AGRA – THE TAJ MAHAL
Both of us were so tired of people having said to us, “you went all the way to India and you’re didn’t see the Taj Mahal?” So this time we planned our whole trip around the visit to the Taj and today was the day!
The Taj Mahal, framed by the East Gate
You know all those pictures of the exquisite structure? It is even more beautiful than we imagined. And add to that the romantic story of the Shahjahan and his great love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who bore him 14 children, who was highly intelligent and valued for her wisdom and beautiful. She died in childbirth, in the battlefield with her husband and he pledged to build this monument as her mausoleum.
It took 2 years of planning and 22 years of construction to build. They brought the marble from 340 kilometers away on camel carts. The extremely hard marble was carved with chisels and inlaid with semi-precious stones from around the world, glued in place with a secret formula. Almost 400 years later, the stones are still perfectly in place.
May our pictures inspire you to come to India!
The Eastern Gate
Interior Dome of the Eastern Gate
Close up of the inlaid marble on the Eastern Gate
Here we are, in our newly made Indian finery
In order to enter the Taj itself, you slip these on over your shoes, or go barefoot!
Taj exterior dome
Flowers carved into the marble
Semi-precious stones inlaid into the marble
14 Chapters of the Koran are written on the building, one for each of their children
We close with an artsy photo, shot by Wahid our guide, the Taj reflected in Peggi's sunglasses!
A FEW MORE OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE INDIAN ROADS, shot in Agra
Lisa shooting the bull
The whole herd strolling down the street at 11 am
Meet Raj, our trusty driver! 
While waiting for Lisa at the bank, Peggi shot the monkey who walked right by her!
