Saturday, November 21, 2009

Taj Mahal

I have a TON to catch up on, but a quick update on today. Drove to the Agra to see the Taj Mahal. 5 hrs there, 5 hrs back - LONG DAY!! But, the Taj Mahal is absolutely amazing. It was intricately adorned and the symmetry is something I don't know that I've ever seen. Our guide then took us to a shop where the artisans make inlaid marble items. A lot of the same stones used in the Taj are used by these artisans. One of the stones, the Cornelian, glows when a light is shone on it (or some underneath the marble). That stone is native to India only and makes the piece that much more special. There are about 25 families that do this type of craft and they are so quiet about the technique that the guide said that at times, they will marry a 1st cousin in order to keep the technique secret. (Out of 25 families, I'm not sure why a 1st cousin would be the last resort - just my initial thought.)

My brother will be posting pictures on his blog of today, so be sure to check his site.

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