The Story Behind the Photo: Journey to the Taj Mahal
- Feb 25
- 6 min read
The purpose of traveling to India for our group was specifically to visit the Taj Mahal. A friend wanted to be there on her birthday, and so we journeyed somewhere in the vicinity of 7300 miles (over 11,950 kilometers) to make her dream come true and to celebrate with her.
Before I went, I thought maybe I should know a little something about the place. It looks like a magnificent palace that maybe was either conquered by a neighboring country or lost to the family because it was too expensive to keep up. My imaginings were less romantic than the real story, as I would find out on my journey to the Taj Mahal.
Our journey for this travel photo starts very early in the morning. Like thousands, perhaps millions of travelers, this location is on many people's list to of famous locales to see. Combined with the fact that it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, you can bet your last Rupee that the place will always be crowded. Having tickets prior and getting an early start is the key to getting easily and to be able to see the Taj Mahal with minimum crowds.
I seriously doubt that there ever will be a time when this locale will be totally empty. Even if we were the first ones there, we would not be the only ones, as the early morning crowds proved when we arrived.
We had been using a personal tour guide for our trip to India. Several excursions were planned, usually for the whole day. We would eat breakfast early in the morning, load up in the van, have lunch outside of the hotel, and then usually be back in time for dinner (although one time he had to call to the hotel to beg them to keep the kitchen open). You know how traffic can be in parts of India: cars, buses, trucks, elephants, etc.
Our guide had us stay on the van while he secured the tickets. We had left the hotel at about 6:15 AM. We were trying to get there by sunrise. Later, I found out that people also try to visit when there are special moons and at night. Anyway, since we were visiting in late December, sunrise would be sometime between 6:45AM and 7:15AM. The hotel was less than 10 minutes away but you always have to account for traffic in India.
Now, many times we walk around without anxiety in many countries. We take the bus, the metro (or subway) or simply walk. India was a different story. Our guide herded us around like a first grade school trip everywhere we went. We were mildly amused. I mean, we're New Yorkers. We've walked around without fear, albeit with some street smarts, in neighborhoods that people have reported on the news. Surely we can walk two blocks from where the van is parked.
Wrong. The streets leading up to the Taj Mahal were already crammed with vendors, other tour groups and people asking for money. Except, the people asking for money weren't polite about it. They would literally grab your arm, pull you toward them, reaching out and touching your bag. Luckily, I had my camera in my bag, clutched to the front of me (don't carry a backpack). And we literally walked close with each other following our guide so closely that I am sure the person directly behind him pulled the back of his shoe off. I'm not sure, but we might have been holding hands so that we don't get separated. We made it to the gates, the guide had our tickets, we literally whizzed through security and then we were inside.
By this time, I had done my homework about the Taj Mahal and realized that it wasn't a place but a tomb, a mausoleum, built by Shah Jahan for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Looking at the entire structure, you would never think that this famous and magnificent building dates to 1648. It is absolutely gorgeous, magnificent and and other adjectives you can think. It does take you breath away. If you can get through the main gate to see it. The Taj Mahal is so fabulous that people literally stop right at the portal when they get there. It doesn't dawn on them that you will see a similar view if you just step through and move to the side.
Now, the main building isn't the only one you will see, either before you get through that main gate or after it. There are other outlying buildings around there, so make sure your guide gives you all of the info. The gate you walk through is part of 3 walls to the area, with the Yamuna River providing the fourth wall. The Taj Mahal itself, originally white, is still a light colored building with the rest of the architecture in red stone, contrasting with the main attraction.
So, how was the experience. First of all, I have great respect for UNESCO sites. As a traveler, it was more than a check or tick mark off my list of places to visit. Second, I respected the significance of the purpose of the Taj Mahal. We know that many wealthy people do like to display their resources in an ostentatious manner. However, this display was not to show off but to demonstrate the Shah's enormous grief. Mumtaz had died in childbirth; their 14th child. That means that the couple had been together for a long time. In a time where royalty normally married for the sake of their countries or to gain power, research shows that this was also a love match. The husband literally went into mourning for a few years, not only because it was proper and tradition, but because he was truly bereft: avoiding fabulous attire and not enjoying some of the performing arts.
Avoiding some beauty in his life for a time was obviously invested in the beauty of the mausoleum, the gardens and the grounds. The pool of water leading to the main structure inspires you to not only to look up but to look down. Is the reflection of the building meant to be significant? Some may think so. Look down, observe, reflect and then approach the tomb.
You are allowed to enter the mausoleum, where the Shah is also. But out of respect and remembering that many people consider burial grounds sacred, no photography is permitted. Neither are the soles of your outside shoes. You may take your shoes off or use shoe covers. This is probably not only to observe the custom but also to preserve the floor. After all, as of this writing, we are talking about a structure that is almost 380 years old.
This brings me to my appreciation for the entire property: the view of the river from the back of the tomb, the two outlying buildings, the beauty of the majestic mausoleum and the entire grounds. You could literally sit there for hours and try to. meditate in the peacefulness if it doesn't get too crowded. There are reminders to respect the sanctity of the grounds, so it didn't get very noisy. And it is not a park, so no one was running around, playing, eating, etc. But if you want solitude, the later it gets, the more that many people will be around.
Allow yourself at least two hours. You will want to explore everything that you can: if this is an area of the world that is not very close, this may be a once in a lifetime experience. Sit on one of the benches and allow the atmosphere to give you a mindfulness moment. You will need it.
It was time to leave. Once again, the chaos of the world outside contrasted with the peacefulness in the Taj Mahal that it was jarring. I remembered to put my camera away, to duck my head, not make eye contact, not to respond and to move quickly as we proceeded back to the van. Walking that day was not an experience that I want to repeat and I do not want to gloat that I survived it, meaning I could go anywhere now and be jaded about it.
But would I journey to the Taj Mahal again? Yeah, I think I could stand that.
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