Toto, I've Got a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore

The Taj Mahal. Like many people, this iconic building has been on our must-see list for a long time. It doesn’t disappoint. After arriving through a main gate, and turning to walk through a grand gateway, suddenly, there it is. I'd say, “It’s hard to describe” but I think I’ve said that about almost everything we’ve seen in India. Okay, I'll say it one last time. It's hard to describe the feeling you get when this image comes to life. It's like finding the Emerald City except lines of azure fountains running the entire length of the garden takes the place of the yellow brick road. It is, simply, magical with a white Makrana marble exterior that glows against the blue sky.  It takes your breath away. Our Guide told us that he has had many guests start to cry when they see it for the first time. For this reason, he always carries extra kleenex with him.

In case you don't know the story behind the Taj Mahal, here is the short version. It was built by Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his recently deceased wife. She had died soon after giving birth to their fourteenth child. No real surprise there, I suppose. Only six of the fourteen children had survived .... four sons and two daughters. Shah Jahan started construction on his tribute to his beloved wife in 1632. Twenty years and 20,000 craftsman later, it was completed.  

Unfortunately, while the Emperor was busy overseeing construction, his third oldest son was hatching a diabolic plan to take over the reigns of power. Instead of patiently waiting his turn, the son had fast tracked his assent by killing off his two older brothers and later murdering his younger brother. To seal the deal, just as construction finished on the Taj, he put his father under house arrest in the Red Fort down the road. Shah Jahan lived there in a suite of rooms with a view of the Taj until he died eight years later.  He was then interred next to his wife at the Taj Mahal so I guess he got to enjoy his hard work then. Better late than never, I suppose.  

Fine filigree work, semi precious stone inlays and stencils are used throughout the mausoleum.  This screen is one piece of marble cut into this intricate pattern, approximately 8' x 6'.  One mistake and you would get to start all over again.

 The iconic domed roof is a common feature of Muslim and Persian architecture. 

Four minarets (or towers) frame the Taj Mahal. Each was built with a slight outward lean so the main mausoleum would be protected should a tower collapse. 

The inner marble coves of the arches were carved in a web pattern to deter spiders from building cobwebs. Apparently, it worked because they've never had to bring out the fuzzy duster. 

This is one small border section of marble inlay using lapis, jade and fire stone.  There are thousands of feet of this throughout the Taj. 

Black marble text from the Qur'an is inlaid in white marble around the entranceways to the Taj. The text actually gets larger as it moves up the columns so the entire text reads as being the same size. A nice little optical correction.   

Over 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal each year. Most of them showed up on the day we visited.  

This was my best "Princess Diana at the Taj" imitation.  I may look happy but I was crying inside as I thought about about my cheating husband, Charles and that horsy harlot, Camilla.  

The mosque on the Taj grounds still calls followers to prayer every Friday but only the descendants of labourers who worked on the Taj Mahal may attend. Many still live in the area.  

We couldn't seem to get enough of the Taj so we rose the next morning at 5:30 am and headed across the river to watch the sunrise come up in the Moon Garden. This is where it was rumoured that the Emperor was planning to build a black Taj Mahal,made entirely of black marble, to act as a literal shadow to the one across the river. He only got the foundation in place (it is still there) before his no-good son threw him in the Fort. When we arrived, there was dew on the grass, fog (at least we like to think it was fog) in the air, and the call to prayers was echoing through the field from a nearby mosque. The best part tho'? No one was there so we got to enjoy the Taj in all its splendour, all by ourselves.  In India, that's a very rare thing indeed.