Agra. Home to the Taj Mahal, the most beautiful building in the world. Once the seat of the mighty Mughal empire, Agra is home to many ancient edifices. However all of these are powerfully overshadowed by Emperor Shah Jahan's monument to his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. This Mughal masterpiece was completed in 1653 after 21 years of exacting construction. Not wanting his perfect creation to ever be equalled, Shah Jahan had many artisans' hands chopped off to ensure their retirement. Though many Indians beamingly told us that the Taj was created for love, it appears to be a monument onto itself, glorifying the ingenuity and aesthetic achievement of humanity. To the Taj!
But first, we must go to the fort. Agra Fort is a massive defensive complex and palace just a few kilometers away from its more famous neighbor. For hundreds of years, it stood as both the symbol and physical assurance of the Mughal's domination of Northern India. Part of the red sandstone fort is still being used by the Indian military today.
Seen at right is the palace prison where Shah Jahan was interred after his son, Aurangzeb usurped his throne in 1657. His only solace was the distant view of his greatest creation and memorial of his love-- the Taj Mahal. It can not be said whether this was comfort or torment. The fort itself is quite spectacular however many tourists quickly run through it, looking for the best views of the Taj. The fort houses several mosques, a ladies' quarter comprising of over 1,000 underground apartments, and the houses of royal public and private audience.
Max stands in front of lattice windows expertly carved from single blocks of marble from the neighboring state of Rajasthan. Their beautifully designed patterns served not only as decoration but also as a solid veil, allowing women to walk throughout the fort without breaking the tradition of purdah. Both Muslim and Hindu women of this era lived under this purdah system whereby women were never to be seen by men. These windows allowed the ladies of the court to observe the goings-on of every day life without being seen themselves. Max does not like the purdah system but appreciates the craftsmanship.
Foreigner queue at the Taj ticket counter, 7 am. Foreigners pay 750 Indian rupees; Indians pay 40. This seems grossly unfair but such foreigner/Indian ticket price discrepancies are normal in this country.
Obligatory photo. The Taj is perfectly proportioned from the relations of the minarets to the domes down to the tiniest detail of marble inlay work.
Max loves the Taj more than any other building he has ever seen in his life. We spent about 5 hours here just marveling at its beauty. This was Kara's fourth trip to the Taj but she still loves it. She likes to believe it was made for love. Max hopes he will be able to see it as many times and more in his lifetime.
Inside the mausoleum. The tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are buried underneath this floor and can not be viewed by the general public, however their cenotaphs are situated in the center of the main dome. Here Kara gazes through the lattice work in an outer corridor.
Two other structures, monumental buildings in their own rite flank the Taj Mahal to the East and West. Although identical down to the last detail, a mosque must face Mecca, therefore the one to the East is only for decorative purposes. Seen above is the real mosque.
Though the mosque does not function as a place of daily worship any longer, it is still revered as a holy place and you must remove your shoes before entering. Tourists are allotted small cotton booties to place over their feet or shoes during their time at the Taj in order to protect the marble flooring.
Max sits inside the fake mosque and gazes reverently at his new love. "I just love symmetry so much," he says. Max remarked that it seems sacrilegious to place a temple to God next to a far superior building dedicated to a mortal being. Being an atheist, he was not offended and would like to reiterate that he loves the Taj Mahal so much.
Words can not describe its beauty. Go there.
Kara and Max
3 comments:
Oh gosh, I have never seen such gorgeous pictures of the Taj Mahal as you have offered here! You have convinced me. I wanna go!
I am saving my pennies now! It looks beautiful!
i think it's the most beautiful building in the world too, on a sad note, i think the the people of agra are the worst in the world.
have fun!!
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