Visiting the Taj Mahal

I’ve spent a little time every evening since I got back from India trying to filter through the literally thousands of images and figure out what to share on the blog and what to leave out. But the truth is; I want to share everything with you all! 

It was a pretty foggy day when we went to see the Taj & and my “official photographer” and travel partner was pretty choked that he couldn’t get a better picture. Thankfully we got up early and made it to the monument before all the crowds started pouring in so we did get some great people-free pics.

If you are planning to visit the Taj Mahal; it opens around 6:45am, and tourists start lining up around 5:30. There is a separate entry line for foreigners which is long, so get there early. By 8am the grounds were overflowing. More people means a less peaceful visit, and no chance of getting a picture of just yourself with the Taj.

I had no idea what to expect from the Taj Mahal. Obviously I knew it would be beautiful, but I didn’t know anything about the design  beyond the fact that it’s made of marble. The building as a whole took my breath away because it’s a monument of love (and I’m a hopeless romantic), but what really stopped in my tracks was the details and symmetry.{Unrelated to the Taj Mahal – I absolutely fell in love with bangles in India. I’ve been wearing one pretty much every day since we’ve been back…it’s the Indian touch! < Bollywood reference}

We spent a good two hours just walking the grounds and admiring all the little details. I spotted chevrons, scrolls, mandalas, and even fleur de lis patterns. The whole experience made me want to rush home and sign up for art school. 

Honestly, the most beautiful and moving experience at the Taj Mahal is visiting the room where Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal’s tombs are laid. {In the off chance that you don’t know the tragic love story behind the Taj you can catch up on it here}. The whole room just vibrates with an unexplainable energy, and the marble inlay work is breathtaking. Sadly, no photos are allowed in the area so I don’t have any to show you – you’ll just have to visit yourself to see what I’m talking about.

I really don’t think my words can do justice to the beauty of the Taj Mahal, but I’m sure Aziz’s images fill in where my words fall short!

The Taj Mahal is flanked on either side by two identical buildings; a guest house, and a mosque. They aren’t often mentioned in travel guides, but the hand painting and scroll work on these buildings is outstanding. 

I heard a superstition once that when you visit the Taj Mahal you should never look back at it when you are leaving. Apparently if you look back, you have to visit again. I made a point to turn around and take a good long look on my way out – one morning with the Taj just wasn’t enough, I’ll have to go back one day!