The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum for the wife of Shah Jahan and it took over twenty years to build it. The story even goes that workers’ hands were cut off when the Taj was finished in order to make it impossible for them to construct a second Taj.
The entrance to the monument is already impressive and the building itself will become even more impressive when you’re walking towards it. First, it’s the symmetry, then it’s the reflection in the pond, after that the way the sun shines on it and then the actual threading of the steps. The white marble is ornamented with precious, semi-precious stones and texts. From the Taj, you can have an overview of the river.
The Agra Fort accross the river is also a very impressive structure. It was built by the same Moghul rulers who built the Taj. Some people say that the Shaj Jahan's son, involved in some serious trouble with his father, took his father away from the Taj and locked him in teh octagonal tower with a view on the Taj. In this way, he could at least prevent his father from becoming even more famous. Sjah Jahan had the intention of building a second Taj in black marble just on the other site of the river in order to construct the perfect symmetrical picture (and his own mausoleum of course).
Most people visit Agra on a daytrip from Delhi. But the city is well worth an overnight stay. If you are traveling from Delhi to Varanasi it is an ideal place to spend the night.
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