The Crown Palace

After 4 months in India, I FINALLY went to see the Taj Mahal today. The Taj is located in Agra, a former capital of the Mughal Empire, and is only 200km from Delhi. Despite the close distance, I hadn't mustered up the desire to make the trip out there. Fortunately, two of my colleagues were in Delhi for a conference and decided to stay for the weekend. Thomas and Claire-Marie are both working in Pune on another GSMA project and they made perfect travel companions. We were also joined by Kenneth, Thomas' friend of a friend, who is also working in Pune.

We left Delhi around 10am this morning and traveled by car to view the most visited site in India, which is often described as an extraordinary monument built for love. Although Agra is only 200km (125mi) away, it took nearly 4 hours to reach there with one brief bathroom stop. Lucky for me, I can sleep almost anywhere, so I passed the time sleeping, reading and practicing my Hindi.

When we arrived, we had the option of making the "grueling" 1km walk to the entrance by horse carriage, camel carriage, cycle-rickshaw or foot. Of course, we decided to walk. I was a bit shocked to see the difference in entry price for foreigners versus Indians. It was 750 rupees for a foreigner and only 20 rupees for an Indian. But with the fee, foreigners also receive a coveted bottle of water AND shoe covers to wear inside the palace where shoes are not allow. Indians generally opt to walk around barefoot. And it also included entrance to 4 other sites in Agra, none of which we decided to visit.

The Taj was built from 1631-1653 by Shah Jahan as a tomb for and tribute to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after her death. More than 20,000 people from across India and Central Asia were employed to build it. A few years after it's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, Auranbzeb, and was imprisoned in nearby Agra Fort. After his death in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried here next to his wife. This is said to have destroyed the symmetry of the tomb because his casket was not intended to be placed there. Instead, there are all sorts of legends and stories, including one that says a "Black Taj" was supposed be to build across the Yamuna River, facing the Taj Mahal.

12 hours later, I returned home exhausted, but thrilled that I visited what's considered one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and one of India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (There are 26 of them in India)!