Going in Style

On Tuesday we left Delhi and headed to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.  I'm so excited to see the Taj!  It's definitely towards the top of my must-see bucket list, and on Wednesday I'll get to check that box.  As a sort of warm-up, we visited two tombs today en route to Agra.  I'm telling you, the Indian rulers knew how to build a tomb.  Wow!!!! So beautiful!!! The workmanship...the artistry...the splendor!!! I'll give you a little glimpse of what we saw.  First up is Humayun's tomb, built in 1569 by Humayan's son Akbar.  It is a UNESCO world heritage site, and I can certainly see why.

Made of red sandstone, this beautiful gem of Mughal architecture just glows in the sunlight.  

 The screens are carved out of one massive piece of sandstone.

 White marble and red sandstone inlay

 Notice the star of David.  In the Mughal empire, it was a fertility symbol.

Next up was the tomb of I'timad-ud-Daulah.  Say that five times fast.  I dare you.  This tomb is also known as the Baby Taj, as it was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.  And now here comes your Mughal history/genealogy lesson for the day.  The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  The Baby Taj was built by Shah Jahan's stepmother for her parents, who were the grandparents of Mumtaz Mahal, who in turn was the niece of Shah Jahan's stepmother.  Got that?  Clear as mud, right?  And you thought your family was complicated....

This place is so beautiful.  From a distance, it actually looks like the outside is made of lace.  It's an illusion created by the beautiful carving and intricate inlay work called pietra dura, which uses tiny pieces of semi-precious stones like lapis, malachite, carnelian, black marble and mother of pearl to create each and every tiny flower petal and leaf.  All the flowers and colorful marble work in the photos below are examples of pietra dura.  

All the screens were hand carved out of single pieces of marble.

A sarcophagus marking the burial spot.  The body is actually buried eight feet below ground as all Muslims must be buried underground.  The sarcophagus is really just a burial marker.

Pretty incredible, right?  When it comes to elaborate tombs, the Egyptians had nothing on these people.  And just think, this is just a warm-up for the incredible Taj Mahal still to come!