We are up at 4am and at 5:10, Garima wraps me in my sari for our special day – we are going to the Taj Mahal for sunrise.

The girls in our group are all dressed up. Outfits and accessories were chosen days ago. Even the guys put some thought into their clothes, ie.  less wrinkled shirts.

Our minibus drops us off at the Taj Mahal entrance from where you must walk or take a tram one kilometre to the ticket booth. Garina arranges our tickets and we quickly walk in the dark to the line up at the east gate. I hope I don’t step into anything the holy cows left behind.

There are not many people in front of us because we’ve arrived so early. A sacred cow comes by and pushes himself through the line. They just  go wherever they want.

What you can bring into the Taj Mahal s very limited – a small day pack,  phone and camera. No other electronics or batteries, no selfie sticks (though we saw some smuggled in), no food and no water (but they do provide you with a small bottle of water with your ticket).

The view of the white marble Taj Mahal is blocked right until you get to the red sandstone arch of the east gate entrance. Then it is there, like some magical fairytale palace. It’s hard to believe that we are actually here.

 

 

It doesn’t seem real. I’ve seen pictures but they are nothing like the reality. This is the most beautiful building I have ever seen.

The long reflection pool in front of it, mirrors its image.

The air is sweet with jasmine. White water birds walk the grassy gardens and flocks of Alexendrine parrots, fluffy grey birds and pigeons outnumber the people.

We quickly find the famous Princess Diana bench and take our pictures.

Marlene had looked up numerous picture poses to take at the Taj. She asks some Indian people to take pictures of her and Jim jumping off a bench. The first boy didnt get the shot so a girl said she’d try. Marlene and Jim jump again. The girl also doesnt get the shot so the last guy tries. He says “got it!”.

He looks at the camera and gets a funny expression on his face and quickly hands it back to Marlene and rushes off. When Marlene looks at the picture, she’s horrified to see that her skirt had flew up and her underpants are in full view.

The story of the Taj Mahal (Crown of the Palace) is a romantic one. A beautiful princess named Kimberly marries a handsome Shah named John… oops, wrong love story. 

Shah Jahan had a favourite wife that he loved very much named Mumtaz Mahal (Jewel of the Palace). They were inseparable. She became very ill after giving birth to their fourteenth child. Before she died he asked what he could do to prove his love and she said that he was to take care of their children, not remarry and build a large monument so that the world would not forget their love.

Started in 1632 it took twenty two years to build the Taj Mahal. Later one of his sons seized power and jailed his father in the Agra Fort until he died. From his prison cell (actually a rather luxurious suite in the palace of Agra Fort) the father had a view of the monument he built as his wife’s burial place. Upon his death, the son buried his father beside his love in the Taj.

The Taj is symmetrical with a red sandstone mosque on one side and a twin building on the other that was used as a guest house.

John and I take our time walking around the area taking in the beauty of the delicate carvings, stone work and architecture. 

Everyone has to put little booties over their shoes before they go into the mausoleum.  When we come out, it looks like it rained because the marble is wet and the temperature really dropped.

At the guest house area I sit under a tree filled with parrots while John goes around taking pictures. An older women comes over and asks if she could take a picture with me and the next thing I know, I’m surrounded by the largest group yet of picture seekers.  I wish John was around to take a picture of this because no one back home will believe it.

I get a lot of compliments on my royal blue sari. Saris truly are one of the most flattering forms of dress but they do take a bit of getting used to.

When paying for your Taj Mahal ticket you are given a token that you scan when you enter and you give it back when you leave. You are given three hours to see the Taj and if you stay longer you are penalized with a fee. We make sure we leave the complex by 9:15am but get our full 3 hours.

 

 

We stop at a restaurant for a buffet breakfast then head back to our hotel for a rest. A lot of our group are coming down with colds but John and I are fine.

At noon we go to Itmad-ud-Daulah Tomb which is known as the Baby Taj. It was the first of the Moghul mausoleums to be built in white marble and is believed ti be the inspiration for the design of the Taj Mahal.

This mausoleum was built by the ruler’s wife for her father. This wife was married to the ruler who spent more time with his pleasures; (wet, white sari contests), booze, women, drugs etc, than he did running his empire. The wife was the power behind the throne.

This site was exquisite and less crowded. It also offered great views of the river and life going on around it. We watch some young boys shed their clothes and swim In the river. Some of the garbage that floated by was really gross. A dead animal, stiff with rigamortis lays on a small islet in the river.

We pass areas where many people live in makeshift tents on the way to Mehtab Bagh gardens.

When the female security guard at the garden entrance opens my bag, she physically jumps when she sees Bob, my rubber chicken. The male guards laugh and we took some pictures with Bob and the guard before I leave him in their care. Apparently he isn’t allowed In the garden. Not sure why.

The gardens are cool and lovely in the hot afternoon sun. The best part of them is the view of the back of the Taj with the river in front.

I pick up Bob and we pile back into the minibus, stopping at a small grocery store to get snacks and junk food for the overnight train to Varanasi.

 

 

We all rest for a few hours at the hotel before heading to the train station. At the station we are all surprised when a family of red butt monkeys drop down from above us while we wait on the train platform. A couple of monkeys are sleeping on top of a parked train engine despite all the noise and chaos going on around them. Dogs roam the platforms looking for dropped food.

An Indian granny, her son  daughter-in-law and toddler son sit down beside me and start chatting to me in a friendly manner in Hindi. I chat back despite having no idea what they’re saying. The toddler keeps running out towards the tracks every chance he gets to escape, with his mother in hot pursuit. They head down the platform with much waving.

Our train arrives about one hour late and as we walk down to our sleeper car, I hear knocking on a train window and there is granny and the family waving away. People are so friendly here.

We put down our sleeper beds, are handed clean sheets and I sleep almost the whole twelve hours of our trip. I manage to avoid going to the bathroom until we get to the hotel in Varanasi. Jasmine tells me the washrooms were quite clean and she even had a western toilet.

*Taj Mahal – 1,300Rs
*Itimad-ud-Daulah Tomb – 250Rs
*Mehtab Bagh garden – 250Rs