My first visit to Agra was when I was just a kid. Now, at 45 I went again with my wife. It is difficult to write something about it, since Taj Mahal for me is an experience... where the eyes stay attentive to the magic, and the best way to admire it is sitting in silence. And that's what we did. Since it was a very hot summer day, I think 45 degrees... we just sat on the hot marble floor outside... and just decided to wait until sunset in total awe of what our eyes were witnessing.
And the energy in this place is not only about the building itself - although it is also a magic wonder ... what was the true story, etc... - but also about the whole surroundings. The Yamuna river, the typical landscape of India reflecting unclear skies merged with the orange warmth of the sun, the historical forts and constructions of Akbar's times are also a real wonder.
We waited there till the sunset and we will cherish these memories forever... with deep fascination and amazement about those old times... when people were engaging in such projects, without machinery, technology or computers. The perfection of each single corner of these constructions, how they thought in systems to cool down the places with water and cross-air currents, all the wall decorations made by hand with the finest of details, including precious and semi-precious stones to craft each single letter... is simply unbelievable. It makes you wonder how that was possible with such perfection.
The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess who died giving birth to their 14th child. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. So this monument is an illustration of a love story, which is said to be inspiration for building the Taj Mahal.
