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Amanda
Amanda
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Editor Pick

Taj Mahal - Impressions -

  • October 3, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by baroudeur2004 from Liege, Belgium
Taj Mahal - Impressions -

I have read all the reviews that have been written to date about the Taj Mahal and none of them satisfied me because they did not even capture the quintessence of this monument. Even myself, I could not do better because I would not doing any justice to the perfection of the Taj Mahal by describing it in a language that is not my mother tongue and I am also too pragmatic in my writing style. I am undoubtedly unable to compete with the Indian poets and writers who all failed to describe its magnificence.

Instead of describing the Taj Mahal in detail (as I would have done for other monuments), I will try to give my personal impressions about it here because good technical descriptions have already been given in other reviews.

The sheer beauty of Mumtaz Mahal tomb (completed in 1648 after 17 years) has frustrated many people (including me) who were unable to describe the emotions felt when seeing it for real for the first time. Let me just say that it is undoubtedly the most incredibly awesome, stunning, beautiful gesture of love that could have been given to anyone. It well deserves the title of the Seventh New Wonder of the World. I have seen four of them so far (Petra in Jordan, Colosseum in Rome, Chichen Itza in Mexico and the Taj) and it would easily be on top of my personal “list of 10 things to see before you die”.

In order to really appreciate the incredibly stunning sight, I believe it was important for me to be aware of the deep love Shah Jahan had for his third wife and his disheartenment when she died. This is a true magical moment of emotion when you think about it while contemplating this white marble masterpiece.

I have been disappointed, however, not to be able to find a lot of information about the woman for whom the Taj was built because it is quite annoying to contemplate such a marvel and not knowing much about the person resting inside apart from the fact that she was extremely beautiful, discrete and died at 38 while giving birth to her thirteenth child. I am pretty sure that a movie about Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (Treasure of the Palace) would be a Hollywood blockbuster because all elements who make a hit would be reunited: exotic settings (the prestigious Mughal Empire), incredibly passionate love and a double tragedy (the death of Mumtaz and the imprisonment of Shah Jahan in Agra fort by his ungrateful son, Aurangzeb) and the construction of the mausoleum.

Also, contemplating the Taj from the gilded prison of Shah Jahan in Agra Fort is quite disheartening, knowing that he could see it but not approach it to be physically closer to his beloved deceased wife. The only consolation here is that nowadays Shah Jahan rests forever next to the love of his life. A truly tragic but nonetheless beautiful ending…

From journal Mughals in Agra

Taj Mahal

  • June 11, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by tahiralk from Colombo, Sri Lanka
Taj Mahal

The Crown Palace! Aka The Taj Mahal... The Symbol of Love! The most Symmetric Architecture in history... The most advised time to visit it is on a full moon night... lodging inside the Taj Mahal is possible... The marble of the Palace glows in the moon light... 

From journal India! India! India!

Editor Pick

Taj Mahal

  • January 12, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by cjg1 from New York, New York
Taj Mahal

What an experience this is. When you first get to the parking lot you are JUMPED by everyone and their mother trying to get you to ride in their cart to the entrance. You really should just walk. It is like a gauntlet though. Everyone trying to sell you something. This is honestly a part of India that by the end of my trip I hated. No couldn’t just mean no. But hey, it’s the way it is there and all part of the experience.

The foreigners are required to pay extra as always, about 500 rupees, and you are given covers for your shoes. After checking your ticket and the security detectors you are finally on the grounds. Bring on more people selling you tours you don’t need because they claim it’s easy to get lost as it all looks alike…

As we started walking inside the grounds we knew only an idiot would get lost here. A tour may be desirable by some but trust me it is NOT because you won't be able to find your way out. The buildings around the walkway give a feeling that it is any castle like complex. But slowly, as you walk further, you start to see the bright white roof of the Taj Mahal off to the west just barely visible over the tops of the walls.

With a right hand turn at the crossroads in the center you see through the gate your first glimpse of this wonderful monument. It really can’t be put into words how one feels when you finally get here. It is one of the most recognizable monuments in the entire world and here you are seeing it for the first time. Amazing. We walked through the gardens along the paths taking pics as we went. Making our way closer and closer to this amazing structure.

Finally we were there. Where shoes must be removed or covered. To walk up to and be able to touch it. We arrived about sunset and it was quite incredible to watch the sun slip below the red fort to the southwest. The shear size of it was almost hard to comprehend. It took the circling birds to give us something to measure it against. So peaceful as you are now well inside the touts and the tours. Time to just relax and reflect and think about life.

So come. Visit. Reflect and respect. And be sure to take everything in without losing your mind. It will be one of your most treasured experiences when you’re done.

From journal Agra and the Taj Mahal

Taj Ganj Tourist Area

  • November 13, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Koentje3000 from Hamme, Belgium
Taj Ganj Tourist Area

The Taj Ganj quarter is located immediately south of the Taj Mahal. It may thus come as no surprise that it is Agra's tourist mecca. The village was established as a residence for the workforce, supposedly 20.000 people strong, which built the Taj Mahal for almost 20 years long. Originally it was called "Mumtazabad", after the deceased wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the white marble mausoleum was built.

Nowadays, the area caters solely to tourism, mostly geared towards the budget minded people. The narrow and dirty streets are lined with souvenir shops and small hotels. The mainly very basic rooms may vary in price between Rs 100-500 (2-10 €), depending on their state and the availability of air-conditioner or an attached bathroom. Decent hotels in the area are Hotel Sikander and Hotel Siddharta, both with excellent Taj Mahal views from their roof. Be sure, however, to check out the rooms in advance as even the best places may have some grubby or tiny rooms or they may switch owners over time.

More demanding people can go to the southern end of the Taj Ganj area, around Fatehabad Road. The rooms here are more expensive, but they are mostly of better quality and more spacious. Still, be sure to check out the rooms in advance. Good places here include the Mayur Tourist Complex, with a/c cottages for around Rs 1000, or the Hotel Atithi, with similar priced a/c rooms. Western-style luxury hotels, like the Oberoi Novotel or The Trident, are also located in this area, but they charge western-style prices as well.

Don't forget that Taj Ganj is one of the most touristy places in the whole of India, so be prepared as it comes with scam and scum. Some souvenir sellers will bluntly ask maybe 10 times the price you would pay in other places, and if you buy a bus tour then maybe the bus never shows up. The area may also have the highest pickpocket rate in India. If you ask a taxi or rickshaw rider to bring you to a certain hotel, they may simply bring you to another place where they get more commission. Nevertheless, most Indian people, even in Agra, are honest and friendly, so don't get your holiday spoiled by these stories, but just be a little careful.

The easiest way to get to Taj Ganj from other parts of the city is by taxi or rickshaw. Count on Rs 10 per km for rickshaws. The Agra Cantt train station is 5km to the west, so it will cost you around Rs 50 to bring you there. The Taj Mahal is within walking distance. Please note that fuel-powered vehicles are not allowed within 500m from the Taj, so the last part you will have to walk, take a bicycle or the electrified shuttle bus running between the marble building and Agra Fort.

From journal The Taj Mahal and Beyond

Editor Pick

Taj Mahal part II

  • November 8, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Koentje3000 from Hamme, Belgium
Taj Mahal part II

(continued from part I)

The entrance ticket to the Taj Mahal must be bought at the entrance gate in the west of the complex. There is one booth for Indians, who pay Rs 20, and one for foreigners paying a whopping Rs 750. When you have bought your entrance ticket you can enter the complex after a thorough security check. A number of items are forbidden on the Taj Grounds, like knives, lighters, or mobile phones, but they can be checked in for a small fee. Behind the huge entrance gate lays a small square. You may catch a first glimpse of the white marble mausoleum behind the wall on your left side. The square is surrounded by magnificent red sandstone buildings with marble inlays, distinctive for Moghul architecture. The beautiful northern gate will bring you to the most famous building of the complex, the white marble mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favourite wife Arjumand Banu Begum, nicknamed Mumtaz Mahal or "Beautiful ornament of the palace".

The grave building is set in a so-called charbagh or Moghul-style garden. It is almost a square of 300mx320m, with a central raised water tank reflecting the tomb. The garden design is highly symmetrical, with trees, lawns, and water courses. Standard charbagh layouts placed the tomb or mosque central, but this seems not the case with the Taj Mahal. However, recent excavations on the north bank of the Yamuna river, flowing behind the building, show that this other side and the river itself may have been included in the garden.

Begum's mausoleum is flanked by two rectangular sandstone buildings who are almost exactly a mirror image of the other. The left building is a mosque (masjid) and the other one is called a jawab, meaning "answer". This difference expresses itself in an architectural difference: the jawab is lacking the mihrab, a niche facing Mecca in the mosque, and the mosque has ground outlines for prayer rugs.

What is generally known as the Taj Mahal, the exquisite white marble mausoleum, is strictly speaking only a part of it. The grave is placed on a marble 7m high platform. The beautiful symmetrical onion-domed structure has marble and jade inlays with floral motifs and Quranic calligraphy and rises for 60m above the platform. The walls have beautiful floral carvings as well. The octagonal interior of the tomb is decorated with precious and semi-precious gemstones. Shah Jahan and his wife lay in a plain room beneath the mausoleum, but both have a cenotaph in the mausoleum. Begum's cenotaph is centrally located in the octagonal room, while Shah Jahan's one is placed asymmetrically just next to the first one. The Shah's body was added later by his son, who supposedly did not want to spend much money to build a complete mausoleum for his father. The tomb is flanked by four 40m high marble minarets.

From journal The Taj Mahal and Beyond

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