Agra and the Taj

Onto Agra and the amazingly beautiful Taj Mahal. The Mughal Emperor Shāh Jahān commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1648. Once construction was completed the Emperor was told that it would take 6 more months to clear the construction materials (scaffolding, etc) away from the site. This was not acceptable. So a very bright woman told the Emperor that he should announce to the common people that there is free construction material available and miraculously the site was completely cleared within 2 weeks! Ingenious and a great political move.

No photograph can do justice to the beauty that is the Taj. Once you get up close you see the incredible detail work. Precious and semi-precious stones are inlaid into the white marble creating very colorful motifs.

We are staying at The Oberoi which overlooks the Taj Mahal - literally we have an uninterrupted view of the monument of love and devotion! George has decided to build a similar monument to Donna but unfortunately she has to have about 12 more children and then die so i am not encouraging this to happen. Anyway, Agra is beautiful - or at least The Oberoi hotel and the Taj Mahal are beautiful. There is actually no civic pride in Agra and the city is very dirty and poorly maintained. Given that this is the number one tourist attraction in India and maybe even the world, they are not making too much of an effort to improve roadways, public transport, waste management and other important infrastructure.