And A Wonder It Truly Is.......

In 2011, we stood on the Great Wall of China, and this past Saturday, we visited the magnificent Taj Mahal.  Both of these experiences were pretty emotional.  Imagine being so fortunate to visit in person these Wonders of the Modern World!
Our weekend excursion to Delhi and Agra was filled with many memorable moments, but the visit to the Crown of Palaces has to be the best!

We wisely hired a guide, and he fancied himself an artistic photographer, so we had a bit of fun having photos taken while we toured around.

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum started in 1632 by the 5th Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, as a resting place for his third wife.  Theirs was a love marriage and, unfortunately, she died giving birth to their 14th child.

She had made him promise two things.  First, that he would build a monument to her, and second, that he would never again marry.

The white marble mausoleum took about 17 years to complete and the surrounding buildings and gardens took another five years.

(I'm not sure why Dilmeet and I were jumping!  It was our guides idea!)

 Over 20,000 labourers and artisans worked on the project.  The marble is inlaid with multicoloured flowers made of semi-precious stones from around the world.

According to our guide, the hands of the workers were cut off after the project was done so they could never duplicate the work.  I hope that part isn't true.

(Harbans and George--strong men--could pick up this massive marble structure with the tips of their fingers!)

Inside the mausoleum are replicas of the tombs of both Shah Jahan and his wife for visitors to see--but not photograph.  The actual tombs are secured underground and opened to the public once a year.

 The symmetry, our guide said, is the reason Taj Mahal was chosen as one of the Seven Wonders.  One side of the entire complex is a mirror image of the other side with the centre line running through the middle of the queen's tomb.

Back in 1632, it seems they were also concerned with earthquakes.  The four pillars at the corners lean out slightly.  In case they should fall, they will not fall on the building itself.

The pool running down the centre of the garden was being repainted.  So, we were not able to see the famous reflection.  To the right and to the left of the Taj are identical buildings--at least on the outside.

The one on the left is a mosque, still active today. The one on the right served as a guesthouse back in the day.

 These building are made of a red sandstone brick that is seen in many old forts in the area.

The walls around three sides of the site are also made of sandstone and contain small rooms that were used to accommodate visitors as well.

There is no wall behind the Taj Mahal.  On that side is the Yamuna River that was the route taken by Shah Jahan from Delhi to Agra.

Behind us is the main gate to the site.  At the centre top are 22 small white domes--two rows of 11.  One dome was placed for each year it took to build the memorial.

Two other gates can be used to enter--the East Gate and the West Gate.  Shah Jahan's first two wives are buried outside these gates.

This was our entertaining, funny, informative guide, Raj at Taj.   I think we all would recommend him so I asked for his phone number - 09359080385.  If you call him in advance, he will meet you in the parking lot and return you to the same place after two hours of fun!

George and I want to thank Dilmeet for her care throughout this excursion and Harbans for being the best driver!  We had a great time!