As many of you know, our travel goal is to see the New 7 Wonders of the World, and our visit to the Taj Mahal checked off number four.
{We have previously visited The Great Wall of China, Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, and The Roman Colosseum. We (fingers crossed) are scheduled to visit Machu Picchu in Peru this coming fall.}
We wish we could travel more, but we need to work to travel, and we only have so many vacation days. We were extremely fortunate to get to see this remarkable structure considering that toward the end of our trip, we heard that India had closed all national monuments; we got in just in time. We felt terrible for all of the people who planned this vacation just to see the Taj Mahal (we did, among other things) and can’t imagine the disappointment.
About the Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal sits on a 42-acre property situated next to the Yamuna River. The ivory-white marble mausoleum was built for the wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. This magnificent building was to be her final resting place and later became the tomb for the Shah. Construction began in 1632 and was officially completed in 1653.
The main entrance (Darwaza) is a beautiful structure that was built primarily of marble. The interior of this building is very crowded due to the iconic picture everyone wants to get, a shot of the Taj Mahal through the interior arches.
And here are the two classic shots everyone wants to get:
And looking out from the Taj Mahal is the garden path back to the entrance.
We were pleasantly surprised by the crowds. We have heard stories and have seen pictures of wall-to-wall people. We never found it crowded other than the iconic photo spots and it felt peaceful walking the site.
It is a lot of walking for anyone with mobility issues, but there were plenty of places to stop, take a break, and get to look at the awesome wonder in front of you.
Incredible Marble Artistry
Here are a few closeups of some of the marble work throughout the mausoleum.
The Women of India
We love to capture pictures of day to day people when we travel. Sometimes their faces can reveal a lot of life experiences. One of the things that really added to the day was the colorful and vibrant colors of the saris the women wore.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Here are some pictures of the architecture and gardens in this world-renowned site.
This was an amazing day, and we are very thankful we can travel and have the opportunity to fulfill a dream. We could have spent a few more hours to really explore the grounds, but we only had a short time, so we got in what we could. To really take it all in, I would allow for 3 hours inside. But what we saw was worth the wait.
Will we see the Tiger King in Ranthambore, only time will tell.
Travel Tips:
Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of tips on avoiding the crowds. Go early and allow more time than you think you need are about the only tips here. We were fortunate that with the growing concerns of COVID 19, there were very few crowds.
For Senior Travelers, there are not a lot of steps to climb, and plenty of places to sit with some shaded areas around the parameter. Take some water and pack your patience.