Some history
first. The Taj Mahal complex was built by the Moghal Emperor
Shah Jahan (one of Akbar's grandsons). He built it for his
favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. She was 20 when they married. She gave
him 14 children in 19 years. During her pregnancy of the 14th it is
said she heard the cry of her unborn child from her womb. Legend has
it, you will not survive childbirth if you've heard the cry of your
unborn child. Knowing her husband would be devastated and lost with
her death, she suggested to him to build her a magnificant mausoleum
hoping the construction would distract him from his grief. At the
birth of their 14th child in 1631, she died, but
the distraction worked. It took 22 years to build the entire
complex. Shah Jahan lived for 35 years after her death.
The
Taj Mahal represents the largest (subjectively most beautiful) icon
of love in the world. It was built by a Muslim during Muslim reign
of India.
This is the entrance gate to the gardens and
buildings of the Taj Mahal. It's constructed of red sandstone (quite
abundent in and around Agra) and white marble. The small domes at
the top of the gate and in the center represent the number of years
it took to build the complex. There are 11 on the front and 11 on
the back. The white marble in inlayed with scripture from the Quran
and floral
patterns.
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I
met my guide at 6am at my hotel. It was short drive to the
entrance to the park that surrounds the Taj complex. From that
entrance it was a short walk to the gate. There is an entrance
fee and it's significantly more expensive for non-Indians then
Indians.
I took a lot of pictures and decided to post most of
them. Not many people I know will get to see the Taj Mahal, so what
the hell sit back and enjoy. Going early in the morning provides two
nice things. First is the soft morning light. The second is the
crowdless views. Later in the day you spend a lot of time waiting in
line at the various gates and security checks.
There were
all kinds of architectural details my guide went over. Many I can't
remember or wouldn't do them justice. If you want more info, you can
find some here.
This shot was taken from the entrance
gate seen above looking straight at the Taj
Mahal.
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Another shot from
the entrance gate, but a little off to the side and with a little
zoom it looks
like.
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This was looking back at the gate while walking
toward the Taj. The other side is having some restoration done
to it. This side is clear of
scaffolding.
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This
is about halfway to the Taj with the reflection in the reflection
pool.
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Closer still. You
can start to see the floral inlays and Quran scripts. The inlays are
made with semi-precious stones.
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We
started off to the east side of the Taj. The Taj Mahal has two
buildings built to the sides of it. On the west side is a
Mosque, because Mosques in India face west to face Mecca. On the
east side is a building built just like the Mosque,
but only provides symmetry. The building has no real
use. The sound of morning prayers at sunrise is really
quite beautiful.
This shot is from the east looking west at
the
Taj.
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Also from the east, closer to the
building.
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This is from inside the building on the east
using one of its arches to frame the shot. You can see the shadow of
the building I'm in cast upon the
Taj.
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Another shot from the
east.
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