At the Taj

What can I say, the Taj Mahal is an architectural wonder. They say that one should arrive early in the morning to beat the crowds, so I walked from my dingey hotel through the deserted alleys of Agra to the East gate. The Muslum morning prayers being brodcast over loud speakers, there was no doubt, I was a long way from home. I could see the Taj from the rooftop restaurant at my hotel, so I was looking forward to seeing the famous landmark. The gate opened at 6:45 am, the security at the Taj is very strict so I had to check my flashlight, pocket-knife and statue of Vishnu at the reception gate. Once through the gate I walked the 100 meters or so and turned to face the front of the Mausoleum. My heart dropped, as I walked toward it I couldn't help saying 'holy-shit', holy-shit', It is just so damn big and beautiful. That's the first thing that overwhelms you when you see it, it's size and beauty. But the cynic within creeps forward and asks 'what is the point?'

The story goes that the King's wife, after giving birth to her 14th child, died. Before she died she requested of him to build her a Mausoleum to her memory. She probably got the idea for a Mausoleum because her grandmother, sorry I can't remember the names, had a her husband, the King, agree to build her father a Mausoleum. She made that request as part of an agreement to marry him, (the king) because he had killed her husband so he could marry her. That building is known as the baby Taj. One of the ironies of the whole tale is that after the Taj was completed, the King began construction of a second Mausoleum across the river. This one would be for himself and constructed of black marble, there were plans to link the two with and ivory bridge. The only problem was that the King's fourth son wanted to be King. Through political wrangling, the murder of his three older brothers, and the imprisonment of his father, the King, the black Taj was never completed. Too costly said the young prince. I did go see the remains of the foundation.

I didn't post any photos of the detailed carvings or the thousands of designs carved into the marble then inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones. These stones actually sparkle when the sun hits directly.

Even though the city of Agra sucks I'm glad I saw this fabulous building.

Forgot to post in opposite order, I went to Agra first then Keolado.