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My Passage to India: The Road to Agra
December 14, 2007

The one place that I wanted to see while I was in India was the Taj Mahal. After all, if I’d come all this way, I couldn’t not visit one of the wonders of the modern world.

Freight-hauling camel cart shares road to Agra with trucks, cars and motorbikes

The Taj Mahal is located in the city of Agra, which is also known for its fine marble and handmade rug crafts, as well as its fine jewelry. Agra is about four hours south of Delhi, so I was up and out very early; my tour driver picked me up at my hotel a 6 a.m. The roads area very different at that time of day. With very little traffic to contend with, we were out of Delhi in time. It was nice to get out of the city to see a bit of the countryside along the way. What was really striking was how the extremes of opposites co-exist side-by side: a billboard promoting a tech company Microtec out in front of a hut constructed out of twigs and grass; a camel-drawn cart hauling goods alongside of a large truck. There was even a bright brand new McDonald’s restaurant that looked very out of place in the dusty, drab landscape. The road gradually became more congested with the same odd mix of vehicles — bicycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks, and all manner of rickshaws and animal-drawn carts — that had populated the city streets in Delhi. By the time we reached Agra, the day was in full swing with people going about their daily business.

Me at the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is more beautiful than anyone can imagine. It doesn’t matter how many photographs you have seen of it or how many descriptions you have read or heard, the Taj Mahal has to be experienced personally. It is just breath-taking. My first glimpse of it stopped me dead in my tracks in awe and wonder. The architecture itself is so striking, but add to that all the decorative elements that enhance it — the relief work, the intricate carved patterns, the Pietra Dura inlays —

Some of the beautiful Pietra Dura inlays (semi-precious stone inlaid into the marble) and carved relief work.

as well as the landscaping around it, and you’ve got a true marvel. There really are few words that can do it justice. As I said, you have to experience it personally. The only thing that took me back a little bit, was the din from all the visitors. And the place was mobbed! But there is no way that one small thing can interfere with the appreciation of the place.

The one thing that a visitor here has to be very careful of is dehydration. The sun and its heat radiates off of the gleaming marble façade. And you have to walk a bit of a distance from the front gates through the grounds to the actual tomb itself.

Many descendants of the marble craftsmen who built the Taj Mahal, live in and around Agra and continue to practice the art that has been passed down through the generations. I was treated to a visit to a shop where I was able to see some of the artists at work and, of course, purchase some of their exquisite products.

My visit to India was an amazing adventure and I consider myself very fortunate that I was able to go and see a small fraction a country so very different from my own. It was not without its inconveniences, but the end experience far outweighs “sweating the small stuff.”

 

Posted by Caroline Kennedy on December 14, 2007 | Comments (1)