Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Valentine's Day at the Taj Mahal

For Valentine's Day, I took my blushing bride to the Taj Mahal, widely known as the most beautiful and romantic building in the world. Top that, husbands everywhere!
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum, built by Shah Jahan in the mid 1600s, as a final resting place and memorial to his 3rd wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Even the entrance  to the grounds (first picture) is pretty impressive. However, the white marble mausoleum itself is magnificent. All of the flowers and calligraphy decorating it are inlaid stones and jewels. It took 20,000 workers 8 years to build the main mausoleum and another 12 years to finish the surrounding buildings, gardens and walls.
We got there about 7:30 am and toured the whole complex for a couple of hours. Then, since it was such a nice sunny day and the grounds are a beautiful oasis in otherwise grimy Agra, we sat on a bench and just enjoyed it until after noon.













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