The Taj Mahal - A Symbol of Love Eternal

If there was one person in history who got "love" right, it had to be no other the 17th century Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan.  In 1631, he built the ultimate symbol of love known to man - the monument dedicated to his beloved wife, the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, a five-hour drive from the Indian capital of New Delhi.  We made our way to the town in the early morning and got a view of the Indian countryside.  The building itself was a tease, its outside fort made it impossible to see the building from the outside.  The closer we got to it, the more excited I was to see it.

Sunrise in Agra

The sights around the Taj Mahal complex

We entered through the South Gate

The grounds in of the Taj Mahal complex

One more gate before seeing India's jewel

At it was a sight to behold the moment we walked into the main grounds.  Built entirely out of white marble with in-laid semi precious stones, the building of the Taj Mahal employed thousands of laborers and made after 22 years of work.

Our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

It must be because of love like this that the Taj was built

The gate where we came in

Our pic taken in front of the Taj

The building is decorated with inlaid semi-precious stones

One of the minarets of the Taj Mahal

Closer view of the Taj Mahal

In preparation of his death, the king had laid plans to build another monument to mirror the Taj Mahal, rumored to be made out of black marble, in the river bank across his wife's mausoleum.  But the Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, Aurangzeb and imprisoned in the Agra Fort where he would stare from his prison cell and gaze upon the Taj Mahal.  After his death, his son buried him next to his beloved wife.

One of the mosques inside the Taj Mahal complex

The hallways inside the Taj complex

Inside the Taj complex

Foundations were laid to build the rumored black marble monument

A view of the red fort where Shah Jahan was imprisoned

Aside from Taj Mahal, you will get to see so many images that make India a wonderful place to visit.

Indian Delights

The colors of India

A beautiful woman poses in front of the Taj

The hundreds of people on their way to see the inside of the maosoleum

The different colored saris worn by Indian women

A parade of colors

Our camel ride

An Indian tuk-tuk

It's true.  Cattle just roam around everywhere.

As we got back to Delhi and prepared, for our flight back to the Philippines, all I can say is that the 10-hour trip to and from Agra was worth it.  Seeing the Taj Mahal was one of the best experiences of my life.  And I have to admit, I am a hopeless romatic myself and seeing the Taj Mahal made me realize that there is such a thing as an everlasting love.