From Khajuraho we caught a train to Agra, the home of India’s most famous landmark, the Taj Mahal. We arrived in Agra just in time for sunset and decided to view the Taj from one of the roof-top restaurants recommended by the Lonely Planet. After, we decided to have an early night intending to catch the Taj at sunrise.

Early in the morning, though not quite as early as the Sunrise Ganges boat ride, we made our way to the Taj’s west entrance. Once we were inside the complex we made our way through the Great gate (Darwaza-i rauza) providing our closest views (well, my closest view given Sonya had already seen it) of the beautiful Taj. We snapped the obligatory photos with the Taj mirrored in the reflecting pools and due to the early hours of the day there were only a small amount of fellow tourists.

We spent a good few hours wondering the large garden and surrounding buildings. The Taj was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and it was really interesting seeing all the Mughal architectural traits, a lot which we had seen along the Silk Road starting in Iran. One of the most impressive features was the detailed floral Pietra dura, the coloured stone inlays or floral patterns on in the inside and exterior of the Taj.

thydzikgooglemap(http://sonyaandtravis.com/maps/taj-mahal-agra-uttar-pradesh-india.xml,s)