My visit to the Taj Mahal, India
Posted on: December 29, 2014 /
A wonder of the world.
During our stay in India we visited Goa, New Delhi and Mumbai. Needless to say, while in New Delhi we had to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. From our hotel in New Delhi we arranged a taxi that brought us to Agra. In Agra we faced some heavy traffic but managed to make it on time. Once there we were amazed by this breathtaking piece of architecture, it’s details and beauty. Definitely worth the trip. More clips will follow.
History of the Taj Mahal
In 1631, Shah Jahan was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess, died during the birth of their 14th child. The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, but it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials.
Did you know?
The whole building is symmetrical, expect for the graves of the emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal
The four pillars around the Taj Mahal are built at varying angles, around 92 degrees. The reason for this is it can withstand an earthquake of 8 on the Richter scale. If there is an earthquake that is significant enough to damage the pillars, the pillars will fall away from the dome, ensuring that the dome is not damaged.
The Structure is built entirely of marble. The decorations on the wall aren’t paint, but stones that are inlayed in the marble.
Tip
The Taj is opened all days of the week except for Fridays, when it is opened in the afternoon only for those who have to attend prayers at the Taj Mosque.
More India video’s
Check out my visit to world’s biggest outdoor laundry, the Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai.
Between the SkyScrapers in Mumbai you will find the Dhobi Ghat, the world’s biggest outdoor laundry. The washers, locally known as Dhobis, work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals. Clothes are washed in large concrete pens and dried under an open sky. The Dhobi’s are mostly engaged in washing clothes for large, lower-market commercial organisations like restaurants, or hotels or guest-houses.
The soiled clothes are first soaked in water, boiled in oil drums. The clothes are then “flogged” on a concrete wash pens to get physically rid them of dirt and stains etc. Clothes are then dried in the open, mostly on the roofs of the buildings. Finally they are ironed with age old charcoal presses with heavy wooden handles.
