Yes, If you want to visit The Wonder, Taj Mahal is here for you. Taj-Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the modern world (2000–2007). The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252

                 Since childhood, I was curious to know about mysterious and controversial places. Lets talk about the famous Taj Mahal. I heard about “The Taj”, as we say it, since my school days, but didn’t thought much about it at that time. When I came to know that it comes in “The Seven Wonders of the Modern World”, I decided to visit The Taj at once in my life.

An Unforgetable Journey:

           The journey started from my hometown Saharanpur (situated 198 km far from Delhi). My cousins and I boarded the train to Agra. If you are a Foreigners, the best way is either to board a train , a bus or take a flight for Agra and fare is vary class to class of seat.

There are many Hotels, Oyo rooms and Home stay to stay in Agra. We stayed in Airbnb home stay. In the morning, We took a taxi from hotel to Taj-Mahal after having a breakfast. Outside major hotels, there are many auto rickshaw(auto rickshaw and taxi are also available at railway station).

Finally, We reached at the very first Taj-Mahal entrance gate. Entry to the Grounds is too easy, and within a few minutes you’re walking through the red sandstone outer walls of the compounds, with the Taj still out of site. The Great Gate (Darwaza-i rauza) that leads to the gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal is impressive in itself, made of red sandstone with intricate marble work, imposing archways, and domed Chhatris on the top corners.

There is a ticket system to see the Taj. For Foreigners, Ticket charge is 1100/- + 200/- Additional for visiting main mausoleum (Optional) rupees and for Indian, Ticket charge is just 50/- + 200/- Additional for visiting main mausoleum (Optional) rupees. Taj Mahal is closed on every Friday . Foreigners get a free bottle of water, and everyone gets shoe covers that you must wear inside. There are many guides before the Great entrance gate. So, if anyone wants to take a guide, then they can negotiate a good rate with Guides. Security was easier with ticket bar codes scanned by first man, passed across without a glance by second man to third man who punched a hole in them. You cannot bring snacks in with you. They will check your bag. Lockers are located outside the gate.

It would be impossible to visit this place without being photographed with it in the background.

We had to don shoe covers once we entered the sacred grounds round the shrine. Inside was dark. people trying to peer through the intricate marble fretwork at the pencil-box styled tombs. The visit inside the shrine was brief and photo less. It is hard to describe quite how lovely this building is but when marble gets the light onto it and that marble has been carved and smoothed and decorated, it shimmers with a quite magical glow and the colors do change with the light. Absolutely superb.

After quickly viewing the side by side tombs and the impressive interior design, we went to the back side of Taj, there is The Yamuna river. From the Taj, Yamuna river view is unforgettable and impressive as view from the river side.

After taking a lot of pictures, we were walking around the grounds and watching the exterior decorations – every surface of the Taj Mahal contains intricate carvings, 28 types of semi-precious and precious stone inlays and Islamic calligraphy expressing passages from the Qu’ran. There is symmetry and architectural perfection everywhere you look. The sandstone mosques on the two sides are fabulous. After doing these activity, we came to the hotel and planed to go to see Agra-Fort next day.

Some Mysterious surmise about The Taj-Mahal:

According to Wikipedia, Taj-Mahal is a mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare (42-acre) complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2015 would be approximately 52.8 billion rupees (U.S. $827 million). The construction project employed some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of a board of architects led by the court architect to the emperor, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

         On the other hand, some scholar says that Taj-Mahal is a temple of Lord Shiva and some facts that made hidden by early Indian Government and they kept public in dark. They represent some facts which are following below:

Fact 1: The Taj-Mahal is a corrupt form of Sanskrit term TejoMahalay signifying a Lord Shiva Temple. Agreshwar Mahadev, The Lord of Agra was consecrated in it. Because in  Muslim countries like – Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, they do not use word “Mahal” for any building.

Fact 2: The timber door before it was sealed up with bricks, in 1974 American Professor Marvin Mills took a sample from this door for carbon dating and revealed that the door to be 300 year old than Shahjahan. After this revelation, The Government of India removed this timber doors and opening is bricked up.

Fact 3: In 1934, a resident of Delhi took a peep inside from an opening in the upper part of the doorway. To his dismay he saw huge hall inside. It contained many statues huddled around a central beheaded image of Lord Shiva.

Fact 4: They also says that Taj-Mahal is a seven floor building. The tomb of ‘Mumtaj’ is on fourth floor but rest three floor is not open for anyone. They say that in rest three floor, there are statues of Lord Shiva.

And another question that arise is – “that if there is nothing in those floor, then why Government of India does not open those door for everyone”?

Now – Whether the Taj Mahal is a ‘Tomb’ or a ‘Temple’ – It’s still a mystery.

Feel free give your views on The Taj and for this post as well in the comment box.

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