Photo of the Week: Taj Mahal at Dawn

This photo was taken from the Red Fort in Agra. I get there at 6 am, when they are scheduled to open, and knock – enthusiastically! – should 6:01 come around and the door is still locked. I immediately make my way to the Prisoner’s Tower, the Mussaman Burj, where the builder of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan, was imprisoned by his son for the last eight years of his life. In this room he had a mirror placed on the wall for his last years so he could see his creation. At this time of year the sun rises almost directly above the main minaret. It is amazing to get there early and watch the Taj rise from the mists of the Yamuna River. I believe this photo was taken in October.

The details: I’ve spent almost three years in India, all told, over the course of five trips. I go to Agra, rather, I go to The Taj Mahal on every trip, spending no less than four days there. It is enough for me to spend a day on the roof (The Shanti Lodge is my place) watching the sun move across the Taj Mahal; and the Shanti is a great place to do that: their fourth floor open restaurant looks almost right down the main entrance, and is about 1/2 km away.