Taj Mahal

Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

It seems to be the in thing to take a day trip to Agra and see a few of the sights. There are a number of trains leaving Dehli in the morning and arriving back in the evening. While the majority of most trains seem to be 3rd class, the one I was on had none and even served a breakfast on the way out and some supper on the way back. What luxury, but without the antics of 3rd class, how can it be a train in India? First stop for the day was the Taj Mahal. They all say you must go. The tuk-tuk driver of course offered to be my dedicated driver for the day for a flat fee, but I dislike such arrangements. Tickets are expensive for foreigners in comparison to citizens, but as Shachi points out we do not pay the national taxes that also go to keeping the place up. My camera did not also need its own ticket, an odd and all too common phenomenon in other places. Video cameras were forbidden. I almost failed at not pointing out that every still digital camera is capable of video these days. For my more expensive ticket, I also got a box of items they thought I might need. There are booties to put over my shoes for entering the mausoleum (citizens must take their shoes off) and a bottle of water. Otherwise, food and drink were not permitted inside. I decided not to point out the dried fruit in my bag. If I do not pull it out and eat it, it is as good as not there, right? They also did not allow menstruating women, which is quite none of their business. Without much ado, I got my ticket and shuffled into the forecourt.

gate within the complex of the Taj Mahal — The main gate entry within the complex of buildings of the Taj Mahal.

top dome of mosoleum behind the wall — The first look at the iconic mausoleum.

I was determined to seek out the details of the place because it very much has a lot of details. It also has a bit of wildlife.

spires and parrots over the gate — Inlay stone work and domes over the gate as well as a couple of the resident parrots.

monkey climbing the added pipes — A monkey climbing up a water pipe and electrical cord.

Heading through the main gate launches one into crowds, and then into the iconic view of the mausoleum across the central pool.

mosoleum and the folks settling in for a photograph in front of it — The crowds do not look so bad as I recall. Folks are standing for their photos in front of the mausoleum, giving each other enough space to have their own photos only.

pool and mosoleum — With a little fewer people in front, it is possible to take in the details of the garden decor.

lined up to pinch the spire — Sometimes I like to watch the human wildlife, too. These are lined up to get a photo of them pinching the spire at the top of the mausoleum. Again, they space out so that each one can be the only main subject in their own photo.

I went a little closer to take in a few more details and eventually actually went inside. I chose to take my shoes and socks off while walking through the mausoleum. I was aware that I was probably exposing my feet to all sorts of viral and fungal ailments with so many other feet also passing by. (My feet did not come to any harm for it.) Still, it seemed that I would be missing part of the experience if I could not feel the stone beneath me as I passed through. Photographs are not allowed within and although plenty of flashes were going off anyway, I did abide by this.

caligraphy around the entry — The entryway is circled by script as part of the decoration.

the main dome and spire details — Details of the spire with a crescent moon and inlay on the main dome.

The majority of the crowds could be found in and around the mausoleum. More were in the central walkways of the gardens. Very few were at the shaggier edges of the gardens. A few more, but still not many, were along the hallways and niches along the edges. There was a bit more at the quickly moving line for the bathroom. (They were not just lovely, but very clean. They also required a tiny fee for citizens but were considered already paid for for foreigners. Some edges of the gardens smelled faintly.) I spent a little time in the gardens at the edge. Some of the plants were labeled as a botanical garden will do.

gardens under trees around the edge — A bit of the gardens near the wall where there are trees.

simple but elaborately shaped ceiling — The simple details of the ceiling of one alcove.

branches letting in swirls of light — And the dizzying details of the branches above it.

I continued to wonder, often to places I'd visited, but found a little more to look over each time. There were many interesting spaces.

geometry with some holes — The motif of the more geometric patterns. Drains catch rainwater, I believe.

A corner building had been converted to housing pollution measurement instruments and the supporting gear. Pollution has been eating away at these buildings, causing many problems. According to the readout in the doorway, this day was not a good day with smaller particulates that are especially dangerous to humans being quite high. The view out over the river told a similar tale although with less detail.

pollution measurement and study — An instrument at the top and the readout in the doorway are part of the measurement of local pollution.

Agra Fort lost in the particulates — Agra Fort which is not all that far along the river.

decaying stone to the east — A building the other way along the river that has not been given the love of this one and is decaying badly.

another garden view — Looking back over the garden to the main gate.

repair work to the mosque dome — The mosque to the left was undergoing repair work.

Going within the mosque, geometric patterns were more prevalent. The flowers were not entirely displaced still. The ceilings took my interest. Their patterns included sections that were pushed far back from the general level. Perhaps it is just for sound dampening, but still it intrigued me.