The Taj Mahal

One thing about visiting Delhi and Agra in the midst of summer is that you'll get burnt and baked enough to look ready to be served on a plate! The day that we set out to visit the mausoleum dawned no better! A hot and sticky day, the cool confines of the bus we travelled in provided the only respite from the relentless sun. However, the magnificence of the Taj Mahal seemed to glow even more brightly in the exaggerated sunlight! Gleaming almost white marble domes, tall, looming pillars and the intricate work on the whole structure, made it well worth battling the heat! No shoes are allowed inside the precincts of the mausoleum and it's a wonder the socks I wore that day have no holes in them, what with the marble adding to the furnace effect! It's a wonderful quality that marble has; move into a shaded area and it becomes as cool as a water body, while under the glaring sun, it can, with time, most certainly roast you like a well made dish!

The Taj Mahal overlooks the Yamuna, which, sadly at this time of the year, lacks the amount of water necessary to deserve being called a river! Nevertheless, sitting on the cold marble floor of the palace, with the breeze rippling through your hair and the Yamuna gently flowing behind you, holds a serenity that not many places can produce! The inside of the mausoleum, of course, houses the tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, but that was not what enchanted me. What enthralled me was that the structure, in itself, was indeed a spectacle, if ever there was one!