The Taj Mahal, the Cleanest Place in India

If there is one monument that stands out from the rest of the temples and palaces in India, it is the Taj Mahal. The Taj looks as majestic and surreal in real life as it does on photos and papers. It also turns out to be the cleanest place in India -- at least from our perspective. Despite attracting many millions of tourists every year, the premises were immaculate the moment you enter the metal detectors and security gates.  When you buy your ticket to enter, they provide you slippers to cover your shoes and “green” transportation to the gate as motorized vehicles are not permitted within a certain distance.  They really take their Taj seriously.

(And yes, I – David – took the photo below at sunrise; cliché but classic)

The Maharaja built this palace for his second wife who started as his advisor. (No one seems to know what happened to the first wife, who apparently didn’t make the cut.)

The Maharaja was so madly in love with his second wife that when she passed away giving birth to their 14th child, he dedicated a good decade or so to build this palace for her. The late Maharaja and the second wife are buried underneath the palace, safe from the view of tourists and others for at least ten years, so we were told.

Some other interesting facts to note

• The typical Taj photos are of the back of the palace. The front faces a river, but otherwise the facade of the palace looks exactly the same.
• the marble used for this temple is original as opposed to restored or reconstructed
• It took 16 years to build - from 1632 to 1648.
• In 2001, the provincial government decided to clean up the temple with a traditional clay mask, much as a women would use for her skin,  in order to restore the white color.
• The government created the '”Taj Trapezium Zone” of 10,400 square km area around the monument banning all gasoline motorized vehicles to prevent further impact of environmental pollution on the Taj.
• No photos are allowed inside the Taj Mahal, but I managed to sneak some anyways.
• Tourists are asked to remove or cover their shoes before they step on the marble platform leading to the palace.

In tourist landmarks such as this one, there are always a lot of ‘touts’  trying to sell unofficial “value-added services” as much as possible. A friendly Indian photographer took this photo for us (with MY camera btw), then asked for some money afterwards. A common “business” practice among touts of India (e.g. tour guides).