A slightly
off-centered view of the Taj Mahal from within the
beautiful
gardens in front
During his warmly received state
visit to India nearly 15 years ago, Bill Clinton remarked: “There are two kinds
of people in the world: those who have seen the Taj Mahal and love it, and
those who have not seen the Taj and love it.” Happily, we are now among the ranks
of the elite former. Despite temperatures in the 90s, Casey and I had trouble
leaving the sun-drenched outdoors. We just stared at the magnificent structure
for what seemed like an eternity. A giant, brilliantly engineered marble mausoleum
with intricate hand-laid semi-precious stones in thousands of panels. It is
awesome and almost unbelievable. It truly deserves its status as one of the Seven
Modern Wonders of the World.
The Taj Mahal
from a distance
We’re
staying in New Delhi and the Taj is in Agra. Historically, the trip took over
four hours by car, two hours-plus by high-speed train (not counting the time to
and from the station, of course). But a new “interstate” highway links Delhi
and Agra and the trip took under two-and-half-hours by car. We left around 7
a.m., saw the Taj Mahal and drove around Agra Fort. And I gave in to multiple
sales pitches and bought a miniature marble table. We were back at our hotel by
5 p.m. If you’re in Delhi and haven’t seen the Taj Mahal, you must make the
trip. (And there are beautiful hotels in Agra where you can stay overnight, if
you choose.)
This picture of
Casey in the gardens looks almost photoshopped
because of the
Taj Mahal’s surreal magnificence.
Whereas New Delhi reflects modern
India and its status as a global economic power, Agra is a much poorer and far
more traditional community. Businesses are housed in almost makeshift
structures. Streets are filled with mopeds and rickshaws but few automobiles.
There are street vendors everywhere and no matter where you go, someone has
something to sell you. They come at you from all directions, several people at
a time, trying to sell just about anything imaginable. Their sheer number is
almost scary. And they are relentless. Of course, haggling is mandatory.
They’ll start at $20 for a couple of “AA” batteries. Fortunately, our guide
taught me two Hindi words: “nahi” (pronounced “nah-hee”) (“no”) and “bus” (“enough”).
Perhaps most curiously, and consistent with our classes in grade school, cows
and bulls roam the streets at will. They are sacred here. (They’re sacred in
New Delhi, too, but they don’t roam the streets there.)
This is the gate
of the Taj Mahal as seen from the center of the front of the
mausoleum. The perfect symmetry is present everywhere.
I strongly advise seeking assistance
when visiting the Taj Mahal. In other words, go on a private tour or hire a
guide. For one thing, a third party can secure tickets in advance and save you
time in lines. More significantly, neither you nor even a cabbie can drive to
the mausoleum. Concern about the toll that air pollution has taken on the
monument has led not only to severe industrial restrictions in the community
(such as required use of compressed natural gas instead of coal—what a shame
governments must oversee a global tourist attraction before they will require
clean technology) but also to a prohibition on cars and trucks near the
structure. Some distance from the Taj, you must either begin a long walk or
take a tuk tuk or rickshaw the rest of the way. Your guide will also provide
you with shoe covers (and if you forego a guide, you’d better remember those
yourself). You are prohibited from walking on the floors of the Taj Mahal with
shoes, hence your footwear (including flip-flops) must either be submerged in a
cloth covering as you enter the building or you must remove them and hope they
are where you left them upon your return. Rather than memorize all the nuances,
pay someone to handle the mundane matters. This is a once-in-a-lifetime
experience.
Inside the
mausoleum
Many believe the Taj Mahal is a
palace where the royal family dwelt. In reality, it is a mausoleum that Emperor
Shah Jahan ordered to be constructed in 1632 to house the tomb of his third
wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a princess from Iran (then Persia). He deeply loved this
wife, who bore him 14 children in 19 years of marriage. (Frankly, she deserved
a mausoleum.) The intricacy of the detail work on the walls makes the
construction especially difficult to believe, notwithstanding 21 years of work
by thousands of artisans and craftsmen. Thousands upon thousands of inlays
appear in the wall panels. An inch-sized flower can contain up to 50 pieces of
precious or semi-precious stones which were ground by hand to fit perfectly
together. The marble itself is Makrana Marble from Rajasthan, India. Its
nonporous nature has allowed the structure’s beauty to persist for nearly 500
years.
The tomb of
Empress Mumtaz Mahal. This photo doesn’t do justice to the incredible
detail
work in the inlaying of semi-precious stones in the doorway, floor and tomb
One of countless
intricately constructed panels of the Taj Mahal
You really must see the Taj Mahal in
person. A picture may be worth a thousand words but a photo can’t come close to
capturing the beauty of this wonder of the world.
Makrana Marble
table I purchased that was purportedly constructed
in same way as
Taj Mahal panels
By the way, the other “wonder” I’ve
seen was the Colisseum in Rome. But that was nearly 20 years ago and from a
distance. I don’t even remember the view. So, I have a lot of sightseeing to
do. More on India in the next two entries.
We
just found out our next destination. In the morning here (evening in the U.S.),
we leave for Dubai.
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