We left the hotel at 6:15 am and took a short electric cart ride to the entrance of the Taj Mahal. All transport vehicles in this area of Agra must be electric to minimize pollution and discoloring of the marble. It was dark and we waited in line with many other tourists, intent on seeing daybreak over the Taj. As we entered the site, we could see the beautiful marble structure flanked by two sandstone buildings. As day broke, the marble dome was symmetrically reflected in the front pool – it was breathtaking. The Taj Mahal is truly one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in loving memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Their union was a true love match and she accompanied her husband everywhere, even as he traveled the empire to suppress rebellions. She fell ill after the birth of their 14th child and it is said that her last wish before she died was that her husband build her a beautiful tomb as a lasting symbol of their inseparable love. Shah Jahan was inconsolable over the loss of his beloved and his health suffered. However, he devoted the remainder of his life to constructing a beautiful tomb made of the finest marble to lay his wife’s remains to permanent rest. Construction on the Taj began in 1631 and was finished in 1648 but it would take another five years to build the other buildings and gardens in the complex.
We donned cloth booties to enter the main platform of the Taj.
The inlaid marble work was beautiful and even today, Agra is known for this fine craftsmanship.
We went inside the building to see replicas of the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The marble work inside the building was even more exquisite than the exterior.
As we left the interior to look over the Yamuna River from the plaza, the sun broke out of the haze beautifully illuminating the Taj, the plaza and the red sandstone building to the east. There are two red buildings that flank the Taj – the one to the west is a mosque; the one to the east provides balance to the site. There are other red sandstone tomb buildings on site for Shah Jahan’s other wives and relatives.
The main entrance to the complex is also a beautiful sandstone building with 22 small domes representing the 22 years it took to build the site.
We left the Taj mid-morning in time to go back to hotel for breakfast and participate in yoga class. How cool to do yoga in India. Our instructor was exactly what I pictured an Indian yogi to be – an elderly man in a loosely fitting white pants and tunic with a singsong almost hypnotic voice. We did breathing and yoga poses from several different styles. One type unfamiliar to me but the most fun was ‘laughing yoga’!
Later that day, we visited the Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, often called the ‘Baby’ Taj located on the opposite side of the Yamuna River.
This marble structure predates the Taj and was finished in 1629. It was built by Empress Noor Jahan, mother of Shah Jahan in memory of her father. It is not as fine of construction as the Taj but was the first use of many of the architectural elements found in the Taj Mahal.
