The Taj Mahal
Trip Start
Aug 20, 2008
1
7
15
Trip End
Apr 14, 2009
Agra,
Uttar Pradesh,
India
Monday, November 10, 2008
aggravation
Pronunciation: ˌa-grə-ˈvā-shən : that which succeeds in driving you ever more round the bloody bend (from the Indian city of Agra)
Ok it's not all that bad, but considering this is the city where a few years ago some restaurants had colluded with unscrupulous doctors in order to poison customers as part of a scam to defraud them through their travel insurance, well it's not exactly great either! Agressively pushy rickshaw drivers, scam artists, touts....they're all here in abundance.
Agra you see is home to one of the beautiful, photographed and recognizable sights in the whole world it's hardly surprising that it's attracted its fair share of conmen and chancers. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the globe descent on the city for one reason and one reason only - to visit the wondrous Taj Mahal.
And yes it is truly spectacular (especially in that weird "I've already seen this a thousand times and it's so familiar kind of way...")
Of course before you get in there there's queuing. Lots of it. Firstly for your ticket which is about twenty times the normal price if you're a tourist. It's par for the course in India. Every single fort, tomb, historical artifact charges an extortionate rate for foreigners which you'd think is hardly the best way to develop your tourist industry? But that's the way it is and after almost a month is does begin to breed just a (cough) tiny sliver of resentment. Once you've been helped to empty your wallet, you're presented with a complimentary bottle of water and disposable foot socks (people tend to forget that the Taj is a mosque so you may have to loose the shoes at some stage!) then all that's left is a thorough pat down from the security staff and you're on your way. No wonder Princess Diana had such a sulk on her!!
But such minor inconveniences are worth it, for as soon as you walk through the main arch leading into the Taj your eyes immediately widen as you try and drink in the spectacle in front of you. The Taj has probably attracted as many adjectives as tourists in its three hundred year plus lifespan but it's still difficult to convey the awe that overcomes you.
Like an iced monolith, it silently sits against the clear blue backdrop of the sky - immune to the camera flashes and gaze from the hordes of tourists milling about. In fact you can get so transfixed that you forget about the seething mass of tourists jostling for position for that perfect picture. Well for a while at least. Then you extend your elbows and power up your camera as well for one of the biggest photo binges of your life. What's particularly remarkable about it, is that apart from its gargantuan size, is that it seems to reveal a little bit more of itself depending on where you stand. From the middle of the ornamental pools that lead up to the mausoleum you are suddenly struck by the four minarets which cast an ever changing array of reflections onto the water. Then as you approach the main tomb its sheer size and the detail cast into the marble monopolizes your stares. Next its the archway as you enter the burial chamber.....and on it goes. There are fewer man made structures in the world where an idle few hours could be more pleasantly spent (though after a while the sheer volume of tourists does get very wearisome especially when the won't get out of the damn way of that perfect shot!) The good news is that they don't appear to be strict about the removal of shoes as you walk up to the mausoleum, though it is mandatory to wear the disposable socks over your footwear. I say this because if you arrive after midday the sheer heat of the marble would burn the soles of your feet off. Still I did share a laugh with some British tourists that we looked like Aunty Ethel on her way to the shops, with our decidedly retro foot attire. That's it one minute you're marvelling at the heights mankind has reached in architectural achievment......the next you're having a full blown fashion crisis!
Strangely enough the interior of the Taj is a fairly inauspicious event. The centrepiece are the tombs of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It was her death that plunged the Shah into such a state of grief that he was inspired to build this lavish shrine to his ever lasting devotion. It's one of the great love stories and of course brings couples by the truckload every year to coo and whisper words of devotion to each other, before disappearing home with a lovely picture for the mantlepiece. Legend has it that he spent the last few years of his life imprisoned in Agra fort gazing accross the river at his 'monument to love' after being overthrown by his son. Great yarn..... until you visit the Fort and find out that he actually spent his last remaining years completely off his head on drink and drugs there and probably couldn't have given a fiddlers if it had been taken over by McDonalds. Whatever the truth, it still doesn't diminish the enthusiasm of (it has to said the mostly Indian) tourists who jostle, elbow and plough their way into the burial chamber. Its a complete free for all and as with all aggressive stampedes, its the elderly ladies who are the worst offenders. I saw one doughty old dear who looked as if an entire SWAT team with clearance to use lethal force couldn't have stopped her. Perhaps, she was looking for a McDonalds? I didn't think to ask.
Apart from all that, it is very difficult to draw yourself away from the Taj. Twice I'd thrown it one last look only to turn on my heels and come back. It's worth your while detaining yourself until the sun begins to set as the fading light throws the entire structure into an entirely new relief and bathes it with a dazzling pallete of colour. Though of course it also means that the hordes begin to multiply even more, so eventually I had to give it a very final look. And yes it was a look of love.
