the greatest declaration of love, ever: the taj mahal

today i have lived a full life, as i have finally visited the majestic taj mahal. words cannot describe nor justify how spectacular and powerful it is.

when you realize that the entire structure was made out of the love that shah jahan had for his wife mumtaz, you can only choke on air. it is the tomb that shah jahan built for his wife upon her death, and took 22 years to complete. today they both lie there, and it has become the most recognized building in the world, one of the seven wonders.

...and they say muslim men don't treat their wives well!!

it is just amazing, and even the photos cannot do it justice. when you are there, the whole place glows, reflecting sunlight off of the marble and the stones. and today was an amazing day! the past week was clouded over with fog. i almost didn't arrive on thursday, and when i got here late because of the fog, i was stuck having to wait for today to see the taj. and last night i laid awake, feeling so anxious that i had finally fulfilled my dream of coming to india to see it, but i was so upset that it was going to be consumed by fog, and not visible in photos (like yesterday's sights). but that luck i've been having carried with me today, and not only did the skies open without a cloud and sunshine, but it was warm today!!! this was truly a gift.

i took the daunting challenge of walking there this morning, instead of taking a taxi, and when i finally reached the great gate and saw those white marble domes peaking through, i was laughing like a school girl. the whole taj mahal is designed to look like the heaven that is described in the quaran. (it is a tomb after all) and on the great gate through which you enter, is the inscription of the al-fajr, a prayer from the quaran, which says,

"O Soul that art at rest. Return to the Lord, at peace with Him and He at peace with you. So enter as one of His servants and enter into His garden."

And then you enter, right through plush gardens and fountains of rivers leading up to the mausoleum.












i think i took 100 pictures of this alone. this was the first time in my entire stay at agra, that i felt at peace. i sat beside the taj for hours, staring, thinking, reading, writing. it was magical.

then before heading back to my hostel, and since i'm taking the train to jaipur tonight, i did what all other tourists do: i had lunch at pizza hut!! and got some of these action shots from the back of a tuk tuk. check them out.