Well I promised I would write about it, but I am not sure I can. It is magical, it is regal, it is elegant, and oh by the way, did I mention it is magical.
There are no words, and also, pictures do not do it justice. It isn’t real, you feel that it is a mirage that will fly away laughing at you the whole way.
You enter through a beautiful red sandstone and white marble pre-building I will call it for the lack of a better word. When you come through the three story tall archway there she is, enticing you, bringing tears to your eyes, making you sure you have stepped into a fairy land that just can’t possibly be real.
The closer you walk the grander and more elegant she becomes, and then you notice she is jeweled. Why didn’t you notice the white goddess in front of you was jeweled so magnificently? Why didn’t her exquisitely carved jewels not yell here I am like some garish princess? No she is far more elegant, she doesn’t need for her jewels to speak of her regal standing or her beauty, they are beyond compare, the jewelry is just something she threw on, because she was sure her husband would like it, after all he paid for it.
Her ivory dress is covered with pierced carved ivory windows to let the sunshine in. At her entry she is covered with inlaid stones creating pictures of flowers, and birds and dancing geometric patterns. These stones, lapis lazuli, malachite, mother of pearl, turquoise, and carnelian, all come together to make a painting that you simple stand gaping at. Then, in black marble the Koranic verses thrown around like a gentle shawl placed with loving hands.
Well that was my first impression. That was last evening. We did not go inside that evening, I simply walked around and enjoyed. Also the crowds at night are unbelievable, so just drinking in the majesty was enough.
We were up before the sun this morning. The Taj is open from sunrise to sunset, and sunrise was 7:36 so we were in line before that. Wow, my awe and wonder has not diminished, there still are not words, and then…we went inside. My mouth dropped open and I couldn’t speak. A symbolic tomb sits in the center of the rotunda. According to Islamic tradition, tombs are buried at least 7 feet under ground. The tomb is surrounded by a marble screen, again, inlaid with the precious stones in patterns of flowers, birds and geometric shapes. I just sat there blubbering, there just aren’t words.
So THAT was our Taj Mahal experience. Today was filled with a lot more, and I will write about that soon, I promise, but for now I hope I haven’t bored you with words that simply say, I just don’t have the words.
