I left Rajasthan on the night of the 24th of August, 2013 after attending a friend's wedding in Ganganagar. It was the first of the 4 destinations planned for the trip - next was Agra. The only thing that flashed in front of my eyes were the pictures of the Taj Mahal. It was a childhood dream to visit the Taj at least once since I first read about its history in my 8th class. The idea of fulfilling a 10 year old dream was an exciting prospect!
I took a train out of Ganganagar to Delhi after enjoying some amazing hospitality at the wedding for the best part of the last 3 days! I didn't have any plans of any sight-seeing at Delhi or for that matter, even staying at Delhi. I would get off at the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station the following morning and take my first available transport to Agra - preferably a bus. I reached Delhi early morning on 25th of August. It was close to 7 AM and yet, I could feel the heat. I could make out that Delhi or Agra would not provide any respite from the heat. I got a bus to Agra from the Sarai Kale Khan bus stand and I reached Agra by 1 PM. By the time I checked into a hotel at Agra, the temperature had soared and I was sweating profusely.
On reaching the hotel, I freshened, charged the camera batteries and went off for lunch. It was around 3 pm now. There are a lot of cycle rickshaws available to get around short distances. After a quick lunch, I started walking toward the Taj Mahal. It was around 2 kms walk but the way was lined with trees which made it pleasant to walk. On reaching the entrance, I got my tickets, got those plastic bags that are used to cover up your shoes so that you don't "leave your mark" on the Taj landscape and hired a guide. He was a little guy named Deepak and was aptly called "Chhotu" by others.
And then, it was the moment to witness something that I had waited for a long time, to tick off the oldest wish on my wish list. It was time to see the Taj Mahal! As I entered the artistic gate of the Taj Mahal with 22 little minarets, indicating the number of years taken to complete the construction of the Taj, I saw it through the gate growing as I walked toward it (That is an optical illusion you surely won't miss). And as I entered into the main area, the Taj stood before me. Huge, magnificent and I ran out of adjectives to describe the feeling. I got my wishlist out, ticked 'See the Taj Mahal' and sat right opposite to it waiting for the feeling to sink in.
The sun was just about to set and the Taj was bathed in gold. As we went on a tour clicking pictures all the while escaping the never ending crowd, Chhotu walked briskly next to me filling me up with a lot of minute details about the story behind the Taj Mahal. I have heard about the Taj glowing in moonlight on a full moon and I wish I could witness that someday, but that would have to wait. Right now, I was struggling to convince myself that I was there! After a brief walk around the building, we sat down near the northern side and had a small conversation. By 6.30 PM, we had left the place, I paid Chhotu, got myself a little replica of the Taj and went back to my hotel to retire for the day. I was very happy that day and had already decided that I will go back to the Taj early next morning.I woke up at 5.30 AM the next day, got ready and started walking toward the Taj which was around 4 kms from my hotel. On the way, I saw peacocks in a nearby garden. I reached Taj by around 6.30 AM and luckily, there were very few people and I knew I would get some pretty good pictures this time around. It was good to be there this early and see the Taj in the morning light. I got a few good pictures, got into little conversations with fellow tourists and sat down and admired again!
I stayed there for about 3 hours this time and I still didn't feel like leaving. And I had to tear my eyes away from the Taj when I finally left the place, hoping to return someday.
My return journey to Delhi wasn't very eventful till I got there. I traveled on board the Delhi metro - one of the most convenient modes of public transports I've ever used! I went to my cousin's place for dinner after a lot of searching around and finally, got on the train which, after 36 hours, would drop me to Rajahmundry on the coast of Andhra Pradesh, to attend another wedding. I went to Hyderabad from there to visit another friend and it was a good 2 weeks before I got back home to Mumbai. Yes, it was a beautiful journey and I wished that it didn't end! But visiting the Taj was the best part of the journey!
