The Taj Mahal Is Collapsing

the mahal is spectacular…and can make you realize what civilizations were capable of before north america was what it is….but nearby Fatehpur Sikri is also amazing…indeed the whole country…you should go!

my pics are here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liketearsintherain/sets/72157626230180868  /

and here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liketearsintherain/sets/72157603417123084  /

Saw it when I was a kid in ’75. Remember it pretty well, actually. Particularly the magicians around it.

http://boingboing.net/2011/09/28/penn-tellers-magic-and-mystery-tour-e xploring-magics-roots-in-china-india-and-egypt.html

i was there last year. well worth the visit. I am told often that its best to visit during the cold months in north India because the summer heat is scorching and the crowds are busier during the summer. Also, check out the local squirrels in the area, they tend to be quite friendly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGFMApBdImQ
That’s a short video I recorded Last year.

Having visited there this summer I have to say I’m not at all surprised to hear it might collapse.

Don’t get me wrong it’s a beautiful, breath-taking piece of architecture and I’m sure there is some ingenious way a collapse could be prevented but seeing as how the current caretakers can’t even be bothered to pick up the trash around it, prevent people from blatantly scratching graffiti on it, or even encourage locals not to piss in it (seriously – WTF India?), I doubt anything will be done.

I went twice, once in 1994 and again in 2005. In 1994 you could go at dawn if you paid something like $20. The price went down to something like 2c a few hours later. I thought it was a good way to ensure all Indians could all afford to go there, but foreigners could pay more for something special. At dawn it was eerie and empty and unbelievably beautiful. No crowds to distract you. (Albeit, there was still the Bollywood music over the loudspeakers to distract you.) When I went again in 2005 they had changed it so the Indians still only paid about 2c and foreigners and non-resident-Indians paid heaps, regardless of what time you went. Dawn was still pretty empty though. A lot of tourists (or “travellers” – huh! there’s so little difference! Even if you travel for 2 years with a backpack – and I have – you’re still basically a tourist, no matter how you try to justify it) Anyways, so many tourists complain about this unfairness, but in a very poor country they need the money for maintenance, and the TM needs a lot of constant maintenance, even without attending to the foundations. If they made it an average price for all, most Indians wouldn’t be able to afford to see one of their most beautiful treasures. Oh, and one more thing about it: one of the most surprisingly things about it is that close up it is not pure snowy white – it is COVERED in marble inlays in black, blue, red, green etc. It’s just so bloody big you don’t see that at a distance.