You can visit the place any number of times. You can stand watching it for any length of time. You can photograph it in any angle. It will keep you spell bound and when you open your mouth, the exclamation will be Ah, Taj. It must easily be the most photographed building in India and identified the world over as the symbol of this country, just how the Statue of Liberty symbolizes America and the Big Ben does England.

This monumental beauty (pun intended) attracts visitors from all over the world by its sheer magnificence. It is stunningly elegant, graceful despite the size and awesome beyond words. It is inconceivable that a man could have designed and built this monument. The king has more than achieved his desire that his queen should be immortalized. He has ensured that the tragic tale of love would be told and retold many times over and for many centuries. By constructing this monument he has written his name, in indelible ink, in the history books.

The honour of hosting this timeless beauty has fallen on Agra but the city does not live up to the image of the marble edifice. The city is incredibly dirty and it appears that not even a fraction of the money collected at the entrance is spent in its upkeep. Touts, rickshaw-wallahs and beggars harass the visitors with the foreigners taking the brunt of this nuisance. There is no control whatsoever of the proliferation of cool drink stalls, dhabas and snack bars; needless to say no control on the quality of food served either.

But still, Ah Taj.