Romancing the Taj

Feb 15 2008 By David Firth

Monument of love to queen has stood the test of time

The two customs men looked fierce, and I feared a telling off for losing my landing card between immigration control and the baggage carousel.

But the ice was broken with a bribe of two Cox's apples, and the Delhi airport officials overlooked my absent-mindedness and cheerfully waved me through. It was my first taste of India's extremes - outwardly officious, but in truth down to earth.

Though I was here as a tourist, my Indian adventure was not to be made backpacker style. I was to mix luxury, as a guest of Oberoi hotels, with the sights, sounds and smells of one of the world's most romantic buildings, the Taj Mahal.

I travelled to Agra, home of the Taj, by road. A distance of 130 miles apart, Delhi and Agra are directly linked by one of India's finest dual carriageways, so I was told. But while the highway is indeed wide, my minibus was fighting for space with oxen, bicycle rickshaws, tractors, buses and overloaded trucks.

Beyond the suburbs the road was quieter, but my minibus never ventured faster than 40mph - as the driver was regularly confronted by both animals and vehicles taking short-cuts the wrong way down the road. Trucks all carry the message, "Use horn" painted on the back. And drivers do; the journey was punctuated by honks of every pitch, from motorbike croaks to tractor hoots.

Only brave or foolhardy visitors would hire a self-drive car for the trip. But just under five hours later we were there - pulling into the Oberoi Amarvilas, where every room boasts a clear view of the Taj Mahal, barely 600 metres away.

Built as a tribute to the Taj, pictures and plans of the palace adorn the walls. Drinks, meals, even spa treatments can be taken in full view of the Taj.

Most guests only stay one or two nights, before travelling on to destinations such as the hills of Jaipur, but Agra is worthy of a much longer stay. The Taj is traditionally visited soon after dawn, or before sunset. I decided to go after sunrise. The ivory domes rose above the surrounding trees, flown over by green parakeets and jet black crows.

Then, a quick journey by motorised golfing cart and I was there - to discover that the palace was as beautiful seen through my own eyes as the photographs suggested.

At the gates of the Taj, and indeed outside all tourist traps, hawkers are ready to pounce - and you've got to be ready for them. The persistence of postcard and guide-book sellers can be infuriating.

Once through the gates, however, the world is once more at peace.

The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the mid 17th century, a monument of love to his favourite wife, queen Mumtaz Mahal.

The white marble was carried by elephants from 200 miles away. It took 22 years and 20,000 men to build.

Once at the building itself, shoes are removed and you walk to its entrance up smooth, marble steps.

Up close, you are confronted with fantastically-intricate stone carvings.

Marble screens are inlaid with semi precious stones such as black onyx, opaque yellow jasper and sea green turquoise.

What is amazing to a Western visitor is that so little is off-limits. Because the marble of the Taj is so hard, it has only been polished, not worn, by the millions of hands and feet which have brushed against it.

Once inside, beneath the central dome, the perfect symmetry is only broken by the tomb of the man who created it.

When Shah Jahan died in 1666, his casket was placed beside that of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, although his presence was never intended.

There were far more Indians than Western tourists who had come to pay homage. A handful of Muslims prayed in the mosque, which lies to the side.

That evening, back on my balcony, it took on an orange glow with the surrounding sky filled, not with birds, but by kites flown by children from the roofs of their homes.

The Indian tourist board's catchphrase is 'Incredible India'. They aren't kidding.

Travel facts...

David Firth travelled with Air France which flies to Delhi via Paris from nine UK airports including Heathrow (from £428.40); Manchester (from £423.50); Aberdeen (from £454.80) and Edinburgh (from £421.70). Air France reservations: 0870 142 4343 and www.airfrance.com

Operators with packages to the Taj Mahal include Somak, which offers return flights, transfers and three nights' B&B at the Oberoi Amarvilas from £1,629, incl transfers. Eight-night room-only packages, including JET return flights into Delhi and road transfers to Agra, start at £1,199. Somak reservations: 0208 423 3000 and www.somak.co.uk

Oberoi Hotels and Resorts reservations: 00800 1234 0101 and www.oberoihotels.com