The Taj Mahal is not your ordinary tourist spot. If you would to ask me, I think she can well be considered a fine individual with exquisite taste and character. I was standing at the front gate when I was struck by another realization. The builders were pretty smart when they were building the Taj. You can't see her from here, instead the red sandstone structure acts as a contrast to her well fitted white Indian marble. It does have an impact to the overall experience because this enhances her white beauty many folds. Everything around us looked rather dull and structured, even before our eye balls could focus to flex those muscle strands on her. Through the small door in the gate, you can catch a little sneak preview of her beauty.
Describing the gate itself is a real treat. Colourful floral designs adorn her facade. Made with precious stones, this ageless creation will eventually glow at night during the full moon. Imagine a spectacle of coloured lights reflecting off the gates alone. It is beyond my imagination. Running alongside the floral designs are scriptures from the Holy Quran. The space between characters varies as it goes higher. This was made on purpose to compensate for our visual perspective, just so that all the characters are spaced out equally when we come to admire it from below. Coming to the top of the gate, you will see multiple white domes. Now each of these domes represents a year into construction. It is their so called Microsoft Project in those days to keep track on their progress. We track our projects digitally, for them tracking a project alone is an architectural art form. Unfortunately Shah Jahan's wife died even before the first dome was installed.
Our hearts were pumping with excitement. Many hours into our journey through unexplainable driving habits and bumpy roads, we are finally here. Our feet firmly planted on the ground only to feel the dusty surface of it all, we knew our time was now and nothing else in the world matters. The Taj Mahal is behind us and we are about to meet her face to face. So we turned out backs after we took this photo and headed right straight to the small door in the gate. We could sense her teasing us, fondly glancing at us just to welcome us. She is confident that there is no other beauty in the world except her. As soon as my right leg laid on the first step towards the door, I could feel my heart skipping a beat and I just had to say "Oh my G...".