Taj Mahal

Seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time in person is an experience like no other. The absolute beauty and symmetry of this mausoleum, gleaming in the early morning sunshine simply takes your breath away. Set amid an early morning haze, I caught a rare sight as the morning rays danced between the minarets, slowly rising from the east, and casting shadows and bursts of orange light onto the river beyond.

To avoid the crowds and to see the Taj Mahal at first light, I woke up at 5:30am and was in line at the ticket booth by 6:00am. When the gates finally opened at 6:30am, I was one of the first hundred or so to be let in. And what a sight it was! Since words can do its beauty no justice, I will keep it short, and leave you with some of my favorite pictures taken at the Taj Mahal.