A Visit to the Taj

Recently, with my family, I went to see the amazing Taj Mahal in Agra, India. I found the trip very fascinating. From riding in a rented minivan and eating in roadside food joints to feasting my eyes on the majestic Taj Mahal, it was an unforgettable experience!

On January 4th, 2025, we woke up to a bitterly cold and foggy morning in New Delhi, India. I couldn’t wait to do a 3-hour road trip to Agra! My parents, my aunt, my cousin and her husband, and I were all going together. My dad and I had not seen the Taj Mahal, everyone else had—so we were especially excited to finally see it! The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in all my countless trips to India, I didn’t get the chance to see it. Now was my chance!

We boarded the minivan bundled up in our winter jackets and hats. The ride was so fun, but it was also freezing. Unfortunately, the heater in the van wasn’t working and the driver had to keep his window rolled down because of the fog, so we sat there shivering. To distract ourselves, we passed time by playing fun games for a while and catching up on sleep.

 The first game we played was called Antakshari (an Indian game where players take turns singing songs or saying a name of a movie that starts with the last letter of the previous song or movie). The other game we played was Heads Up (where players guess words based on clues their teammates give). I didn’t want those games to end since I was having so much fun, but everyone needed a break and breakfast, so we stopped at a food joint to eat. After breakfast, we resumed our voyage to Agra. We continued to play Heads Up, which I was glad about. When the adults started talking among themselves, I closed my eyes and hummed my choir songs in my head.

We reached the Taj Mahal parking lot in a few hours. From the parking lot, there was another 10-15 minutes process to see the structure. We had to stand in a long security line, purchase tickets, and take an auto-rickshaw, and then walk again for a few minutes to the arch that led to the distant Taj Mahal. After what felt like an eternity, my feet were planted in front of the faint, stunning building. It is a mesmerizing building that has a unique impact on viewers. I felt like I was in a dream.

We hired a tour guide to show us around the Taj Mahal, and he was kind of useful, but I could not understand what he was saying at all because his English and accent were confusing. It did not matter though since I already knew a sufficient number of facts about the Taj Mahal and was lost in my own world. I also tried avoiding him because he was constantly asking us to pose for pictures in different spots in front of the Taj.

Here are some interesting facts about the Taj Mahal:

• The Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, built the Taj Mahal for his third and most favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal when she died giving birth to her 14th child.

• Construction took about 21 years, began in 1632 and finished in 1653.

• It involved around 20,000 workers.

• The Taj Mahal is fully made out of white marble from Rajasthan, India.

• The calligraphy on the Taj Mahal’s entrance gets bigger when you look up, forming an optical illusion.

• The real tombs of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are underground. Tourists only get to see the replicas, which are placed one floor above the real tombs.

• It cost nearly $827 million or 53 billion rupees to build in modern values. You can’t take pictures inside the building at all, it’s a violation of the rules

As I thought about all of those facts while walking through the monument, I was completely engrossed in the structure and design of it. I was hoping to go underground to visit Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and say Hi to them, but unfortunately, the security guards had blocked the entrance to the basement and only the replicas of the tombs were available for public viewing.

We came out of the Taj Mahal, clicked some photos, stopped at a gift shop, and resumed our journey home. We stopped for a much-needed dinner about 10 minutes away--everyone’s stomach was grumbling. After a delicious meal of butter chicken, naan, and gulab jamuns, our stomachs were satisfied, and we drove back home. I just listened to music most of the time while everyone else was chatting about grown-up subjects.

Halfway through the trip, everybody was super scared. A very thick cloud of fog was surrounding us. The driver could not see anything, and he was driving almost blindly. He had to lower his window again so the fog could clear up, but that did not help at all! We all sat frozen in our seats, both because of the cold and the fear of running into an accident. Accidents are very common in foggy weather, but thankfully, our driver was well experienced and knew the Delhi-Agra roads very well. After passing through the dense fog, we were all relieved and just closed our eyes and slept. We made it home safely after a very exciting road trip.

My honest opinion is that the Taj is picturesque, with very impressive exterior architecture, but the interior is underwhelming. There wasn’t anything inside the building that caught my attention. Or it could be that I missed it. You have to enter the Taj Mahal by standing in a long line, and people are constantly bumping into you. And all there is inside? Graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, and the public only gets to see the fake ones! I had imagined the Taj Mahal to have multiple floors, but it turned out to have only one spot. My expectations on the interior were not met, but I could stare at the exterior of the Taj all day. The calligraphy, the shapes of the domes, the white marble, and just the thought that this immense structure was built by hand hundreds of years ago—makes it a must-see for sure. I definitely recommend visiting the Taj Mahal, but it’s not worth going inside. My suggestion is to view the exteriors, take photos, admire the structure, and leave. Overall, my day was super enjoyable. I feel like when you are surrounded by loved ones, it is worth taking any length of a road trip. I hope that one day you will get to experience the Taj Mahal and be mesmerized by it.

(The author is a student of seventh grade in the USA.)