The Taj Mahal

The Taj

The view from the main gate over the  Lotus pool

We went to the Taj Mahal today, up at 6am, breakfast at 8am and off we go, 50rupees for the ride in the rickshaw, everyone said to get there early as it gets really busy, so we did.  Its was a lovely but cold morning and the Taj was a beautiful site as you entered thru the western gate, with the morning mist as its backdrop. 

Described as one of the most elegant and harmonious buildings in the world, the Taj indeed manifests the wealth and luxury of Mughal art as seen in architecture and garden design, painting, jewellery, calligraphy, textiles, carpet-weaving and furniture. 

Its simply beautiful!

Bathed in the early morning sunlight

As seen in the 1981 James Bond Octopussy
movie (or so I was told)

Its hard to believe that this was all built for the graves of the king and his “favorite” wife.  This garden tomb, an image of the Islamic garden of paradise, built at a cost of 41 million rupees and 500kilos of gold.  About 20,000 workers laboured for 12 years to complete it in 1643.  The Tomb Chamber inside where Mumtaz Mahals cenotaph is,  raised on a platform and is placed next to Shah Jahans.  The actual graves, in a dark crype below, are closed to the public.


I couldn’t believe how massive this building looks from the outside but inside it is quite small and not overly impressive, the outside however I thought was beautiful especially in its garden setting.  I thought to myself so the Indians do know how to make beautiful buildings and gardens, somehow they seem to have forgotten that part of their culture in this century.  The Mughals were great naturalists and believed that flowers were the “symbols of the divine realm”, that explains the reason for this beautiful site.

Looking west from the Taj to the Mosque

The interior arches of the Mosque

What is the most impressive is that this is all faced in local marble and the inlay work is brilliant, using minute slivers of precious and semi-precious stones, such as carnelian, lapis, lazuli, turquoise and malachite!  I love the floral designs and the caligraphy.

The Taj Museum

The Main Gate