Getting to Agra ended up being a bit problematic because it is located in the state of Rajasthan, and the members of the lower caste began striking, planting bombs in the cities, and laying on the railroad tracks and highways to force their issue of getting more jobs. Luckily, most of the fighting had stopped by the time we wanted to go, but our train was cancelled nevertheless because of people on the tracks. So, we bought an open ended ticket on a train to Tundla, which is about 20 miles from Agra.

We arrived at Tundla at 4:00 in the morning and paired up with another American backpacker to take a taxi to Agra. Once at our hotel, we read where the Taj is closed on Fridays, and it was a Thursday morning. So, instead of sleeping we took a rickshaw to the Taj for an early morning visit. With most monumental structures like this, I tend to be disappointed because I either expect them to be bigger, more intricate, or well kept; but with Taj being called a "tear on the face of eternity" by a famous Indian author, Tagore, as well as gleaming reviews from authors like Rudyard Kipling, I automatically had my expectations raised to a higher level, which were not disappointed.

Emperor Shah Jahan, one of the most powerful and revered emperors of the Mughal period, grieved greatly over the loss of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died giving birth to their fourteenth child. He then ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal, or "Crown Palace," to be built as a mausoleum (tomb) for his wife on the banks of the Varuna River. The construction began in 1631 and was finished in 1648 and required over 20,000 laborers! The building is completely made of white marble and has intricate floral designs and verses inlaid in the marble with 23 different types of precious and semi-precious stones that the emperor had retrieved from all across Asia. The building is also a masterpiece of symmetry with the façade being the same height as the dome, the building being exactly as tall as it is wide, and a long reflecting pool in the front with matching gardens on either side.

Sadly, Shah Jahan was later overthrown by his own son who was not the direct heir but wanted to seize power anyway. The son, Aurangzeb, then imprisoned his father in the Agra Fort where Shah Jahan spent the last eight years of his life peering gloomily from a small balcony at the monument he had built for his precious wife. Fortunately, the son had enough compassion to bury Shah Jahan next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.

I am now among those that claim that the Taj Mahal is the most beautiful building on earth. Not only is the story of its creation moving but the structure is enormous and monumental. I believe that we could have spent hours sitting and staring at this beautiful place, but our lack of sleep and hunger caught on and we returned to the hotel.

We only spent two days in Agra before moving on to the capitol of Rajasthan, Jaipur and on West to Jaisalmer. However, it is worth noting that the Agra Fort is incredible and should not be missed. I believe it is actually much better than the Red Fort in Delhi.