Romance is alive… in Agra

Well, maybe it’s dead, seeing as the Taj Mahal is actually a tomb that the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, built by for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

“I’m too tired to see the Taj Mahal” were Ismael’s first words this morning. Unsurprising, seeing as we had to wake up at some ungodly hour to get the 6am train from Delhi to Agra. But, despite the tiredness, I was especially eager to see this eternal symbol of love; partially because I only found out about a month ago, while looking through my parents’ old photographs of a visit to India: I have never been to the Taj Mahal! Although most of you will think that’s completely normal, I’ve spent my whole life thinking that my (Indian) parents took me when I was younger. Apparently, the baby in the photograph is my older brother.

So, as we got closer to the entrance of India’s most famous mausoleum, the excitement slowly started to build... as did my fear of disappointment. I was worried about getting those feelings of indifference that often come when you first see something you’ve already seen in photographs countless times.

Well, I can assure you that the hype surrounding the Taj Mahal is truly justifed.

It. Is. Breathtakingly. Beautiful.

There are honestly no words to describe how incredibly stunning it is. We sat on a stone bench facing the enormous, white marble wonder and spent about three or four hours completely mesmerised, just taking it all in. We took about 120 photographs that will never do it justice. And neither will the 271 words I have already written, so I’ll sign off and let you look at countless photographs of India's jewel, so that you too will worry about being disappointed when you finally go to see it in person, only to realise that it is, in fact, breathtakingly beautiful.

Guess what I found out in Agra?

1. The Mughal emperor’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, gave her husband, Shah Jahan, 14 children; she died during the birth of their fourteenth child. The emperor is also buried in a tomb alongside his wife, inside the Taj Mahal.

2. Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials during the 21 year construction of the Taj Mahal (1631 - 1652).

3. Shah Jahan wrote about the Taj Mahal:

Should guilty seek asylum here,

Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.

Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,

All his past sins are to be washed away.

The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;

And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.

In this world this edifice has been made;

To display thereby the creator's glory.