Agra, Uttar Pradesh, North India
July, 2014
Our only purpose for visiting the city of Agra was to do the one thing everybody comes here to do: Experience the Taj Mahal. Appearing as if straight out of some magical tale leaving the viewers awestruck by its sense of grandeur, the Taj Mahal is nothing short of an architectural marvel and stands proud at being one of the seven wonders of the world and a Unesco world heritage site. Despite the crowds of people, it did not disappoint and somehow makes you feel you are the only one there.
Our Accommodation - The Tourist Rest House
We found a recommended hotel in the centre of Agra called The Tourist Rest House. The rooms are definately basic and in need of some upgrading but it had an excellent location within walking distance to various monuments and were extremely helpful with fantastic customer service.
The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal of India has been said to be the "epitome of love", "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. Not only is the Taj Mahal as beautiful as they say, but there's also a wonderful love story which was the reason behind its construction. Taj Mahal means "crown palace". The purity of the white marble, the equisite ornamentation and precious gemstones all make the visit to the Taj Mahal quite remarkable and despite the crowds of people it was still breathtaking.
Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan constructed this monument in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal with whom he fell in love at the first sight and who died during the birth of their 14th child. After her death, the emperor was grief stricken and began building the monument around 1632 where he entombed his wife in the centre of the structure and upon his own death joined to lay beside her.
It took approximately 22 years to build, 22,000 laborers, 1000 elephants and 32 million rupees. It was built entirely out of white marble which was brought in from all over India and central Asia.
The emperor himself described the Taj Mahal in these words:
"Should guilty seek asylum here,
like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin. Should a sinner make his way to this mansion, all his past sins are to be washed away. The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs; And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes. In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory".
"Should guilty seek asylum here,
like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin. Should a sinner make his way to this mansion, all his past sins are to be washed away. The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs; And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes. In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory".