The Taj Mahal

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Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet, described the Taj Mahal as ‘a teardrop on the cheek of eternity’. Rudyard Kipling said it was ‘the embodiment of all things pure’. I didn’t have the words to describe it - somehow beautiful, magnificent or impressive just didn’t cut it.

We rose early on Sunday to catch the 7am bus out of Jaipur and endure the cold and dreary 6hr bus trip to Agra. A worryingly foggy day cleared up by noon, and as we arrived in Agra, tired and hungry, the sun was struggling through the clouds just enough to gift us with a comfortably warm day. We caught a rickshaw to the Taj Ganj area where we climbed the stairs to the Shanti Lodge Rooftop Restaurant (‘recommended by all guide book!’) and had some lunch. From the rooftop there was a spectacular view of the Taj Mahal which, even from afar, looked spectacular. I think what makes it even more stunning is the fact that the surrounding streets of Agra are noisy, polluted and congested and yet the Taj Mahal stands alone, serenely oblivious to its surroundings.

a teardrop on the cheek of eternity

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As with all tourist sights in India (or as far as I know in Rajasthan), foreign entry fees are usually a little higher than for locals. If a local pays 100 rupees, a foreigner might pay 200. At the Taj, the local fee was 20 rupees, and for the foreigner, a ridiculously high 750! Of course, we tried to talk our way into paying the local fee, appealing to the ticket man that we lived and worked in Jaipur, earning local wages and so deserving to only pay the local price… We failed. Shelling out 750 rupees got us entry to the Taj, a small bottle of water, shoe covers to walk around the Taj in, and a persistently chatty and overly eager guide, which we refused.

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Entering through the less crowded east gate, we strolled into a large, leafy courtyard where visitors from the south and west gates converged to enter through a red sandstone gateway into the main area where the Taj Mahal is situated. As we walked through the gate, we could see the Taj Mahal perfectly framed by the archway. Walking through, the Taj Mahal is preceded by 16 square ornamental gardens arranged perfectly around a central pool which runs the length of the pathway to the Taj. Some might think that the clutter of crowds talking and taking photos would ruin the tranquility of the Taj Mahal, but to me, it was so imposing and in a way, commanding, that when looking at it, it overshadows everything around it and somehow suppresses all distractions, allowing you to simply take in its beauty.

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The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. He was supposedly so heartbroken that his hair turned grey overnight. Construction of the Taj began that same year, took some 20 odd years to build, and must have cost a fortune for the semi-translucent marble, inlay screens and semiprecious stones which decorate the entire monument. Martin describes it as the greatest testament to love and I couldn’t agree more. For this emperor to build such an exquisite and extravagant building as a resting place for his wife is amazing - it was truly built for love. Perched on a raised marble platform, the Taj appears to be almost floating as the backdrop is only sky – standing above all else the way love should. When the emperor died in 1666, he was buried in the Taj, next to his wife. And today, as thousands of people visit the Taj every day to wonder at the marvel of Shah Jahan’s creation, they rest peacefully – together.

My apologies for being all soppy but really, visit the Taj Mahal and I’d be surprised if you don’t come back the same way.