beauty unlike any I have seen

The three-hour drive south from India’s capital New Delhi, India, to the city of Agra was quite expensive. Even more disconcerting was the queue, which stretched the entire breadth of the wall around the Taj Mahal, although it took me a little less than one hour to get in. Yet the sight of one of the eight wonders of the world, a piece of architectural finesse whose beauty has apparently not been surpassed to-date, quickly made up for all the hurdles that we went through to get to it. After we entered through the forecourt (the Chawk – I Jilau Khana), whose calligraphic inscriptions of Qur’anic lines are fascinating in their own right, the sight of the bright marble structure immediately, almost magnetically, drew our attention. It was breathtaking. The Taj Mahal (meaning Crown Palace) is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. It was built by a Muslim Emperor called Shan Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in memory of his dear wife and queen, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth. It houses her grave at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. And yet, according to literature about the Taj, the sight of the mausoleum during the day does not show its intrinsic beauty. By night, the Taj apparently seems to glow in the light of the full moon. And on foggy mornings, it seems suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna River. I did not get to see either of these sights, but what I saw was well worth everything it took me to get there. Between the forecourt and the Taj Mahal is a garden partitioned into 16 well-manicured lawns. The paradise garden is split into four by a pool called the Celestial Pool of Abundance. As we walked past the thousands of people that visit the site daily, the serenity inside was a stark contrast to the chaos outside. Just before we reached the gate to the Taj, our driver issued a series of instructions. “No talking to anyone; just walk straight. No paying to get ahead of the queue. No eating anything,” he said. We would soon find out why. As soon as we stepped out of the car, leaving our driver to find parking space, a man came claiming he worked for the tourist travel company that had transported us. “I am your tour guide. You don’t have to pay me anything,” he emphasised. Our protests to be left to find our own way fell on deaf ears. Shortly after, the “tour guide” changed his story. He now claimed he was employed by the government to help foreign tourists. We stuck to our guns, maintaining that we were fine by ourselves. Nevertheless, he followed us. After we bought our tickets, the “tour guide” tagged along, now promising that he could help us jump the long queue – but this time at a fee. The offer was tempting, but still we didn’t fall for it. Perhaps expecting us to lose our resolve at some point, he hung around, occasionally reminding us that there was a better option. He eventually gave up. When we reached the front, we witnessed how people “beat the queue,” when a man suddenly joined it ahead of us. My protests that he should go and start at the back fell on deaf ears as everyone looked on indifferently. Finally, a young man who had engaged us in conversation finally said, “Leave him alone. This is India.” We got the message and kept quiet. For a site that charges foreign visitors more than 35 times that of locals, it was disheartening that there were no proper tour guides to help visitors walk around the site. Instead, all sorts of unscrupulous characters have been allowed to take charge of the place, many masquerading as tour guides and security officials. One can only imagine how many tourists have fallen prey to these people while the Indian government and other entities charged with administration at the Taj Mahal look the other way. Both outside and inside the Taj Mahal e is a level of disorganisation that somehow betrays the image of a monument that was constructed with such finesse. Outside the high wall fence, the walls are wearing off. The grass has dried up too, leaving a dirty, dusty compound where just a little more organisation could have resulted in better manicured surroundings. Inside the site, there are no signs to direct people or provide information about the Taj.