The Taj Mahal

On our way to the Taj we stopped at Agra Fort, (where Shah Jahan was imprisoned for the last years of his life, peering dolefully out at his masterpiece — the Taj Mahal). This immense fort made of red sandstone in both the Hindu and Central Asian architectural styles was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638. Our first view of the Taj was the same as Shah Jahan had.

And there it was in all of its glory. It truly is a beautiful piece of architecture, made with love and skill to last these hundreds of years. To get a closer view we braved the traffic once again, because everyone in Agra wanted to do the same, and walked through a very poor village to see the Taj from the back. It really is lovely from every angle.

I think the residents here are the vendors of souvenirs along the route to the Taj.

It was an overcast evening and the river was not full to provide the reflection that it sometimes does but the view was still lovely.

We were up and out before dawn to see the front view along with thousands of others. The Taj Mahal complex consists of the mausoleum where Shah Jahan’s beloved wife is buried, the pool, several imposing gates and expansive gardens.

The carving of the marble and the inlaying of the gems is absolutely amazing and beautiful. But my favorite fact is that the architect, who was from an earthquake prone area, built the four minarets leaning very slightly outward so as not to harm the central building should the unlikely happen (this area does not have earthquakes).

After hours enjoying this lovely Wonder of the World we watched the descendants of the original artisans, who have handed down the special skills — and especially the recipe for the glue! — and still create beautiful art with the tiniest pieces of gems you can imagine. They also work on repairs to the Taj itself every Friday.

These semi-precious stones come from far and wide just as they did originally. The man with the hand sander is fashioning the tiny slivers of stones to fit into the depressions that the other man has carved out of the marble; the orange paint makes it easier to see where it is carved out and that very unique glue keeps the stones in for centuries. The work that it took to create this monument to love was truly amazing!