Daily Signet

We lined up a rickshaw driver to take us to the Taj Mahal the next day and insisted that he pick us up at 5:45 am to get us there extra early. We may have missed the sunset but we were not going to miss the sunrise. We arrived at the Taj before it was open and were the first in line for tickets and the first people through the gate. We had the Taj Mahal to ourselves for less than five minutes but it felt longer.  The building is inlaid with mother-of-pearl and other gems making it sparkle and causing the character of the building to change with the position of the sun.  The sunrise was amazing. The Taj Mahal basked in the sun, showing off in the light—knowing how spectacular she is. We saw the building come alive as the sun spread across the pearl white of the structure, giving it breath and life.  You want to stand, never moving, and stare.  At the same time, you ache to run around without stopping in order to catch it from every angle. We had seen a lot of incredible structures, but they were built for military purposes, religious reasons or for self-glorification.  They were grand and imposing and masculine. There is something very feminine about the Taj Mahal. There are larger monuments in the world. The Taj is not a skyscraper or a towering cathedral. It is not the architectural audacity of the design that is overwhelming; it is the personality of this monument to love. We had three hours of peace and rest from India and from everything else. That alone is a testament to the Taj. Try to stare at an inanimate structure for three hours without becoming mind-numbingly bored. Maybe it was not inanimate after all and that would explain everything.                                                                                                    

Zach Martin, 2008