A friend of Ajay's had come to this great wonder of the world about a month before us. He said that he had spent an entire day at the Taj Mahal and could have stayed for much longer. I thought he perhaps was exaggerating, but from the moment I first saw it, I knew there could never be enough time.
The Taj is a magnificent and defies any description words could attempt. Looking at these photos, I can barely imagine that I was even there. When we arrived, the Taj was cloaked in a light fog that reflected the grey skies above. Magically the fog was brushed away by the light hand of a warm breeze and with it came blue skies and bright sunshine. Out from behind the shadows, the building blinded me in the full sun. It shone so ferociously it was impossible to view directly the closer you approach. Yet, its beauty was such that you dare not look away from it. Every moment at the Taj was one of blessing. After we approached the Taj, encircled it, entered it, and then gradually pulled away, it was felt as if something monumental had touched me.
I could only imagine the possibility of seeing it in the moonlight, but at the insistence of the driver, we left to catch a few final Agra moments at the Agra Fort. The pain and sweat that built the Taj are evident everywhere. Details and designs reached out across the ages attesting to the delicate attention of every stone and joint. Such a testimonial to love and ultimately power seemed disproportional and unbelievable for our age of self-determination.
I will admit, in closing, the audacity of Shah Jahan in building the Taj Mahal. His depth of love was certainly tempered by an intense ego that sought to obliterate the source of such beauty. The excess of such a symbol in the face of the costs it placed on those who built it is today unacceptable. However, for a time of such grand gestures, it does seem nontheless appropriate.