i can't skip the TAJ, can I?

sam78a

First time trip to India. My itenary is a bit weird, as I will have to pick up a friend from Delhi halfway through my trip, but basically I will go (on my own) from Delhi down to Khajuarao then to greater Mandu then up to Bundi or Jhalawar and then to Delhi where we will go to Agra and then the more touristy parts of Rajasthan.

I thought about dumping the Taj, and the entire city of Agra. Is this sacreligous? Am I nuts for not spending time in the Taj? Being a photographer, the Taj will require some time on my end...I will have to spend two days in Agra, day 1: early train there, see surrounding areas around the town, in the PM see the Taj from the backside across the river on the north side, and say 2 see the Taj early AM and then to Agra fort before a night train to Udaipur-Jodhpur; it wont be acceptable for me to do Agra in a day trip, as I want to tour the Taj at 6 AM for the early AM sunrise and then in the evening across the river for sunset. I **do** have to see the Taj, right? It isnt massively overrated it is?

sam78a

After I sent this reply, I remembered that I am in the wrong forum here. Sorry about that! But, it is close enough, right to be at least semi-appropriate here?

PeakXV

To be honest, I found it a bit anticlimactic to first view it from the angle & perspective of the umpteen million photos that I had seen of it before I actually 'arrived' at the scene. But you certainly have the right idea about viewing it from as many angles as possible especially during the 'magic hours' of dusk & dawn .... and for that reason - it will dazzle & surely not disappoint.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

alouise

Sam, opinions vary on this topic and if you have not seen the Taj then you would probably be at something of a loss to decide whether or not the trip to Agra would be worth it.

I can't give a recent update, apart from noting the hellish traffic this year as my driver tried to avoid the place on a trip from Gwalior to Mathura. Even on the outskirts it seemed like a tourist hole, something which many others on this site have already noted.

On the other hand, the crowds may be justified. The Taj is beautiful even if the surroundings may be a turn off.

When I visited almost three decades ago there was a lovely village atmosphere surrounding the place, very quiet and like stepping back 2000 years ago.... tiny lanes between mudbrick houses filled with goats, vegetable barrows, water troughs for animals and smoke from cooking fires in front of wooden lean-to "meals" hotels. And the only traffic I recall were wooden carts and pushbikes. It was just a short stroll through the village to reach the Taj, and there were few tourists around. Mind you, it was hot season at the time, 48 degrees C, which might explain how deserted the place was. Even three decades ago, I would think the tourist crowds flocked there in peak season.

Today, though, I wouldn't know. Personally I'm inclined to stick with those idyllic memories and avoid the place. But of course if you haven't been to the Taj, what is there to lose? The Red Fort alone is worth the visit to Agra ... I found that more interesting than the Taj, especially the glorious views of the Yamuna. I suppose much depends on time constraints, but if you can fit it in I don't think you would be too disappointed.

CindyIndie

I loved it. I was emotionally overwhelmed. I am going back to sit there for hours and soak it all in, again.

I think it varies from person-to-person, so who can say for you? For me, it was an absolute must-see. All the people vanished and I was there in my own private world, witnessing the incredible love and majesty.

Good luck deciding.

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Amalfi

I have seen several foreigners (ladies) break down and start crying and hugging each other as they get the first sight of the Beauty from the entrance arch and several (including men) looking at the Taj as if in a Trance.

namaste_cat

For me the Taj is an absolute must-see. Agra is a dump, but the other sights there are also glorious. Nothing beats the Taj Mahal though, in my opinion. In my husband's case (who if he has his druthers will never step foot in India again), he says he'd be kicking himself had he given Taj a miss. He figured it would be anti-climactic but it wasn't. But of course as with these things, mileage varies :shrug:

wonderwomanusa

I was underwhelmed by the Taj, which I saw, finally, on my 4th visit to India. It might be romantic for some.

The caves at Ajanta, the rock carving in downtown Mammalapuram -- these impressed me much more than the Taj Mahal.

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theyyamdancer

Mod Note
Hi Sam, your thread is now in Agra, so you can say you have already visited it.

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Haylo

The Taj is not massively overrated, it is a beautiful site. IHowever, India is so vast, and has such a lot to offer in terms of culture and architecture of interest, everyone has to skip something! I have seen sites that I found more interesting and that I'd return to in preference to the Taj Mahal.

Due to it's layout, even when its' crowded it's easy to get impressive picture postcard type photographs of such an icon, but I would not say that you have to see it.

From a photographic point of view, I found it uninspiring; it has been photographed to death and even my best shots were only reproducing images that I'd seen a thousand times before. Nearby Fetehpur Sikri was far more interesting from a photographer's point of view. If you do go to Agra, put as afternoon aside to drive out to there.

I'm sure this will upset many people, but in my view, one of the reasons that the Taj Mahal has become such a "must see" icon is simply that it is so easily accessable. If the Jain temple at Ranakpur was within easy reach of a day trip from Delhi, I bet that would have far greater status!

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Paleface

Sadly folks can't see the sublime mausoleum beneath the famous contrasting simplicity of the Taj exterior these days. But why was it built? What happened to the Emperor who built it and was locked for the rest of his life in the Jasmine tower at the Red Fort. Agra the centre of such vast power with the Mughals. Akhbar's tomb at Sikander, just down the road. Ticking off monuments is ok, and there may well be more intricate and interesting sites such as Ranakpur. However Agra's importance and historicity if anyone cares to delve into it a bit, is not necessarily overshadowed by the modern, and can be viewed in another perspective over and above photo opps and the bustle.

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machadinha

<cross-posted with Paleface. Yes, that's a very loving description (and great pics you added, btw), and I do think it's actually an important site, the importance of which sadly seems to be lost on many a visitor. Also, the city apparently being detested by most, I'd be tempted to prove them all wrong and stay there for several weeks -- no city that size can be all bad, right.>

All I can say is on three somewhat extensive trips to India now, I've never seen it.

I certainly don't lose any sleep over it.

I wouldn't mind to, mind (and as some will know I do in fact have a penchant for Islamic architecture and culture, among many another thing -- and aside from its sometimes violent and indeed abhorrent clashes, its amalgamation with the Hindu culture and any other cultures it met is in fact fascinating, and -- in my view -- not rarely inspiring indeed), just what I hear of the city doesn't attract me at all, and then it's never been on my route or anything, although I've actually been very close by several times I suppose. Overrated tourist sights also not really my thing.

So, er, whatever. Did this help? I'd be surprised if it did (Have seen some great great and ancient mosques and stuff in India many of which I can't even remember where really, and where no one or certainly not any foreigners seemed to go.)

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machadinha

nb Maybe it can be likened to Spain's Alhambra, supposedly a must-see.

Yes, it's quite amazing; it's also sadly overrun by tourists (the city of Granada itself has something untypically -- for this region -- snotty and bourgeois to it too, I and no few others think). There are literally castles and forts and palaces all over Andalucia that could well equal it, and minus all the visitors. And with the jovial honest and no-nonsense locals (strong anarchic roots here) to match.

pantelis

hi there

i've been in India 8 times till now and never visited the Taj!!! Sometimes i feel ashamed of it and still planning to visit it in the future,let's see,but i always do other things and visit other places.

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Eastern Mind

Of course you can skip the Taj. There is no such thing as a 'must see'. If I had the money, and the time, I think I could do several years in India without the Taj. I suppose though, if I happened to be driving by, I might stop. Probably not. Its like this. I suspect many people who live in New York city have never been out to 'see' the stature of liberty.