The Taj Mahal

Awe: a sense of wonder, amazement, surprise, and/or reverence.  I worry a little that we will overuse the term when describing the sights, sounds and experiences of our first week in India.  But really, how can one describe a visit to the Taj Mahal without using the word awe?

            Our visit to the Taj was on Monday, October 12. We had just completed two whirlwind days in Delhi, only to wake early on our third day in country and board a bus for a four and a half hour drive to Agra. Upon our arrival we checked into a four-star hotel (much appreciated after our slightly less comfortable, slightly more aromatic stay at the Delhi YMCA).  A leisurely lunch was followed by a visit to the Agra Fort.  The fort is both historically and architecturally interesting, but it was hard to ignore the magnificent view of the Taj, just across the river.

            At about 4:30 pm we started the transition to the Taj Mahal.  Our hope was to get some daylight time and also experience the sunset while on the grounds.  But getting tot eh Taj was more complicated than we’d envisioned. Buses are not allowed near the site, so we unladed on a busy street and walked down a side street for about 500 meters.  It is hard enough to be inconspicuous walking as a group of 22 foreigners, but it was even more difficult when we felt the need to inform each other of upcoming obstacles (“Hole in the sidewalk!” “Watch out for the motorcycle.” “Stay to the left. The LEFT!” “Whoa, camel coming this way!”). We finally arrived at the gates and started the security process.  Our guide had warned us that we could not bring along anything other than money, a camera, and a phone (no pens, no food, no sharps, no cosmetics, etc.).  We suffered a small panic when Grace revealed that she’d brought along her epi-pens, but thankfully the guard let us through.  Armed with security-provided water bottles and shoe-covering booties, we approached the entrance with just enough daylight to spare.

            This is the part where we return to awe.  While the photos Greg took are fantastic, they do not do it justice.  For example, the red sandstone entrance gate looks like many other gates we’ve seen, but what you can’t really see is how the inner arch is a reflection of the outer arch, and how it perfectly frames the same arch on the actual mausoleum.  The floral designs around the arches – and throughout the whole structure of the Taj Mahal (including the tombs on the inside) – are inlaid gems, a beautiful contrast to the white marble.  And the reflecting pool allows for even more of the designs and shapes to repeat.  The whole space is, in a word, breathtaking.

zoom in on this picture to see the many arches...

            James and Grace did a quick video with some historical facts:

            We watched the sun set over the mosque on the west side of the grounds, then traversed the long route back to our bus (“Watch out for the hole in the sidewalk.” “Did you see those bats?? Those things are HUGE!!”).  Ahhh, India.