11 April - Agra and the Taj Mahal
Trip Start
Nov 20, 2007
1
17
22
Trip End
May 04, 2011
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh,
India
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Due to pollution in Agra, the usual black buzzing blowfly rickshaws that plague the cities have been superseded by the gentle hum of well tuned, CNG powered wasps sporting unsightly Australian colours. Nevertheless their drivers still swarm the packs of travellers stumbling bleary eyed from the train. With the wide, paved, well maintained roads and a noticeable absence of rubbish we had the most pleasant, smoothest ride to our hotel, even managing a convivial discussion with our driver.
Most travellers make Agra a day trip but with time on our hands we had the luxury of staying a few nights in Agra, enabling us to catch the Taj at different times of the day. Our guesthouse was a short walk from the south gate and with the excellent view of the Taj from its rooftop restaurant it was hard for it not to be the topic of conversation. This just added to the build up for our visit to "the most extravagant monument ever built for love".
It's certainly a magnificent feat of architecture, but it's the Taj's beauty and tragic history that make it so poignant. It is the vision of Emperor Shah Jahan, a mausoleum to immortalise the memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. It is said that in his grief Shah's hair turned grey overnight. Shortly after the monument was built, Shah was overthrow by his son and imprisoned.
As we enter through one of the three 30m red sandstone gateways and see the Taj symmetrically outlined between its arches we fully appreciate the accomplishment of its design. Set against a backdrop of naked sky, the green cypress-lined pathway tenaciously tunnels your field of vision towards the focal point - the Taj. We take our time to amble towards the steps that lead up to the marble foundation platform. Wandering along the path of ornamental gardens we pause for photos at the central marble plinth and again enjoy the Taj in its full grandeur.
Finally reaching the platform, we don our complimentary foreigners' shoe covers and ascend the noticeably hollowed steps, worn by the millions who've visited the monument before us. We feel privileged to follow in their footsteps. We take our time examining the intricate detail of the workmanship of over 20, 000 people from India and Central Asia. The main structure of the Taj, topped by the large central dome and its four small surrounding domes, is made out of semi translucent marble. Inside, our attention is drawn to the detail of the decoration; the delicate carved flowers, the intricate inlays with semiprecious stones and calligraphic quotations from the Quran. The central room is tall and cool, and gently reverberates with myriad voices and the shuffle of feet. In this room is the elaborate cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal and beside it is that of Shah Jahan. The real tombs are locked in the basement room out of view.
Back out on the platform we measure our pintsize bodies (ok so one of us is more like a litre) against the decorative 40m minarets that adorn every corner. We sit alongside one of the walls discussing the structural considerations and the necessary management for the 22 year project and are interrupted by some maintenance people chipping away at the Taj. On closer inspection the damaged area appears to be plaster, a temporary fix, awaiting a marble replacement. Due to Acid rain there has been discoloration of the marble and eroding of the inlays so maintenance must be pretty demanding.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in the gardens where the view was most rewarding, waiting for the sun to set. As we watched the evening colours mingle on the white marble we pondered Shah Jahan's vision.
Sunrise over the plains
The Taj is a monument to love and it embodies love in its completeness. It glows with the purity of divine beauty while silently exhaling the sadness of an empty heart. Untainted by romance, the Taj is a Shakespeare tragedy written in cold stone. It speaks the truth of that quintessential human experience, uncensored. Only when love's glory meets the depths of her own despair in the heart of one man can such unrivalled majesty become manifest. We reflected on the Taj in today's terms. Would such a feat be possible, or even given any serious consideration, given the way today's moguls seem to rank worldy wealth higher than love's grace. Rumours have it that he was planning to construct an identical Taj in black marble as a tomb for himself opposite the river, creating a mirror image in negative. This is a bit farfetched but makes for an interesting story and perhaps justifies the imprisonment on the grounds of waning sanity!
The next morning we allowed ourselves to sleep through our intended rooftop expedition to view the Taj at sunrise. We finally haul ourselves out of bed and take a rickshaw to visit the Red Fort, where Shah Jahan was imprisoned shortly after the Taj was finished. Perhaps he had the foresight of being overthrown so he made the Taj Mahal so grandiose in order that it could be seen from his fortress. The fort was first constructed by Shah's grandfather and additions were made long after his passing. Those made by Shah himself are distinct in the use of his favoured material - white marble. The sprawling fort would have to be every little boy's dream and we reminisce about our childhood forts made out of sheets, furniture and the linings of a para rubber pool. We had great fun exploring with childlike enthusiasm and lost ourselves in the many rooms, hidden passageways, alcoves and stairs that seemed to lead nowhere logical. The fort turned out to be an excellent backdrop for another MySpace photo shoot which meant we were able to appreciate the fort and its beauty from another perspective.
After contemplating a 2nd visit to the Taj we decided to save the 1500R entry fee by viewing the Taj in the morning light from the rooftop of our guesthouse. Not as spectacular as it might have been due to the dust in the horizon shrouding the sun, but still a view worth waking up for. Later we went for a walk around the town and once we were out of the lanes of shops we were drawn to a wide quiet lane littered with buildings in varying shades of blue. Many of the locals chilling outside welcome us with smiles. A few children posed in front of their homes and asked to be photographed. We hesitantly obliged, which lead to cries of, "One more, one more." Suddenly we were inundated with children and like we were the Pied Piper, the horde followed us down the lane while more and more popped out of the brickwork. One individual had us in hysterics, with his hand outstretched he demands fervently, "Money, Chocolate!" It was very difficult to take him seriously especially since the glint in his eye showed he knew it was all a game. There was no pity or malicious undertone just an actor playing the role expected of him, nor did he walk away disappointed, just happy to have caused some visitors to his town some merriment.
From our interactions with the locals it seems that while some may tire of the view of the Taj, they are very proud to be the hosts of this magnificent internationally renowned monument.
Before our bus we ate at Hotel Sakura restaurant, where the buses to Jaipur leave. The helpful manager gets us a room at the Pearl Palace Hotel in Jaipur, despite the fact Louisa had earlier been told twice that it was fully booked. The reviews of the Pearl Palace were too appealing to pass up so we cancelled our other reservations under the guidance of the manager. .
rooftop washing
