FURTHER: A TRAVEL BLOG: Agra

The Taj Mahal is one of those must see places for every traveler. There is no picture, video or description that can do justice to this magnificent monument to love. Even if you aren’t a traveler, you should get out of your chair and go see it. You won’t be disappointed.

After a very trying journey from Varanasi during which our train was delayed 8 hours and lost another two hours in transit (shades of Amtrak) we finally arrived in Agra twelve hours later than we should have.( Indian math, go figure) When we at long last arrived our reserved room had been given away and we were tucked into a tiny room which was rendered still tinier with the addition of a roll away bed for Kate. We collapsed into our hovel for the night; each of us suffering with varying degrees of respiratory ailments. We coughed and moaned our way through the night to be up before dawn to visit the Taj Mahal at dawn and hopefully catch a few minutes of serenity with the rising sun before the tour buses arrived.

We were at the entrance gate well before opening and were still about 200 people deep in the queue. When the gates opened, entry was a slow process as India is being subjected to terror attacks from more factions than you can imagine. Body and bag searches are the order of the day at all of India’s top tourist attractions. Funny, I never read about this situation in all those slick tourist brochures.

Southern gateway to Taj Mahal

When we finally entered through the massive twenty foot gate inset into an elaborate fortress wall, we were transported to a serene world of immaculately coiffed lawns, flowerbeds and shrubbery. A short walk took us to the southern gateway; a massive structure that could be a tourist destination in its own right. The arched doorway provided a perfect frame for what to many is the most perfect building in the world; the Taj Mahal. As we passed through the looking glass wondering if Alice had slipped us some funny mushrooms we gazed upon the ethereal Taj which seemed to be floating on its platform in the early morning light. We all gasped in awe as we looked across in the quarter mile long reflecting pools that in the still morning air provided a double vision of perfection. I gave Deb a quick hug and kiss and said I had fulfilled my promise to bring her to the Taj one day.

Kate at the Taj

The romantic in me was nearly brought to tears as I contemplated that the Taj was a monument to love having been built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to the love of his life, his second wife who died in the birth of his fourteenth son. However, the cynic in me was curious about his feelings for his other 500 wives and how they felt about this. Nonetheless, the building is an awe inspiring structure and, although fickle, Emperor Jahan must have loved this woman very much to expend so many of his resources on this monument; and spend he did.

It took the labor of 20,000 men eight years to bring the massive project to completion. Artisans were brought from as far away as Europe to complete the task. It was built of brilliant white marble which was inlaid over much of its surface with exquisite scrolling flowers coupled with Koranic verses set in semi precious stones. It is all the more impressive when one considers that not one power tool was used in its construction. Some of the blocks in this building weigh several hundred pounds and were hoisted several hundred feet in the air to be fitted perfectly to the surrounding stones.

Detail of semi-precious stone inlaid flowers

The building achieves perfection on nearly every level with exquisite symmetry, workmanship, concept and siting. The view from each side is exactly the same. It is as wide as it is tall and is accented by four minarets at each corner. It’s elevated platform overlooking the Yamuna River is a stroke of architectural genius as the sky provides an azure blue backdrop (on a clear day) for this most perfect of buildings.

The Taj is flanked by two identical buildings to the east and west. One is a mosque and the other a perfect match in red sandstone to maintain the symmetry of the site.

As one approaches the Taj, it grows to fill the field of view. In the middle distance you start to notice the elaborate stone work. Closer still, as you reach the base of the platform you realize how massive it really is. Once you climb the stairs to the platform and cross a broad expanse of marble you start to notice the elaborate decoration of flowers and Arabic script. When you are finally right next to it you realize this intricate decoration is inlaid on the marble with semi precious stones. As you step inside the mausoleum your eyes slowly adjust to the dim lit interior. The only illumination is natural sunlight filtered through elaborate screens carved from solid brilliant white marble. The emperor wanted it to be dimly lit to inspire a sense of reverence or so the story goes.

Up on the platform

The building has stood the test of time well. With a major restoration a few years ago and a strict ban on motor vehicles around it, it is nearly as perfect as when it was built several hundred years ago.

Kate looking poised at the Taj

After basking in the perfection of this magnificent structure for three hours, our empty stomachs overcame our desire to spend more time so we retired to a nearby rooftop restaurant for a much needed breakfast. As we dined, we gazed over the rooftops of the hovels of Agra to the Taj. India is full of these types of contrasts. As I observed this juxtaposition of old and new I mused about the supposed superiority of modern civilization.

With full tummies and renewed energy we caught a rikshaw to the other iconic structure in Agra; Agra Fort. Agra Fort, while overshadowed by the Taj, is one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India. Begun by Emperor Akbar in 1563 as a defensive structure, it was added onto and remodeled by a succession of rulers most notably his grandson Shah Jahan; the one and same who built the Taj. This is a magnificent structure with walls as high as 60 feet and enclosing a space of over one and a half miles in circumference. There are a seemingly endless number of rooms, enclosures and gardens most of which has been restored to its original grandeur.

Barbarians at the gates

Constructed primarily of red sandstone, it rises dramatically above the traffic flowing past between the fort and the Yamuna River. When Jahan remodeled it into a palace, he added a personal mosque and residence in the same white marble used on the Taj.

Detail of inlay of Shah Jahan's palace-Agra Fort

As one enters through a series of gates set in a dogleg pattern designed to thwart and confuse invaders, you have a sense of unease as you imagine the ghosts of archers standing on the walls above ready to fire on you if you make the slightest wrong move.

Kate and Richard admire the architectural details of Agra Fort

Ironically, the palace/fort became Jahan’s prison when his son usurped the throne and placed him under house arrest in his chambers. More poignantly, his rooms had an unobstructed view of the Taj which is located just down the river. Every time the deposed emperor looked out his window for the eight years of his imprisonment until his death, he was confronted by his greatest achievement and greatest sorrow; just beyond his reach. It seems like a sad end for a great man. Way to go son! I am glad I was never a king.

Agra Fort Gate

Laundry on the way to cross river view of the Taj

There are several other incredible examples of Mughal architecture in the Agra area. To describe them would take much to long so as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words; Enjoy!