Taj Mahal, is beautiful white marbled musoleum, located along the banks of river Yamuna, in the city of Agra, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The structure entirely made up of white marble was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a memorial for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, one of three wives of Shah Jahan, is the centerpiece of a complex spanning about 17 hectars, which also include a mosque and a guest house. Taj Mahal is the one of the current Seven Wonders of the World and the monument have been an integral part of our country's heritage. The majestic structure that overlooks the Yamuna River, gives a glimpse of the influence of Mughal Architecture in our country. Be it the Red Fort, Fathepur Sikri, Agra Fort or the Taj itself, the Mughal Empire has it's inevitable contribution in making of our country's rich and varied Heritage.
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
It's everyone's dream to visit this majestic structure once in a life, because we have been taught about the unimaginable beauty of Taj from our childhood days. In form of poems, stories, dailogue in movies to lyrics in songs, and of course the chapters in our history textbooks, everywhere we could find the reference of Taj Mahal. I don't know why, but from my childhood days, I have always been fascinated about the beauty of Taj… whenever I could see the pictures of it… I could just stare at with utter astonishment, that how could someone built something as majestic as the Taj.
February 2013, I used to study in a school in Nagpur, Maharashtra, I was in eighth grade when our school decided to take us to a week long trip to Delhi and Agra. As I really love traveling, and going to the national capital and to get a chance of seeing those monuments, which we have only seen in textbooks, was a chance I never wanted to miss. I request my father and even though he hesitated at first but he gave the permission at last. It was mid February, I could still remember it was just two months after the horrifying incident of rape of Nirbhaya, a 23 year old physiotherapy intern, who was raped by a group of men in a moving bus in Delhi. The incident still gives me chills down my spine and visiting a place, which was witnessing full protests and unrest after the incident, was actually thrilling for me, a 13 year old. Nevertheless, it was noon and me and my friends and other students and teachers were at Nagpur Railway station waiting for GT Express to arrive. Next morning at 5 we reached Delhi, from where we went to the hotel, my first ever experience staying in a hotel. We stayed in Delhi for 2 days, and after visiting all historical places like Red Fort, Qutub Minar, India Gate, Humayun's Tomb etc, it was evening when we started from Delhi, a five hour long bus journey to Agra, The City of the Taj…❤️
I could say that it was a very big co incident that, I got a chance to witness Taj Mahal, the real epitome of Love… a monument which stands for that eternal love of Shah Jahan to his wife, on the Valentine's Day itself. It was late in the afternoon when we reached Taj Mahal after visiting the Agra Fort. Agra Fort, the historic fort that was the main residence of Mughal Emperors like Akbar, Shah Jahan, Aurgabzeb and Bahadur Shah Zafar, before it was captured by the Marathas, is known for its sandstone architecture. We could get a beautiful sight of Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort, through a small window that overlooks the city and the serene Yamuna River, we could locate the faint outline of the Taj. The windows of Agra Fort that faces the Taj Mahal, are believed to be those from which Shah Jahan used to see Taj Mahal, his last memory of Mumtaz, when he was held captive by his son Aurangzeb.
We need to take a van, fueled by CNG or the camel or horse carts to reach as vehicles are banned around Taj Mahal, due to increasing pollution, that has caused degrading effect on the marbled musoleum. We took the van and reached the compound. As any other historic place, adults have to take tickets, which used to cost 10 rupees in 2013 ( It is free for children upto the age of 15 years) and a normal security check. After all this, we entered the complex, to the west of Taj Mahal, the red sandstone building is a Mosque and to the east there is Mehmaan Khana, or the Guest House. As we entre, the first thing we see is a huge crowd of people and tourists…😅😅😅 but slowly the majestic structure could be seen in the backdrop… and the very first sight.. it will make you fall in love with it. As I saw the Taj…. I just stood there standstill, it felt as if the entire world has paused as I am witnessing the most beautiful man made structure ever built on this Earth…❤️
As I approached near it, the structure became more clear. I still remember walking through the side lanes, standing in queue to entre the Taj. The moment I stepped into the building, I could feel the ice cold marble under my feet, the dome, the minars, and the entire sight that was right in front of my eyes looked like a dream, because this can't be on Earth. We entered inside, in spite of large number of people, I could still get a glimpse of Mumtaz' Tomb at the centre. I remember our guide telling us that, there is a crack on the dome, from where the first rays of sun falls right on the tomb of Mumtaz. There are also conspiracy theories that suggest that the real tomb of Mumtaz is actually deeper inside the actually tomb we are seeing, I don't know how much of these stories are true, but seeing the Tomb of Mumtaz will really give you a small feeling of unrest, that reminds about that harsh truth behind the construction of this structure. Then we got out the building, and from outside Taj looks even more beautiful, because of its beautifully carved walls. The carving on the walls have been entirely done by hand, and the carvings have some most precious stones like rubies and emeralds.
Along it, we could see the Yamuna River flowing with her full glory. Standing beside the aqua blue waters of the river in the backdrop of a orange sky and the most majestic Taj Mahal, is a moment I could cherish my entire life. It was evening, but still we were sitting there in front of Taj. I could remember our principal asking us, whether we should leave or not, and all of us answered a big no.. later she too sat beside us, just staring at the building.
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It's been, 8 years since I visited Taj Mahal, but it still in my heart, I could still remember every inch of it, just by closing my eyes….❤️
Picture Courtesy: Google
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Thank You….!!!!
LOVE….❤️
Ragnarok.
