Taj Mahal - Larger than life.

From the onset this was one of the attractions that we really wanted to see. The drive from Delhi is long, 4 hours, we started at 6am. The day was extremely hot, but luckily a weekday, so not as much tourist traffic.

Once inside you are hounded by "official photographers" who want to take your picture. The place was not as busy as we are coming in off season, but the day was so hot, it was difficult to enjoy being outside.

It is hard to describe what you feel when you see this beautiful monument but it is amazing. You could take photos forever, as each detail is so much elaborate and there are thousands of them on the building.  These details have been done by hundreds of artits who gathered together from all over the ancient world and with precious and semiprecious stones brought from many countries. The Taj Mahal itself is an outstanding building, an architectural marvel and what an amazing monument to a wife!

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We hired a tour guide for 100 rupees, which is 2 dollars and he took us around the Taj, giving us the history.  For those unfamiliar with the history, Shah Jahan had ten wives. He favoured Mumtaz above all. She was 20 when they married in 1612. She gave birth to 14 children, but died following the delivery of the 14th child. She was only 39. While on her death-bed she asked Jahan for a promise. She asked that he build a monument befitting of the love that they held for each other.

Shah Jahan almost bankrupted his empire. The building took 17 years to complete 20 000 workers, and is commonly regarded as one of the best examples of Islamic art of all time. You can see the arabic scripture embedded in the marble in the interior. A masterpiece.

Jahan died in January 1666 at the age of 78. His remains were laid to rest at the side of his second wife within the Taj Mahal.  Once inside you can't take pictures, but you can see the tombs of both him and his wife below.

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The Taj Mahal is much bigger than I imagined. The building centres on the resting place of Mumtaz and Jahan. But the Taj Mahal is itself at the centre of a number of buildings, including a Mosque. The gardens are beutifully maintained and you feel a great sense of peace being here.

The marble floor of the walkway around the Taj Mahal were you find visitors can sit, you'll see people sitting around, lying down, a great place to come and reflect.  This was an amazing experience and one place everyone should see.

Now that we can tick the Taj off our list, we are leaving Delhi and going to explore southern India.