Tuesday, March 20: The Taj Mahal and the Red Fort

This morning we left for the Taj Mahal at 7 AM.   Tour books always advise visiting the Taj at different times of the day because the light has different effects.  My trip there in 2007 started with an early-morning drive from Delhi so I’d seen it only in the afternoon.  It was beautiful in the morning mist.

Our guide challenged us to find the one aspect of the Taj that was not perfectly symmetrical.  I already knew the answer but several of us thought that one of the two smaller domes was closer to the front than the other.  The guide said it was an optical illusion.  Sure enough, as I walked over to the other side, the other dome appeared to be closer.  (The true answer:  inside the mausoleum, where pictures are not permitted, Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb is centered and Shah Jehan’s, although larger, is off to one side.)      

What can I say that hasn't already been said about the Taj Mahal?  It's perfect, serene, a love story, a pilgrimage site.  There's a Hindu poem about a man who dreamed all his life of visiting, but as he drew near he became afraid it wouldn't live up to his dreams so he went back home without going near it.

The whole tour group.

In the afternoon, we had the option of a light lunch at the Sheroes Café, which was run by and for women who survived acid attacks.  Women have had acid poured on their faces by men whose advances they resist, or by family members (including other women) if they fail to meet expectations.  One woman was attacked because she gave birth only to girls.  The café is a warm, friendly place with some shelves lined with books and some filled with beautiful handcrafts for sale.  Our guide had heard about it from his wife, who was from Agra, and he convinced the tour company to include it; as word spreads about the café, business has picked up and they will be opening in other cities.  In addition to running the café, the women fight for stronger penalties, support for survivors and restrictions on the sale of acids.  Although not everyone in the group felt up to making the trip, most did.

After a few hours’ break, during which I enjoyed the pool, we visited the Red Fort, where Shah Jehan spent 8 years as a prisoner after being unseated by his son.  It had previously been the residence of 3 generations of Mughal emperors, and included public and private reception halls and quarters for multiple wives.

This, to me, is the most haunting view of the Taj Mahal.  It's what Shah Jehan would have seen during the last 8 years of his life from his well-appointed prison.