Visiting the Taj Mahal

On saturday, some colleagues and I made the five-hour drive from Delhi to Agra on Saturday to visit the Taj Mahal.

First things first, the Taj Mahal is magnificent. The purity of the structure is honestly breathtaking, and the complex offers a bunch of surprises. You first encounter the white mausoleum after walking through a narrow passage. Once through, BAM! You're hit by the imposing structure and the beauty of the gardens. Everything is symmetrical. The details are surprising.



From Wikipedia:

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648.

The Taj Mahal is generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures.

One other thing you notice in making the trip to the Taj is how truly dysfunctional the road and tourist infrastructure is in India. Getting from the outskirts of Agra to the Taj is harrowing, and somehow the Taj-- the icon of India to western tourists-- is accessed by a narrow road with obstacles and confusion. For the first time, I came to appreciate how useful developed tourist infrastructure is (Fisherman's Wharf, where I come?). Overloaded and neglected infrastructure is everywhere to be seen in India, and it will temper economic growth until Government can address it.