Is Taj Mahal Worth Visiting It? — Mark My Adventure
1. Where is Taj Mahal Located:
Taj Mahal is located on the banks of the river “Yamuna” in Agra a famous city near Delhi. Agra was also Mughal capital for some time which is why there are so many impressions of the Mughal era. The architects, paintings, cravings, etc are still keeping their history alive.
2. How To Reach Taj Mahal:
Delhi has the nearest international airport to Agra. From Delhi, there are lots of ways to travel to Agra; foremost being the trains. It only takes a maximum of 3 to 4 hours from Delhi to reach Agra. Other modes of transports are bus & cabs they might be costly but if comfort is your priority then book cabs out of the other option. However, always check the background of the cab service providers as there are many criminal activities happened in the past. Traveling via train is the easiest & also the safest mode of transport. One can book tickets from the website IRCTC.
3. Taj Mahal History:
Taj Mahal is built by Shah Jahan for his wife. Mumtaz (his wife) last wish was to build something worth remembering. So, he proposed to build one of the most beautiful architectures of his time. It took more than 20 years & 20,000 labors to complete white marble structure on the banks of river Yamuna. After completion remains of Mumtaz (shah Jahan’s wife) is kept. It is also a story that Shah Jahan cut the hands of all the labors who worked here to ensure they don’t work on a similar structure elsewhere. Taj Mahal is an engineering masterclass without a doubt considering the challenges faced during years-long expedition of building this monumental structure
4. My Experience of visiting Taj Mahal:
Taj Mahal is one of the most celebrated places in India mostly because of its worth remembering structure. It is among the wonders of the earth (at the time of writing this article). There is always a little butterfly in the stomach, before visiting any famous place. Questions like, if it will be worth it & how beautiful it would; often come into the mind. The same questions arose in my mind before reaching the place. Our driver dropped us at the gate from where you need to walk approx 1/2 Km for tickets. The garden is well maintained with a proper walkway. There is a traveler available which takes 10 Rs per seat to drop you from parking lot to entrance gate; we preferred to walk.
Once we reach the entrance it was crowded with people. There would be at least 500 people waiting for their turn & approx 100 people in the queue to buy entry tickets. We never thought it would be so painful to buy a ticket. Finally, we manage to get tickets which costs us around 250 Rs per person (for Indians) for other nationals it is pretty costly. The ticket also covers entry charges inside the Mahal. Our energy got drained while buying tickets & after security checks, we thought we are in for a ride.
There is a gate for the entry & if you are analyzing the architecture rather than clicking a selfie you can observe an optical illusion. From the entry gate, you can only see some part of Taj Mahal. However, the closer you get to the exit gate the more you can see. This engineering concept is commendable & you drown deeper into amazement considering this was build in the 17th century. There is a lot of engineering that went behind constructing this massive tower & it is pretty obvious why one will be in awe with this structure. We entered the gate & the majestic site was in front of us. A massive structure that was built to keep the remains of a person is astonishing to see. Slowly walking near the structure we witnessed its grandness & impression. The cravings & paintings are too sharp & it seemed everything was perfectly planned from edges to edges even the windows, dome, outer walls, paintings each compliment each other perfectly. However, one important factor was missing from the whole expedition.
Originally published at http://www.markmyadventure.com.
