Beauty's Bowels

January 5, 2010

A mother and child walk in front of a large lattice screen window inside the Taj Mahal tomb. - Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India - Daily Travel Photos
(Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India)
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A mother and child walk past a large lattice window inside the Taj Mahal mausoleum.

Throngs of tourists came out for the day of free admission to the Taj Mahal. The procession of people stumbling through this section was nearly endless, hence I waited nearly 2 hours to take the perfect photo I'd envisioned. When the coast was clear, I grabbed the nearest Indian family and told the western-clothed husband to scram so his wife can quickly walk past my camera before the imminent hordes followed. I think the photo really works even though the husband may have taken offence. But my policy is a simple one: a woman in saree always trumps a man in a boring western shirt and trousers.

taj mahal inside
The final resting place of Shah Jahan and his favorite wife, Mumtaz, inside the Taj Mahal. - Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India - Daily Travel Photos
(Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India)
f/5 ▪ 1/5s ▪ @20mm ▪ ISO400 ▪ Canon 5D ▪ Canon 17-40mm f/4
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"The final resting place of Shah Jahan and his favorite wife, Mumtaz, inside the mausoleum of the Taj Mahal.

The story goes, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for his beloved Mumtaz. As always, I'm skeptical of the sound-bite form of history but it inevitably serves the same end result when the fairy tale reaches the ears of women around the world. In effect, this clod set the bar so high, the rest of us working slobs have no chance of ever meeting the expectations of our wives/girlfriends. I can ill afford even one block of marble to carve a miniature Taj Mahal in her honor, let alone a full multi-million dollar mausoleum. Let's hope my girlfriend accepts my plan B: to throw both of our bodies into the Ganges so the marine life can have their ways with us.

taj mahal inside mausoleum