TajMahal - An epitome of Love , A Marvellous architecture

“Bro you are overspeeding .” I shouted at Jassi, while sitting on the backseat, who was driving the car at more than 120km/h speed. Suddenly in a middle of nowhere a car overtakes us and vanished in few seconds as we didn’t able to verify which car it was. And then again a  Xuv came in front of us and disappeared in a similar fashion.

        “Abe bhai thodi aur tej chala es dabbe ko ( Bro speed up this car a little more).“ I along with Nitesh yelled at Jassi in an aggressive manner as in few seconds two cars overtakes us and disappeared in speed which slightly hurt our pride. :p

pic credit :- Trey ratcliff

We were driving on Yamuna express way, one of the India’s finest highway project  with world class infrastructure and engineering. This express way has a unique capability to transform any common driver into a formula 1 race driver. Actually it has been built to provide a direct nonstop  drive  of hardly 3 hours connecting Delhi to the city of Tajmahal i.e. Agra.

Yamuna express-way Toll barrier

We reached Agra at around 8 pm. It was totally a sudden and unplanned trip as couple of hours ago we were assembled at a mall in delhi to celebrate our reunion with one our long time childhood friend Nitesh ,who just came for a visit in delhi, and now we were at some dirty petrol pump of Agra. Instead of renting a hotel we went to a nearby famous Gurudwara  Guru ka Taal  and rented a room there for night stay. Actually most of the big Gurudwara’s also provide rooms for devotees and travelers at a reasonable price . After seeking blessings from darbaar sahib ,where holy scripture Guru Granth sahib (Holy book of Sikhism) placed at Gurudwara , we went to devour some delicious vegetarian food  provided free of cost at Gurudwara  langar hall.

Guru ka taal Gurudwara

Next early morning we headed to see Tajmahal. We parked our car at the parking lot and then walked around half a kilometer to reach at the entrance of Tajmahal.  Infact no vehicles were allowed beyond parking lot and from here one has the options to either walk or take a e-riksha(tuk tuk) to  reach entrance gate. You must have to buy entry tickets and then after that you will have to run through a security check point to enter this aesthetic place.

Undoubtedly Tajmahal is India’s most famous tourist attraction . It is one of the world’s seven wonder, an epitome of love and a marvelous piece of ancient architecture. It is also located on the banks of sacred Yamuna river. It was built by the one of the great Mughal sultanate emperor Shahjahan in the loving memory of his beloved wife Mumtaaz Mahal after her death. He built this monument as a symbol of love to showcase the whole world his immense love for Mumtaz. She died while giving birth to their 14^th child. (I guess it was enough for the world to know his great love for her. I mean really…14^th child… )

The majestic work of white wonder incorporates the blend of both Persian and Mughal architecture using highly and semi-precious white marbles transported   from various parts of the India.

No matter how many times   you have seen the picture of Tajmahal in books or in internet but believe me you should must have to come here in person to witness its real beauty and grandeur. Trust me no photograph can truly depicts its gloriousness or even can do 10 % of justice to this ethereal building.

My Jaws dropped and eye-lids stood still as I was awe-struck by the first glimpse of Tajmahal. It was pure white and glitters even more by the sunlight. 

First glimpse of Tajmahal

waah TAJ !

Me & jassi posing for a pic

It also gave you an illusion to become larger and larger as you went near to it. The intricate patterns and Urdu scripts written on the marble work were truly astonishing. The domed marble tomb is part of an integrated complex consisting of gardens and two red-sandstone buildings surrounded by red stone walls on three sides. Also whole mausoleum is decorated around with wonderful Mughal garden and with avenues of trees and fountains laid along the walkways to the main building. Inside the Tajmahal there were tombs of both Shahjahan and Mumtaj mahal placed besides each other. Photography is not allowed in this part.

 

one of the redstone building around Tajmahal

According to me the best time to visit Tajmahal is at early mornings as it helps you to avoid the hustle-bustle of the people and also gets you capture some wonderfull camera shots as memories. Outside the Tajmahal there were many stores where you can buy souvenirs and replicas of Tajmahal in almost every sizes. After spending nearly 2 hours there we came  back to delhi with the hangover of tajmahal still in our mind for many days. 

River Yamuna is flowing on the back

Other places to visit in agra is The Agra Fort which  is also renowned   UNESCO World Heritage site  just 2 km away from Tajmahal and an another piece of Mughal architecture Fatehpur Sikri.

Red-Fort ( captured this shot from inside the car)

Note:- Tajmahal is closed on Fridays.

Request :- Please do not litter and throw water bottles here & there. Use dustbins available at the various spots at Taj premises. Be a good Samaritan.