Taj at Last!
India trip notes part 4
It was a short drive into Agra to get to the grounds of the Taj Mahal. First, we met up with my guide, Jagu, who, upon entering the car, proceeded to run down a long list of instructions about how things were to proceed and rules of engagement with the local folks. I didn’t know much about India going in but I knew I needed to have my head on a swivel so, I paid keen attention to Jagu’s instructions, rationalizing and memorizing all the details. I was so excited I could burst into a million pieces and then, each of those pieces could burst into a million more but I had to keep cool and stay present. I didn’t want to get carried away with the enormity of the moment. Just stay alert!
We arrived at the outer gates of the Taj. Gas powered engines aren’t allowed within 500 meters so, Jagu and I were let out and the driver went to park and wait. God bless him! He stayed with the car and watched my stuff all day as I toured the area. I opted to walk the 500 meters to the front gate instead of rickshaw or electric cart, bought my ticket to get in and, POOF, we’re standing at the Great Gate of the Taj Mahal.
The rest of the story I will tell with the pictures below. The next post will be about day 2 which was even more amazing than day 1 for entirely different reasons.
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Jagu and me
Tight fit
North Gate
North Gate
First sight
The look of Love
Holding the Taj
Diana's bench?
Looking back
The eagle has landed
Almost famous
Minarets
Minarets
Incredible detail
Inlay Closeup
Around back
The Yamuna river
A dream defered
Lunchtime!
Agra Fort
Agra Fort
Agra Fort
Agra Fort
Agra Fort
Agra Fort
Agra Fort - Shaw Jahan's Prison
Agra Fort - Taj at long distance
Agra Fort - Sun room
Agra Fort - Great Tub
Agra Fort - Great Tub
Agra Fort - Great Tub
Agra Fort - Beware of alligators
Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah
Baby Taj
Baby Taj
Baby Taj
Baby Taj
Baby Taj
Baby Taj
Baby Taj
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Jagu and me
This is my guide, Jagu. He was a very nice, although quick-walking, young man. -
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Tight fit
We had to go through these long corrals prior to entering the grounds. I could barely fit through these but it was no problem for Jagu. -
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North Gate
This is the great gate that stands at the northern side of the grounds. -
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North Gate
Closer still. -
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First sight
This is the first view you see of the Taj Mahal. The doorway of the great gate is perfectly aligned with the front entrance of the Taj. At this point, I felt my mission was truly accomplished. -
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The look of Love
I was still trying to collect myself but this is the look of utter joy. -
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Holding the Taj
Funny story on this one. Jagu says "Ok, now you're going to hold the Taj." and he sets me up for this shot. I've never been a big fan of these kinds of pictures so, I rolled my eyes (under by sunglasses, of course) and got myself in position. When I got back to the office, I shared the pictures with my workmates but I left this one out because I thought it was corny. Sure enough, one of my workmates who is from India, asks "Where's the picture of you holding the Taj?" His tone was one of utter disappointment. Go figure, huh? One man's corny is another mans necessity. -
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Diana's bench?
I was very excited to share this picture. This reflecting pool lies about halfway between the Taj and the north gate. As we approached, I could see a lot of activity around one side of the pool. Yagu proudly announced that this is the famous bench that Princess Diana sat upon when she visited the Taj Mahal in...well, I didn't know when, exactly. As I was writting this post, I couldn't remember the date that Yagu told me. This blog is far from a historical document but I did want to find out exactly when she visited the Taj for context so, I asked our old friend, Google. I was mortified by what I found. It turns out that Princess Di visited the Taj in February of 1992 but more importantly, I found the video below (hit the "View More" button). As you may have figured out by now, this is most certainly NOT the bench that Princess Diana sat upon. If you look closely, you can see a bit of the bench on the other side of the reflecting pool being completely ignored by the tourists. THAT is Diana's bench! I'm on the side that had all the photographers. How could they not know that? -
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Looking back
This is the view of the north gate from the Taj itself. -
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The eagle has landed
Finally, the Taj Mahal is under my feet! -
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Almost famous
As Yagu and I were wandering about taking pictures, an excited young lady came up and politely asked to take pictures with me. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the sunglasses. -
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Minarets
The minarets are just huge! -
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Minarets
It slightly exagerated in this picture but the minarets of the Taj were constructed so, in case of a major disaster, they would fall away from the main structure. -
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Incredible detail
Every color you see is made from an inlay of some precious stone. Each marble carving is done to lifelike perfection. -
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Inlay Closeup
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Around back
This is the river-facing side of the Taj. Lots of cleaning going on here. The government is kind enough not to clean the front during peak visiting season. -
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The Yamuna river
This is the once mighty Yamuna river. Yagu attributed it's dryness to global warming as they do not get the rains that they used to. -
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A dream defered
Shaw Jahan, who commisioned the Taj Mahal, also had a dream of building the exact same monument in black marble across the river and joining the 2 with a golden bridge. As crazy as it sounds, he actually began construction on it. This is a picture of the footprint of that next great monument. Construction was halted when his son got wind of the plan and had his father imprisoned to stop him. -
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Lunchtime!
This was my lunch. I ate most of it! -
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Agra Fort
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Agra Fort
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Agra Fort
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Agra Fort
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Agra Fort
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Agra Fort
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Agra Fort - Shaw Jahan's Prison
I mentioned earlier that Shaw Jahan's son had him imprisoned to stop him from building the black Taj. This is where he was imprisoned within the walls of Agra Fort. He was here for 8 years until his death. Sad ending to a remarkable story. -
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Agra Fort - Taj at long distance
Here you can just barely see the Taj Mahal from one of the rooms in Agra Fort. -
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Agra Fort - Sun room
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Agra Fort - Great Tub
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Agra Fort - Great Tub
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Agra Fort - Great Tub
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Agra Fort - Beware of alligators
This is the moat outside Agra Fort. Back in the day it was filled with water and alligators. Really, what's a moat without alligators? -
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Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah
This is the gate of the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah. Also known as the Baby Taj Mahal. -
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Baby Taj
Isn't it cute? -
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Baby Taj
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Baby Taj
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Baby Taj
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Baby Taj
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Baby Taj
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Baby Taj