THE TAJ MAHAL | INDIA | HISTORY| WONDERS OF THE WORLD

A Trip of a Lifetime With My Children

Meeting family — visiting historical sites and tasting the best food — part four — The Taj Mahal experience

Our heartbeats were aligned. Our eyes were wonderstruck. Our brains were stunned. Our souls were bedazzled by the sheer opulence.

Whatever adjectives I had used to describe the Taj were insufficient. Whatever narratives I had woven to impress them were insignificant. Whatever expectations AZ of the mausoleum were shattered. Something spectacular happened to us at the Taj-the best view in the world.

We were walking with bemused smiles. We were noticing the details with unprecedented energy. We were creating memories of the marble masterpiece one click at a time. AZ acknowledged that the first view of the Taj would occupy a pivotal place in their hearts.

The anticipation of tomorrow made me giddy with excitement leading to restless sleep. Still, I woke up fresh to get ready to catch the Gaatimaan Express from the Nizamuddin Railway Station (New Delhi).

All of us dressed in our best travel-friendly clothes. We had called our cab one hour earlier so that we could reach the railway station on time and not get stuck in the traffic.

The 100-minute train ride in the executive class to Agra[1] was an experience in itself. We were welcomed onboard by fresh roses and bottled water. Then the breakfast started arriving cereal, fruit, jam, omelet, potato paratha, tea, and coffee.

We ate throughout our journey and got down with some left-over snacks. Our guide was waiting for us to take us to the hotel for check-in. Baba had booked a room for us in the Sheraton Four Point Hotel.

Taj Mahal attracts millions of tourists from every corner of the globe, making it the most congested place. However, E-rickshaws are an ingenious way to control pollution as well as congestion. We took the E-rickshaw to reach the southern entrance of the Taj.

And then we’re finally at the gates of the Taj. Standing in front of the main entrance gate, a magnificent 93 feet-red sandstone structure with marvellous semi-precious stone and marble inlay work felt surreal. The top of the gate has 22 domes between the two high columns depicting the years of the completion of the Taj complex.

We took a picture at the entrance of the Taj before entering the complex. I was elated beyond words here:

We were so overwhelmed by the magnificence of the Taj that all three of us stood in silence, taking in the beauty of the Taj Mahal. What could one say after seeing the most beautiful and iconic structure?

I vividly remember my first-ever view of the Taj Mahal decades years ago when I was just a teenager and went to Agra on a class trip from Aligarh. I fell in love with the view of that day.

We just stood at this point, breathless, staring at the view for several minutes. Our guide took us around the complex and clicked some pics:

Million thanks to the Universe for allowing us to see it as a family. I had seen the monument a few times before as a student, but the experience of visiting the Taj with AZ was one of my life’s best experiences.

I always wanted them to see all the historical places and love them as much as I do. They did not disappoint me by reacting to the beauty of the Mausoleum as I wanted them to, or I should say they surpassed my expectations. Maybe, the children of historians are genetically wired to love history and historical monuments; who knew?

We just walked around the building, taking in all the grandeur and glory.

View of the western entrance of the Taj:

View of the eastern entrance of the Taj:

There were some iconic pictures of AZ in the complex, as well.

The first one where the Taj is forever captured in the eyes of A:

Z was not going to miss the chance of not take Taj’s view in her eyes and its reflection in her sunglasses:

It was very crowded with foreign and Indian tourists, and I wish we had spent more time there, but we had to get out as our guide was keeping us on a clock to visit other monuments, too. Our picture of bidding goodbye to the Taj is the most memorable memory ever.

The ethereal experience of visiting the Taj Mahal on December 12, 2017, was the best day of my life (seriously) because it went as I had planned without any stress.

To be continued:

© Fatima Imam (All Rights Reserved)

Sincere thanks to Denise Larkin for giving a comfortable spot in her publication. ❤️❤️

[1] Agra city is one of the busiest and most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh. About 58 km from New Delhi it annually attracts 7 to 8 million tourists who trot through its lanes to pay a visit to the most iconic buildings in the world, a UNESCO heritage site and the New Seven Wonders of the world-the Taj Mahal. The city lies in the Braj cultural region being continuously inhabited from ancient times. However, Agra became the capital city of the medieval dynasties — Lodis from 1488–1517) and the Mughals from 1556–1648. The fifth Mughal ruler Shahjahan decided to move the capital to the newly built city of Shahjahanabad (old Delhi) in 1648. But not before making extensive restorations, renovations, and embellishments to the existing structures, forts, palaces, and roads. The overcrowding of the city was one of the reasons cited by the chroniclers for the shift. Agra never lost its prominence due to its complex commercial infrastructure and legendary buildings. The ambitious project of Shahjahan that he built in memory of his late wife Mumtaz Mahal which the world came to know as the white marble wonder changed the fortunes of Agra forever.

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