Trifter

It was a chilly winter morning when the train arrived at Agra Cantonment Railway station in the wee hours of the day. It looked a typical Indian railway station with lots of chaos and hoards of people lying on the platforms in their thick rugged blankets; trying to keep warm in the chill of the morning with a warm cup of tea served in an earthen pot. (I even asked them, what that pot was called, and one of the better dressed among them, explained in his Indian accent, that it was a “Kulharh”). There were porters running here and there to ferry more and more luggage of the arriving passengers. It did not look at the outset that I was in the city which housed one of the seven wonders of this world.

There was no sign of Taj on the station, except for a big billboard hanging at the entrance to station, with a picture of Taj on it, reading “welcome to the city of Taj”. Finding my way through the clusters of people, I proceeded to the inquiry window, which was manned by an indifferent looking middle aged woman. She did manage a momentary smile upon seeing me and announced in a rather funny way that I was welcome to the city Tajmahal, and she wished that my visit to this beautiful monument of love was a memorable one. After taking the road map of the city from her, I proceeded to head outside the station and find a place where I could retire for the rest of the day.

The moment I came out of the railway station, I was again mobbed by a group of people converging from all directions. They all looked very eager to take me to the best hotel which gave me the best view of Tajmahal; and they all were dressed alike. I tried to discourage them, holding the map very firmly in my hand, because I was more intent on doing things at my own relaxed pace. After warding the people off, I proceeded towards the exit gate of the Agra Cantonment Railway Station area. Thankfully, this area seemed quieter and had lesser numbers of Auto Rickshaw pullers to choose from. After much deliberations and discussions, I was finally seated inside a CNG run Auto rickshaw being driven a young boy aged around 20 years.

During the Auto Rickshaw journey to the designated hotel, my auto passed through the lanes of Agra. Although a world heritage site which attracts plenty of visitors from across the world throughout the year; at first look, there was nothing special that I could notice about AGRA. It is just another over crowded urbanising city of India, which is slowly trying to blend the new ways of modern living into its age old traditions and cultures. My young driver also told me in his broken English that the city owes its renowned stature to Tajmahal; the world famous monument of love. During our small chat, I asked him about the actual appearance of the Taj, as to how beautiful did it look? On which, he replied in a very subtle way that I will have to take a closer look at the monument to experience the actual beauty of it.

After a 15 minutes drive, I caught a glimpse of the white dome of Tajmahal looming on the horizon towards my left. I was excited, as the auto rickshaw I was travelling in slowly drew closer to that majestic structure. It was a fascinating moment; a moment that I had waited to arrive for so many years. Finally I was coming face to face with this magnificent and awe inspiring monument of love. I was virtually glued to the fleeting glimpses of that round marble edifice peeping through the skyline of the city, and did not realize it till the time my auto rickshaw driver shook me by the hand and said that my destination had arrived.

After paying him the fare, I slowly made my way to the hotel reception. Although I was bubbling with excitement for having reached so close to this wonderful monument of love; the Tajmahal, I did not let it show on my face as I went through the formalities at the reception. My thoughts were suddenly intercepted my the receptionist, who inquired if I would be interested in a room that would give me a clear view of the Taj; I agreed gleefully as she handed over the keys to me and instructed a service boy to guide me to my room. It was a nice clean room with a huge window whose curtains were drawn and the moment I entered inside the room, I could immediately sense that I was in for a wonderful time in the city of Taj.

After settling my luggage in the change room, the service boy finally came to me and asked if there was anything else that I required at the moment? I gave him a 50 rupees note and asked him to draw open that huge curtain on the window, as I was sure that something extravagant was hidden behind those drawn curtains And indeed there was; because the moment he slid open those big curtains, I saw the magnificent Tajmahal in its most glorious view. All those fleeting glimpses that I had caught of this magnificent structure now seemed just a pale shadow of this larger than life structure, which was luxuriously stretched before my eyes.

After feasting my eyes on the magnificent view of Taj for a very long moment that seemed to last till eternity, I decided to change and catch up on some much required rest. I called up the service boy to inquire about the most appropriate time for visiting the Tajmahal, and he told me to go there in the evening. After my afternoon siesta of around 2 hours, I was ready to cover the remaining distance separating me with the eternal Taj. I had my camera slung on my shoulders and a diary and a pen in my waist pouch to note down the first hand descriptions of the monument. It took me another 10 minutes ride on rickshaw to arrive at the site of the lovely monument. After paying for my entry ticket into the premises, I was walking down a narrow passage marked by barricades towards the arched entry leading to the sprawling Taj complex. The arched gateway itself was also a delight to pass through, reflecting the deft skills of the craftsmen who would have worked really hard to bring this monument to its final glory. After passing through the gateway, I was brought face to face with one of the most imposing sights of my life.

Overlooking the River Yamuna stood this breathtaking structure of shining white marble; the Tajmahal. Rising in the sky with its amazingly carved central dome that gradually curves to finish on top in a half circle, this astounding structure virtually took my breath away. For a while, I was just rooted to the ground with my gaze fixed on this wonderful creation of immense beauty. It was absolute magic, the garden laid out in front with fountains embellishing its evening charm; the 4 minarets surrounding the central dome adding to the ever rising effect of the entire edifice; the intricate colored carvings done with precious stones; the lines of the holy Quran inscribed on the inside walls, the entire place looked magic in the backdrop of fading golden light of the Sun.

I have seen Taj a thousand times or even more in numerous pictures available everywhere, but believe me dear friends, the real Taj Mahal is much more than what the pictures will ever be able to convey. Its real beauty can only be felt by seeing this marvellous piece of architecture in true life and blood. After coming face to face with this magical monument, I am hardly left with anything to describe the beauty of this wonder or speak something in it praise. All you people reading this article, believe me there are no words that will ever be able to conjure up the real charm of this place. You guys need to come here and breathe this eternal monument; the Taj Mahal.