Tuesday, 21 February 2017

An India Icon

The Taj Mahal in Agra must be one of the most recognisable buildings in the world.  Its shape and colour make it stand out from other 'iconic' buildings such as Sydney's Opera House or the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  Perhaps only the pyramids are as instantly recognisable.

The Taj Mahal is built from a huge amount of white marble, which is now (unfortunately) taking on a slight yellow hue because of pollution.  For all that, the overall impression of the place is still truely remarkable.

Work on the Taj Mahal started in 1632 and was basically complete by 1643, although other work continued for another 10 years.  The Taj Mahal was built to house the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, the favourite wife of the Shah Jahan.  Much more detail about this remarkable building can be found here.

One of the issues about photographing such a well known building, is that the 'classic shots' have been taken thousands of times before.  These first two shots fall into that category.



I tried to find some different ways to take pictures - and while I doubt that I really did find any new angles, at least I had fun trying!

These images are an attempt to capture the way in which the Taj Mahal is first seen - over the heads of crowds and through the arch of the main gate.




In these next images I am trying to get a sense of both the scale and detail of the place.




And finally I tried to find a different way to frame the Taj Mahal - to contrast the built with the natural.


It really is a remarkable place.

You can find more shots from around the world at Our World Tuesday.

21 comments:

  1. Wow - what a beautiful building!

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  2. It's just amazing isn't it?
    And thanks for adding background information.
    Have a great one, Stewart!

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  3. One of the most iconic ad stunningly beautiful buildings in the world...and a testament of love. How amazing to get to see it! I wish I could. I will have to be satisfied with your wonderful photos.

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  4. aa magniificent building and I found the main problem was all the people got in the wayof the shots!! You did well.

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  5. It's 40 years since I was there and it looks as beautiful as ever. You have done well to capture a few different angles

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  6. I still remember it's intricate detailed artworks and beauty.. Nice shots!

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  7. I haven't been there, but yes there are always classical pictures before yours. That last one you took is my favorite, maybe the best for that iconic landmark.

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  8. Absolutely stunning...not enough descriptive adjectives to describe it properly. May it always remain as beautiful.

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  9. beautiful building and I think you quite succeed in capturing it in a unique way.

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  10. Did you know that when you stand at the entrance to the main building and look up at the Islamic text surrounding it, it has been deliberately spaced so that from the viewpoint of a person standing on the ground, all of the characters appear to be evenly spaced - yet the truth is that this is an illusion. They have been deliberately spaced at growing intervals higher up on the building to give that illusion. Very clever design feature indeed. Also the towers surrounding the Taj all lean out slightly, rather than being perfectly perpendicular, so that in the event of an earthquake they would topple away from, rather than onto, the main building - another unique design feature from an architect from Constantinople, or thereabouts, where earthquakes were not infrequent.

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  11. You have captured it beautifully.

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  12. It really is amazing even in pictures, I'm glad you had the opportunity to visit...thank you for sharing. I appreciated the one with the crowds and those showing the scale and the details as well as the classic shots, all together they gave a better idea of what it would be like to visit.

    ..

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  13. That's one of those places where there are always lots and lots of people. Hard not to include them in the photos. You took a nice variety of shots.

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  14. Gorgeous place and beautiful photography ~ what a great holiday for you ~ and us (visually) ~ thanks,

    Wishing you a Happy Week ~ ^_^

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  15. Thanks for that Stewart. A magnificent experience and I remember well that moment of walking through the entrance gate and swallowing a huge lump in my throat.

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  16. What an amazing building! Glad you got to see it and equally happy you shared some of your images with us.

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  17. I'd say that you totally succeeded Stewart!
    Amazing photos!

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