Firstly, a bit of background; Located on the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh province, India, the Taj Mahal took 11 years to construct after being commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal is of course considered one of the 7 Wonders of the World alongside; the Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza (Mexico), Petra (Jordan), Machu Picchu (Peru), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil) and the Colosseum of Rome (Italy).
We all know about the Taj Mahal, we know it's sinking and we know that a long time ago someone had it built for his wife, some people may also know that there is a mini version in black, commissioned by the same Emporer. To learn about this architectural masterpiece online, and to see it in magazines is one thing, but to visit it as the morning fog lifts off the surface of the river, as the early sun dyes the haze a soft pinkish orange and as the birds begin to sing, is another thing completely. It's an experience that will remain with you forever, from the moment you round the first corner and see the Taj Mahal in all its perfect glory.
The magic of the site really does hit you in a wave of calm, serenity and profound respect. Tourists shuffle round with hushed voices and awe but you can't get more than 2 steps at a time without wanting to stop and take in the new perspective of the building that those 2 steps allow. All faces point forward upon entry to the magnificent site.
When I first arrived I had no idea that
1: the Taj Mahal and the gardens in which it sits are completely symmetrical,
2: the only exception to this is inside - where the tomb of Emperor Shah Jahan sits in the centre of the mausoleum (at Garden level), with his wife, Mumtaz laying to the left of him and
3: when walking into the complex, the building appears to grow bigger as you walk towards it through the main gate.
Our first glimpse of the magnificent Taj Mahal
Arriving at the Taj Mahal in the morning gives you butterflies, there's an air of anticipation as tourists begin to join the queue to enter the gardens. When we arrived it was still dark, but dawn was certainly on it's way; we'd had no breakfast (not even coffee!) and I was honestly still half asleep, however the excitement of where we were heading was more than enough to keep me awake on the car ride there.
What struck me was that even at this early hour, Agra was already wide awake!
Noisy Tuk Tuks' were whizzing past the car window in all directions, sacred cows meandering down the main road, donkeys already carrying loads double their size, men women and children shouting greetings to the folk manning stalls full of brightly coloured bags, shoes, rugs and jewelley.
It was like every square metre of Agra had it's own little micro-world with a million things happening at once.
Eventually the car dropped us off a short walk from the Taj Mahal and it's gardens and so we weaved our way through the makeshift marketplace, dodging eager salesmen, too excited to get in line to be distracted by the stunning products they were offering.
In the queue people generally surprised me with their patience, even as the line got longer and wound it's way away from us, anticipation making the air seem to buzz, people still remained calm, yet a little bit pensive. For most people I assume it was their first visit and therefore they were feeling similar to myself, excited but a little nervous.
We waited as the sky started to brighten, moving slowly forward as the clouds turned first orange, then pink. Before we knew it, we were at the front of the queue, the time had come and we were turning the final corner, handing over our tickets, peering over the heads of people in front of us... and finally there it was... the picture perfect Taj Mahal - you've seen it a thousand times, online, in magazines, on the walls in airports, I thought I knew what to expect, how I would feel, what I would see but all I could do was stop in my tracks and take it all in with a gasp- and I wasn't even through the first archway yet! I think at one point I had to remember to breath.
My mind, for the first time in a long time, was quiet. In that moment I realised how small I was, how completely unspecial in comparison to the world I live in. Yet here I was, lucky enough to visit one of the World's most beautiful sites, on a beautiful quiet morning, watching the sun light up each marble inlay as a pink fog lifted off the River.
It's a moment I'll never forget. I'm here. I made it. I'm standing in front of the Taj Mahal, and it's everything I expected and more. I cried for a minute and took a few more steps.
From here on it just got better, I don't want to spoil it too much and each person's experience is there own. The immaculate gardens, monkeys hiding in trees, the famous bench that Princess Diana once graced - all of it, ALL of it is breath-taking and I wholly hope that you yourself get to visit it at some point in your life.
It is truly an experience like no other.
No comments:
Post a Comment