From the list of locations to visit, I chose to visit the Taj Mahal. I have seen pictures of it, which are beautiful, but I do not know much about it. I do not know any of the history, or any real detail about the inside of it. I have always been curious about it. This was the perfect opportunity to gain some knowledge about it, from the comfort of my desk.

Site: https://www.taj-mahal.net/newtaj/index.html

History

The only prior knowledge I had of this is that it was India. There is a description of the history at the bottom of the screen when you reach the site. It explains that in 1631, the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, had this built in the memory of his favorite wife. He promised her he would “erect a monument to match her beauty.” I would say he succeeded in doing so after taking the virtual tour.

The Tour

I really like the setup of the virtual tour. It is not just a view from the actual location that you can move around in. It does have that but also much more. There is a map of the layout of the Taj Mahal with checkpoints that you can click on. When clicking these, it can read out a description of it, and you can look around the location as if you were standing there.

Another neat feature they have is a set of pictures/videos that appear depending on which checkpoint you click. These attachments include different views, more information, or fun facts.

There is plenty to go through about the Taj Mahal, that it would be much better if you visited the tour yourself on the website, but I will point out some of my favorite spots.

The pool in the middle of the garden really stood out to me. It is called “The Celestial Pool of Abundance.” After listening to the description, this is where two water channels intersect and divide the garden into 4 sections. There is a bench right next to it, which must be amazing to sit at. In the reflection of the pool, you can see the Taj Mahal itself.

In one of the attachments below, there is a video about the image of Princess Diana sitting on that white bench in front of the pool. That image is iconic now. Princess Diana is still a famous person to this day. Anything she has done is always remembered.

The next point I really liked is titled “On the Chhaka (Plinth) – by a Minaret.” The short description of this is so powerful: “The Taj Mahal has been described as; having been designed by giants and finished by jewelers….” I believe that is very suiting of the Taj Mahal. The task of building this was certainly not an easy one. It took a lot of man power, or maybe needing the help from giants, as described in the statement. The actual look of it is amazing, which the ending of the statement describes. The color and details in the building is very majestic.

There is a video at the bottom that goes into detail about the actual stone and marble of the Taj Mahal. It explains many details about it. The main material used is red sandstone. There are 2 major reasons for this choice.

• The red hue of the material is associated with imperial tents
• There was a large amount of it locally, which made it easy to gather.

The main color you see from images of the Taj Mahal is white. The marble used is used all over the main mausoleum, which is the main attraction. In the Islamic world, white symbolizes mourning. Now, knowing that this was built in memory of Shah Jahan’s wife, it is very fitting.

The “Paradise Gardens” is a great place to stop at. The inside of the Taj Mahal and the structure itself is amazing, but it should not take away from the nature of the outside. The grass, plants, and trees are very well-kept and look perfect. I could only imagine walking down the paths. The description of the checkpoint is very poetic. The ending of the statement goes well with a screenshot I took: “eternal is its fruit, and eternal is its shade.”

This really just speaks to the beauty of the trees and plants. The “fruit” means that it will always be well-kept and thriving. Fruit will always be able to be grown no matter what. The same goes for the “shade” The trees will always be alive and healthy with leaves to shield the sun away. It will be perfect to walk down.

There is still much more to the tour that I did not go into detail about. It is something you would have to visit yourself. Actually going to India to visit this would be ideal. You can only take in so much from a computer screen. This virtual tour makes me feel the need to go for myself one day in the future.