Agra: In the Tomb of the Taj Mahal

(Continued from Agra: East and West of the Taj Mahal)

Featured Photo: “Taj Mahal in the Charbagh, with Orange Blooms”  Agra, India—2011

I had saved the revelation of the magnificent Taj Mahal’s humble purpose until now: I was ready to enter the tomb of Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Approaching the high marble plinth upon which the Taj sits, I began to pay attention to the mausoleum’s fine details, more easily observed from this closer vantage point. Obviously, the building’s immense size was even more apparent. The people near the entrance still looked inconsequential.

But the exceptional beauty of the surrounding decorations came into focus: the floral patterns above the arch…

…and beside the doorway, which included both carvings and inlay…

…made from jade, coral, agate, and other precious gemstones.

I also noticed the beautiful calligraphy panels framing the tomb’s archway, with inscriptions from the Koran picked out in black marble.

The script was carefully increased in size from the lower to the higher panels to compensate for the distortion of perspective, meaning the text is perfectly balanced so that each letter appears to be the same size when viewed from the ground.

Finally, I passed under the main archway on the south side of the crypt…

…and through the door to enter the hushed interior space of the tomb, dark except for the filtered daylight streaming in from outside.

There, behind an exquisitely carved marble screen, decorated with precious stones…

… at the very center of the tomb—perfectly aligned with the doorway—lay the marble cenotaph of the cherished Mumtaz Mahal. The sumptuous stone inlay work was illuminated by a single dim lantern.

Somewhat larger and set upon a higher pedestal, the cenotaph of Shah Jahan himself was crammed in next to hers; its off-center placement seeming to confirm that his presence in the tomb had been merely an afterthought.

I recalled from my travel books that these cenotaphs—in accordance with Mughal tradition—were only representations of the real coffins, which lay in the same positions in a crypt below. I lingered a while taking in the quiet calm of the interior space…

…and noticed the atmospheric play of light and shadows inside, and the red sandstone jawab that lay beyond.

I then exited through the north doorway…

…and turned around to capture the same image outside that I had just photographed from inside.

Just beyond the exit lay the Yamuna River, which the Taj Mahal overlooks. I descended from the high plinth to the lower pedestal and looked out over the river, toward the hazy east, where I observed two men with a boat beyond the barbed-wire barrier.

I then looked toward the west, with a view of the Taj, its plinth, and the mosque farther along.

I walked on the platform beside the river, eventually finding my way to the northwest corner near the mosque. In the distance, beyond the riverbend, lay the red sandstone and white marble Agra Fort, which was also on my itinerary for the day.

I realized it was time to take my leave of the Taj Mahal, but still found it hard to tear myself away from taking pictures. I walked past the mosque, past the minarets, and back around to the south side entrance to the tomb. I took a photo showing the full length of the pathway, back toward the raised platform with the Lotus Pool, and beyond that, the Great Gate.

Before descending the steps near the mosque, I removed my shoe coverings, now tattered and torn from walking on the platform surfaces, which had been worn rough by the passage of three-and-a-half centuries. I worked my way back through the charbagh—the garden setting for the Taj Mahal—at one point stopping, struck by the beauty of what I saw.

I took a step and reframed the view to capture one of my favorite images from my visit—today’s Featured Photo—a picture that seemed to truly capture how it felt to be there, in that moment, with the solid, eternal Taj Mahal partially screened by the fragile, fleeting flora: jade-green leaves and sunburst-orange flowers in bloom.

I continued to walk and when I reached the central Lotus Pool again, I noted the waterway fountains had been turned on.

This provided a lovely new view of the Taj but also disrupted the wonderful reflections I’d seen before on the glassy-smooth surface of the water.

I went around to the other side of the Lotus Pool and again saw splashes of color: women in beautiful saris scattered around the platform.

Venturing back into the garden—and despite the calm of the surrounding bushes and trees—it was clear there’d been a marked increase in the number of visitors, along with the accompanying bustle, since I’d first arrived.

I continued on to the Great Gate, and before leaving, turned back for one last shot of the incredible Taj Mahal…

…then passed under the red sandstone Darwaza-i-Rauza, through the lush Chowk-i-Jilo Khana, and along the street, past the restaurants and marble shops, to the parking lot near the ticket office. I spotted the van and after I climbed back in, my driver asked how my visit had been. I responded with as many superlatives as I could conjure. He smiled and said, “I expected as much.”

He told me that while I was gone, he’d eaten the sandwich he bought at the dhaba on our journey down to Agra and asked if I was hungry. I realized I was, my own meager breakfast back in Delhi having been so long ago. He said he knew a hotel nearby that had a good buffet and we drove off in that direction.

After lunch, I planned to see the magnificent Agra Fort, with its own connection to Shah Jahan and the Taj Mahal…and its own heartbreaking history of love, tragedy, and betrayal.

(To be continued…)