The Taj Mahal

Built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century. It's a mausoleum for his wife, the Empress known as Mumtaz--the Jewel of the Mughal Empire. A Persian style garden tomb built over the course of 22 years, people like to talk about it as a testament to love. I don't know . . . I hope Jenny just has me cremated and takes a nice trip with the savings.  It is one of the "Wonders of the World" and it is magnificent. You really have to see it in person to appreciate its full power.

We arrived early in the morning--not early enough to catch the sunrise, but we got to watch the morning haze slowly lift and the crowds and heat were less intense.

This photo was taken from the Mosque that flanks the Taj on the west side.

The marble gleams in the sunshine, though with the haze and my photography skills, it doesn't quite come through.

Looking back toward the gate from atop the plinth (base platform), you can see the symmetry of the gardens. Everthing is organized in quarters, eighths, and sixteenths. In the time of the Mughals the gardens would have been filled with fruit trees and intended to simulate a Garden of Eden, the paradise the Empress was enjoying in heaven. The British came in, cut the trees down, and put in lawns so that the broad vista of the place was not spoiled. At least they didn't take it all down to use the marble.

This mosque (Masjid in India) flanks the Taj Mahal on the West. On East side a guest house provides perfect mirror-symmetry.

A close-up of the inlay work. This is all hand-cut semi-precious stones set into the marble.

After Shah Jahan's death, his son Aurungzeb, had him interred next to Mumtaz. His cenotaph is the only thing in the whole place that spoils the symmetry. You're not allowed to take pictures inside the main mausoleum . . . shhh.

During the years of construction, craftsmen might have stayed in these little cells outside the gate. I liked this view.