Taj Mahal - What he did for love!!!!! and Agra.

On our way to the Taj Mahal at 5:30 am to be there for sunrise. Vacation?

Despite all the hype, the Taj Mahal exceeded our expectations. White marble and semi-precious stones, especially carnelian, glistening in the early morning light beckoned us through the entry gate. The Taj Mahal is a memorial monument commissioned by Shah Jahan for Mum Taz Mahal, his beloved wife. The symmetry and attention to detail – such as minarets leaning out 2 degrees so if they fell, they would not fall on the beloved or Arabic calligraphy that was bigger as it went up the façade so that it all appeared the same size. The intricacy of the flowered mosaic work and carvings are truly something to behold.

This monument took 20,000 laborers 22 years to complete - - Now that’s love. And when Shah Jahan became senile and was imprisoned at Agra Fort, he was housed in the women’s quarters so he could watch over Taj Mahal and his beloved all the days of his life. And in his rooms, the walls were embedded with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds… some nice wallpaper!Howard is already saving for a tribute to Beth.

Step outside the gates of the Taj… children beg and salesmen hawk their wares - pushing postcards, peacock feathers, bangles and sundry other items working you 1 or 2 at a time until we reach the car or other place of separation.

Ismahir, our guide in Agra was more interested in getting us to his special mosaic factory –where we would learn how the Taj Mahal was made a rug factory – the specialty of Agra and his restaurants, of course hoping we’d buy to generate a commission for him, than in informing us about Agra and \helping us find a snow globe of the Taj – promised to Beth’s niece. Now we know… we will be much firmer with guides about shopping and insist on what we want first!

It’s incredible how much we white people stand out; there just aren’t many of us around. As much as we want to take pictures of them, they want to take pictures of us. The capstone of our day in Agra was running into a group of teenagers at another tomb – the Baby Taj. The boys tend to be the most forward, coming by laughing, saying hello and shaking hands. Then they ask for pictures. The girls are just as interested but a bit more reserved until we became friends.Then the questions… pure joy.