In 2013 we visited India. It was one of our most amazing holidays (so far). There were experiences that will stay with us forever, and which we still regularly talk about. Seeing the Taj Mahal was one of these.
If you’ve read the ‘About Us’ page, you’ll recall we prefer to travel independently. However, the exceptions to this approach have been Egypt and Jordan, Turkey and our visit to India. We wanted to maximise our time in these countries, and felt like we would benefit from travelling with someone who knows these countries and has established connections.
An Amazing Hotel Stay in Agra
The Taj Mahal is located in the city of Agra. Our tour group was staying at an amazing hotel – the Oberoi Amarvilas. We would definitely recommend this hotel, staying here was an experience in itself!
This hotel is located very close to the Taj Mahal, and in the lead up to the trip we were delighted to know that we would actually be able to see the Taj Mahal from our room. Of course, the first thing we did on entering our room was drop whatever we were holding and rush out to the room’s balcony. Unfortunately for us, we’d arrived after dark and couldn’t see any of the Taj Mahal. On waking the next morning, we excitedly headed out to the balcony again and there was the Taj Mahal! Though it was quite hazy, but there it was. We were visiting the Taj Mahal that morning.
The Surrounds
Electric vans took us from the hotel to the Taj Mahal’s grounds. Outside the grounds, in addition to the local cows, there are lots of shops and market style stalls selling all sorts of things, including cheap souvenirs. Don’t hope for quality here! I wanted a cheap mini Taj Mahal for my desk at work so picked one up after our visit. Hubby had to glue the minarets back on when we got home (haha!), but it met the need.
First Glimpse (for us and hundreds more!)
The first glimpse of the Taj Mahal through the stone archways as we entered the grounds was exactly the magic we’d hoped to experience. It was still hazy that morning, but it did lift a little over the time we were there.
As you’d expect there were crowds. Crowds of people all trying to take the perfect shot. A shot that captures the feeling you have laying eyes on the amazing white marble structure. A shot that does the experience some justice. Including us!
Exploring in More Detail
As the sun rose further, and the haze lifted a little, the colour of the Taj Mahal appeared to change, becoming warmer. The marble looked so smooth, and is beautifully decorated with coloured marble flowers, calligraphy and other decorative motifs. It really is awe inspiring to see!
My pre-reading for the trip had told us that the minarets (the four pillars around the structure) are actually constructed to lean ever so slightly away from the main building. This is so that in the event of an earthquake, they are more likely to topple away from the domed building and prevent additional damage. Quite an amazing consideration.
Once we’d viewed the Taj Mahal from the gardens, we made our way to the entrance of the visitor accessible areas of the structure itself. You get in line, and are given shoe covers to put on to protect the marble you are walking across upon which the Taj Mahal sits. There are what appears to be tombs inside, but these are decorative and the real ones are below, and inaccessible. Being able to see the workmanship involved in the coloured marble inlays decorating inside and out was very impressive.
Something to Note
One thing to bear in mind is that there are a number of things you are NOT allowed to take into the Taj Mahal’s grounds. These are listed on the official website: https://www.tajmahal.gov.in/dos-and-donts.aspx. What isn’t mentioned, but was also not allowed when we visited, is stuffed animals and other toys.
There is a rigorous security check to pass through to enter the grounds and we had a stuffed toy bat in our camera bag. This bat has travelled on many trips with us and we have a tradition of taking its photo in front of iconic places. This is considered disrespectful in some locations, including the Taj Mahal, which is afterall a mausoleum.
We had the bat with us the day of our visit and it was confiscated by Security. Fortunately for us we were able to organise for a team member from our local tour guide’s business to hold it for us outside until we could be reunited with it after the visit. We are more careful about this now whenever we travel having experienced the fear of losing this bat (to which we have become emotionally attached).
If we have the chance, we would definitely visit the Taj Mahal again. Preferably not as part of a tour next time, so we can have more time to explore and admire it at different times of the day. If you are unsure about visiting Agra just to see the Taj Mahal, we’d encourage you not to skip it, but to leave your favourite toy behind.
2 comments
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Thank you, we are very pleased you enjoyed them.