The Taj Mahal...If You're Into That Kind of Thing

Dawn over the Indian countryside seen from the train

The two coolest people in India

Ah, the Taj Mahal. Not unlike how the Eiffel Tower has become the (undesired) image of Paris, so has this monument secured itself as the image that the world has of India. Visiting it, I wasn't sure if my excitement rested in the knowledge that I was actually seeing the Taj and, therefore, crossing that monumental image off my bucket list - or if it stemmed from an actual desire to, well, see the Taj. It likely doesn't matter. Whether my breath was taken away because I expected it to be, or because I was overwhelmed by the immensity of the tomb itself, I was still impacted by my visit. The gleaming white marble, the pleasing symmetry, the precious-stone inlays - the way that the tomb promised quiet in its very nature, despite the deafening noise that came from the overwhelming crowds surrounding it. The nature of the people themselves - from oddly-dressed tourists to traditional Indian families, everyone seemed awed by the same thing.

The Yamuna River, as seen from above

Leaving the tomb, Geeti and I sat on the preciously cool marble and gazed out at the Yamuna River that skirts behind the complex. The river, the largest tributary to the sacred Ganga, weaves slowly and heavily below the large marble terrace of the Taj Mahal. On its banks, across from the complex, sits the ruined foundation of the second Taj Mahal, the uncompleted sister tomb meant to house its creator. To the right, the mighty, red walls of the old Agra Fort can be seen. A boat made its way slowly across the river and I watched its progress from above, the Taj behind me, a permanent observer of the river and all her changes. Where she had once been mighty and clean, the Yamuna has borne her own struggles - not from age or rust or neglect - but from steady and increasing pollution, exploitation and overuse. I have read about the plight of the river systems in India for years. Seeing it up close,  at the base of one of the most famous sites in the world, stirred in me a sadness I wasn't quite prepared for.

We visited the Agra Fort and explored its maze of interior palaces and complexes, terraces and hidden stair wells. No where near as properly preserved as the Taj Mahal, the deterioration of its once vibrant frescos and tile work added its own beauty and magic to the expansion of rooms and vaulted ceilings. We spent two happy hours there, marveling at a relic of ancient India surrounded by a modern city and hugged by a timeless, yet ever-changed river.

Fort Entrance - see the old, blue tiles?

As Geeti and I watched the sunset over the passing fields and villages as our train made its way southbound - to home -  I was reminded of what Diana Eck said about India: that India must be seen to be known. One can see all of life, death and suffering in the same glimpse in this country. It is overwhelming and intriguing, repulsive and beautiful in the same breath. But, its India. And, yesterday, I got to experience just a little more.