Agra and the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is absolutely beautiful and pictures do not do it justice. Jon and I went back to see it at sunset because we were so impressed. We sat for about an hour just looking at it. Seeing this building made me think that the hardships of travelling here were worth it. The marble is beautiful and it changes with the light. I guess it is magnificent to view during a full moon but no such luck for us. It is decorated inside and out with Islamic and flower motifs using precious gems.  Shah Jahan was the Mughal emperor who built the Taj for his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahal, as a symbol of his love. She died giving birth to their 14th child so I guess it was the least he could do. Both are buried inside the Taj.

The other site we visited in Agra was the Agra Fort. Most of the pictures I took at the fort were of the view of the Taj Mahal. I kept looking for spots to view it from while in the fort. Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son in the fort and he had a view of the Taj during the last years of his life. There are many things in this fort that are similar to the Taj and it is easy to see the influence of Shah Jahan, one of the rulers during the building of the Agra Fort, in the design. This was probably the most beautiful fort we visited.