Tilman and I decided to make one more trip, one more pilgrimage. In our time in India we have visited the centres of Hindu worship at Benares, gave alms to the beggars at the ghats, saw the corpses on the cremation pyres on Ma Ganga and went to the birthplace of Buddhism at Parnath. Now on our last day we would go to Agra to see one of the pinnacles of Islamic architecture, the Taj Mahal.
The distance along the good divided road from Delhi to Agra is about 250 kms but in the deep blanketing fog took at least five hours.
No matter how many books one has read about the Taj Mahal, or how many histrionic documentary shows one has watched, or how many raving tourists one has listened to, nothing can prepare you for the sight of this place.
It is everything: palace, mausoleum, place of worship, tranquil garden, it’s whatever you want it to be. Before you see the great building itself, you walk along a rising road with rickshaws and souvenir shops all around (cars are banned). Soldiers check visitors for weapons (they confiscated Tilman’s reserve of muesli bars – maybe they were hungry).
But then you see the Great Gateway or Darwaza, a 30 metre tall red sandstone archway inlaid with marble that is inscribed with Koranic writings. Outside the gateway all is hustle and bustle, inside, peace and tranquillity.
The Great Gateway or Darwaza
I passed through the Darwaza, neck craned marvelling at the domed interior and the regularity of its construction. At that moment I had my first view of the Taj Mahal. Gasping and a little emotional, I could see the palace perfectly framed in the silhouette of the Great Gateway.
It is quite breathtaking to see such a familiar building in reality. It is much bigger than I supposed, very much bigger.
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View of the Taj Mahal through the Great Gateway
The great structure stands at the end of a long rectangular water pool and is so perfect geometrically and so grand in scale that it is hair-raising and spine-tingling.
It also has many surprises. I hadn’t realised that the central structure is flanked by two slightly smaller sandstone buildings mirror images of each other, both of which are marvels in their own right.
The one on the left is the mosque or Masjid, and that on the right, the rest house or Naqqar Khana. Though they are not as big as the Taj itself these are substantial buildings that are rarely included in the usual photographs of the site.
Together with the main mausoleum, the Rauza, they form a perfectly symmetrical whole. This symmetry is further enhanced by the layout of the water gardens sweeping along the approach to the Taj from the Great Gateway.
The huge marble plinth on which the Taj Mahal stands is exactly as wide as the main building is high. The architect must have known that this precise symmetry is very pleasing to the beholder.
In accordance with Islamic tradition no human or Godly images are permitted; only writings from the Koran or geometrical symbols and patterns are allowed.
At each corner of the main Taj, four tall minarets guard the mausoleum. They each lean outwards at a barely perceptible angle. In this way did the architect ensure that the main building would not be damaged should the minarets fall during an earthquake.
One of the Four Leaning Minarets
At the rear of the Taj one can peer over a wall and see the Yamuna River winding through Agra. On the other side is a huge red fort, yet another surprise that escapes most tourists’ cameras.
The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal between 1632 and 1647 as a last repose for his favourite wife who died in childbirth (not surprising, it was her 14th). Now both she and the emperor lay side by side deep in the building. One can view the tomb through a screen of crenulated marble (it once was made of solid gold but that was too much of a temptation for even the most pious of visitors). Today it is rather like peeping through lace curtains that are made of stone.
Yet another surprise, this is not the true tomb, just an exact replica. The real resting place for the imperial pair lies deeper yet within the crypt where infidels such as I may not venture.
And so, after a return trip to Delhi and a delayed flight departure for Bangkok because of fog, this journey is at an end.
A Photo Opportunity for the Author
I enjoyed making the trip immensely, I learned so much. I also had such fun writing about it – I hope you enjoyed reading it.
If I ever get the chance, I will return to the mystical country of India if only to seek out an elephant or two!
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