter part of the ground on a bench waiting for me. I went and joined them. I had decided that I needed to visit the Taj with more time in hand. I would have loved to just sit and look at it for a while but we were running out of time and we needed to get back to Delhi.

This was the view I saw from where we sat. There was a lot of things running through my mind then. Things were happening and had just initiated before my trip began. What better place than the Taj to sit and mull over stuff?

Before leaving the place, made a small promise to myself. Next time I come here I am coming with the girl I love. :)