I normally don’t go to a destination specifically to see the main attraction, most of the time I’m rather content to just wander around and discover street food and explore instead of chasing the famous sites. But Agra, India, was a little different, and we visited with the main intent of going to see the famous Taj Mahal – one of the most recognized man made structures in the world.
When we arrive to Agra, we checked into Hotel Taj Plaza, which wasn’t the overly nicest hotel I’ve stayed at, but it was the right price and it was just a 5 minute walk from the Taj Mahal. After putting our bags down we headed to the ticket counter which is actually not located at the Taj Mahal, but about 1 kilometer down the street. There you purchase your ticket and then can take a free shuttle to the entrance of the Taj Mahal.
One thing that got me a bit annoyed was that the security wouldn’t allow me to bring in my microphone into the Taj Mahal, so unfortunately the sound quality of this video is not very good, sorry about that, and hope you can hear everything.
Some say that the Taj Mahal (ताज महल) is overrated and that they were not overly impressed when they saw it in real life. But I’m here to tell you that it was quite amazing and despite all the crowds of people, the building was majestic.
The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum that was built during the Indian Mughal Islamic empire by Shah Jahan in memory of one of his wives. Since it was built for one of his beloved wives, that is the reason why the Taj Mahal (ताज महल) is often considered a symbol of love. Having seen so many photos in my life of the Taj Mahal, it was almost as if I had been there already when I got my first glimpse, but being there in person is much more breathtaking. Walking around the gardens offers numbers chances to see the structure from different angles and to admire the incredible craftsmanship and symmetric architecture. After walking around the gardens we then proceeded on to the main deck where you must put the shoe coverings over your shoes and can then walk on the white marble surface. You can go inside the mausoleum to see the tombs, but they didn’t allow any photography inside, so no footage there.
After spending a few hours at the Taj Mahal, I headed out the East Gate and stopped at a rather expensive restaurant known as Relax He Relax. Though the prices were pretty expensive, after visiting the luxurious Taj Mahal, I was ready for something upscale. The Muglai northern Indian food was quite excellent!
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