The Beautiful Taj Mahal

When you plan a trip to India, your first priority is obviously to see the Taj Mahal. It’s been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember – not just because of the beautiful architecture, but also due to the romantic story behind it. We planned a team trip to Agra to see the palace at sunrise during our second weekend in India.

The six of us split up into two vans and headed to Agra after work on Friday. It takes about four hours to drive from New Delhi to Agra. I should mention that Agra is not a particularly beautiful or nice town itself. For those visiting, I wouldn’t recommend staying any longer than necessary; one night was perfect!

When we got in, we ate an awesome (and authentic) Indian dinner at the hotel. Like I said, it’s not a great city to just wander around at night. Ultimately, we forced ourselves to go to bed so we could get up for the Taj Mahal super early the next morning.

Our group met and departed the hotel by 6am. I still cannot believe that everyone was up and ready on time!

We walked towards the ticket center with countless peddlers asking us if we wanted all sorts of paraphernalia. Little kids would run up to us and say in perfect English, “How about a postcard? It’s very cheap! I’ll give you 10 for $1USD!” When they heard French, they began speaking in French! Their sales pitch and language skills were seriously impressive.

We passed cows, horses and a million monkeys; but we saw my favorite animals as we waited for our guide to buy our tickets. A litter of puppies snuggled up and passed out in a pile of trash right before our eyes! You would think a national treasure like the Taj Mahal would be a bit cleaner outside its gates, but no… Trash. Is. Everywhere!

Next up, we waited in a gender-segregated line for a long time. And, just like public restrooms, the women’s line was infinitely longer. Plus, the monkeys danced on the top of the awning overhead!

The doors don’t actually open until after sunrise, so no one actually sees the sun rise from the Taj Mahal. The morning light creates a beautiful atmosphere nonetheless. We arrived inside the complex thankful that none of the monkeys had stolen our phones or cameras. They are seriously so mischievous.

Construction on the Taj Mahal began in 1632. “Taj Mahal” means crown of the palace. Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, commissioned the work in honor of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their fourteenth child. He requested a mausoleum near the river to hold her remains, but the plans included many more structures around the 42-acre complex. The complex took 22 years and over 20,000 workers to be completed.

The entrance gate, wall and surround buildings are made of red sandstone, while the Taj Mahal boasts a beautiful white marble exterior. Shah Jahan’s other wives are also buried on site, but these red buildings are much smaller and less impressive! I like to think that 14 kids earned her the bigger mausoleum 🙂

When you walk through the gates, the architect designed a pretty cool optical illusion. The opening makes the Taj look gigantic and as if it’s right in front of you.

When you walk through, you realize it was just an illusion – the mausoleum sits much further back.

Unfortunately for us, they drained the water from the pool and were cleaning one of the minarets. Even still, it was so majestic.

The Taj Mahal is truly an architectural masterpiece. The grandeur, shapes and materials combine to make it incredibly unique. The Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical. As most know, the mosque is the building to the left; the building to the right sits empty, serving only for visual balance.

Not only is it symmetrical, the building looks the same from all three sides not facing the river. I should mention that the landscaping is as immaculate as the structures.

When we approached the exterior, we could see the beautiful details of the marble. On the outside, calligraphy creates a border for the arches and walls.

Not only is the marble carved magnificently, but it’s filled with semi-precious stones for a bit of color. You can see the plant motifs in these designs. The detail and artistry are astounding!

When we walked into the building, birds darted overhead; they had clearly made their way inside and weren’t sure what to do! We waited in the line to enter the main chamber. When inside, we could see the fake tombs of the emperor and his wife. The real tombs sit at a lower level that cannot be accessed by tourists. Although he built the Taj Mahal in honor of his wife, Shah Jahan joined his wife when he died. The iconic massive dome is directly overhead this area.

 

I can only blame our lack of sleep for what happened next. After so much serious discussion of architecture and death, our group got a bit silly! It began with some innocent photos in the pretty morning light, but it quickly went downhill. I don’t know how to explain our bizarre photo collage, but we had so much fun making it!

You exit the building in the rear, which faces the river. What a view!

As we walked back to the main gate, we took a million more photos.

Our tour guide insisted on some funny photos. Just like back in Cairo at the Pyramids and in Salta on the salt flats, these pictures are some of my favorites! Meadows is holding the Taj Mahal HAHA!

If you can’t tell from the photos, we were pretty delirious at this point. We headed back to the hotel for breakfast and to pack up for the trip back to New Delhi.

Before leaving town, our guide took us to Agra Fort. When I think of a fort, I imagine some walls, a big gate and a few tall towers. Agra Fort is so much more; it’s an entire city within the fort.

Though the fort existed before his reign, Shah Jahan’s grandfather (Akbar) rehabilitated the ruins of the previous fort to a proper structure. For eight years, more than 4,000 workers built the fort to its completion in 1573.

Shah Jahan further elevated the fort with the addition of white marble buildings.

One of the towers added by Shah Jahan overlooks the Taj Mahal. Like the Taj, it’s comprised of insanely ornate white marble. In an ironic twist of fate, Shah Jahan’s own son captured him. It is said that he was detained and ultimately died in this tower (built by him) overlooking his masterpiece, the Taj Mahal.

We visited the Hall of Public Audience next. I absolutely loved the scalloped arches overhead. Outside the Hall were some beautiful gardens, too!

Despite being super hot and pretty tired, we snapped a selfie before hitting the road back to New Delhi. We managed to pack so much into just one night away. As you can tell from the many photos, it was a great group and a great trip to Agra!!