The Taj Mahal

Delhi was fun, but the true reason for our trip was to get to the Taj Mahal.  We hired a car and drove four hours to Agra, where we stayed overnight and rose early for a morning viewing.  As we approached the site, these women were chanting outside the gates.

Everyone was herded like cattle to get inside.

This building serves as an entryway to the Taj.  We caught a glimpse over the wall:

 

There it was!

Our first full viewing:

The hotel in which we stayed in Delhi scheduled a tour guide to show us around Agra.  He was big on pictures.  Here is our first:

And here are some more:

This, apparently, is the "Lady Di" bench.  

 

Lady Diana posed here in 1992:

 

People say that of all India's over-promoted sights, the Taj Mahal is the one that never disappoints.  We certainly felt that way.

As we approached from the side we noticed an empty cart. 

It wasn't empty for long.

Note the footwear.  Everyone who enters the Taj Mahal is required either to leave their shoes at the gate (go watch Slumdog Millionaire for inspiration on how that scenario may end) or to don these fashionable shoe covers.

The shaping of the marble was astounding.

All over the marble, these precious and semi-precious stones were set in.  The stones were each individually shaped, their precise shape was etched into the marble, then the stones were glued into place.  A flower the size of an average human first may contain as many as 30 individual pieces of stone.

Here are views from the back of the Taj:

 

And the back of the Taj itself:

Verses from the Koran were cut in ivory and laid into the marble.  The artistry was remarkable.

The Taj is flanked by identical buildings.  Apparently, according to the Koran, paradise is described as a place of symmetry.  One is a music building and the other is a mosque.  This is the music building.

I loved these guys posing:

Even the paths to the building were serene.

One last shot:

Or just one more:

Camels hung around outside!  We thought they seemed more like giraffes up close.

Next we were taken to a tourist trap that we ultimately enjoyed immensely.  These men demonstrated how precious stones were shaped to adorn the Taj.

Here are some of the stones with which they work:

This guy was charged with etching the stone shapes into marble.  They dye the marble top with henna so that the etchings stand out, then wipe it clean after the stones are set.  I was amazed that the marble could ever return to its original shade of white.  Apparently it does so easily.

Here's an example of what a fist-sized flower would look like.  Imagine how much work went into just this portion.  (You can also see where someone has begun to polish away the henna.)

The shaped stones are tiny:

These men kindly let us try our hands at shaping stones.  Using these simple machines (literally) we pushed the wooden poles back and forth to move the metal wheels against the stones, shaping as we went.  Every few seconds the stones are dipped into the blue water to remove particles that have been etched away.

That was the Taj Mahal!

Stay tuned for Agra Fort.