We awoke at 6:00 am this morning to make the 3 hour trip from Delhi to Agra. Our destination: The Taj Mahal. We checked out of the hotel and our favorite driver, Kumar, picked us up at 6:30 sharp. There was a bit of traffic on the way, so we didn’t arrive in Agra until about 11:30 am. On the journey we crossed from Delhi to Utar Pradesh. This was one of the most chaotic border crossings Felipe or I had ever seen. There were trucks, taxis, and tuk tuks crowded along the road. Our driver had to get out to pay to toll on the opposite side of the street. While he was gone, our taxi was bombarded. There was a man who had two monkeys on a leash that he had trained to bow and huddle together on command. There was a man with no legs who asked us for money, which we gave him. And then there was a man with a little wicker basket – when he lifted the lid, out popped A LIVE COBRA! We’re not sure if he was trying to sell it to us or have us pay him for a picture with it. Either way, we were terrified.
Posing monkeys, part of the insanity at the border crossing
Once we arrived in Agra, our driver parked the car and pointed us toward the Taj Mahal. We waited in the “foreign visitors” line. At all the major sites there seems to be one line for Indians and another for tourists. The line for tourists was short compared to the long (gender specific) lines of Indian men and women. However, they paid 20 rupees (40 cents) for entry and we paid 750 rupees (15 dollars). Once we went through the metal detectors and were patted down by security guards we entered the Taj Mahal comlplex. It was very crowded but very beautiful. A large red sandstone arched gate, which perfectly framed the Taj Mahal itself, was our entry point. From there we could see across the courtyard, which is bisected by a reflecting pool, to the large white marble monument.
Drum roll.... Ian by the West Gate
Walking through the gate... a peek into the Taj
A bit of history: The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Muhal. The building was completed in 1643 after 12 years of work. Both the inside and outside of the Taj Mahal are decorated with verses from the Koran in black marble calligraphy. The other decorations were inspired by the image of what a house in paradise might look like, and include flowers (tulip, lily, iris, poppy, narcissus) carved using the “pietra dura” technique, which was borrowed from Florentine craftsman, and involves carving slivers of precious stones and laying them into the white marble. Under the main dome of the Taj Mahal is the mausoleum for Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The intricate marble screen that surrounds the tomb was chipped out of a solid block of marble.
The Taj Mahal... one of the Wonders of the World
Ian framed by the pietra dura designs
Unbelievable calligraphy with verses from the Koran
One of the four minarets with the tomb in the background
Needless to say, we were totally blown away by this incredible building. We walked around the structure and the gardens for about two hours, taking many pictures from many angles – don’t worry there will be a lengthy slide show when we return. At around 1:30 pm we met Kumar back in the parking lot and hit the road for our next stop – Ranthambore Tiger Reserve!
Postcard perfect - Ian and Feli at the Taj Mahal
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