31st Birthday at the Taj Mahal a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Namaste from the Taj Mahal in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh. Many of you may know of this mighty marble mosque/tomb.  The Taj sits on the south bank of the winding Yamuna River across the river are gardens that are part of the elaborate Mughal garden that encompasses almost 17 hectares.  I’m excited to be here for my birthday as it is another one of India’s world heritage sites. (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO))

I arrived the night before looking for the hotel. didn’t get much sleep as I was very hot and uncomfortable, plus thinking about my age of 31, there were mosquitoes in the room and it was just overall a very uncomfortable hot night that did not assemble much sleep. Shortly after I fell asleep I woke up at 5 am to get a move on. I heard that if you get there early enough you may be the first one in to get a really clean photo of the Taj and the gardens. So when it was still dark I headed to the  que

. As I’m sure there were various employees that work on the grounds that were there in the gardens and inside before me, I was indeed the first tourist and from it looked like the first to enter on the day of.  I snapped some really good photos, and had a nice lady take my photo before anyone else came through the gates. Overall the entire day was great, but an unforgettable experience to have your photo taken with the ultimate back drop with no one else around.
Have a look at some of the many photos I snapped.

Manusharow- drewmanity.com- The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The mighty Taj – commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, is the jewel of Muslim art in India and recognized around the world.

taj mahal- agra -india-manusharow drewmanityWhat an opportunity to be in Incredible India on my birthday and to have a wonderful photo with these wonderful women.

Drewmanity.com-The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

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The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

Happy birthday- First in line Taj Mahal-

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

sunrise-taj-mahal-river-agra-india-drew-manusharow

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The Taj Mahal- Unesco World Heritage site. Agra District of Uttar Predesh, India.

The mighty Taj – commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, is the jewel of Muslim art in India

 

Bull at railway station is everyday India

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Bull at Train station… seriously?

Here in the photo is a huge black bull that i captured at the Agra Railway Station. I was a bit nervous. But allegedly this is normal, even at Indian railway stations.

The best part about this photo is hard to see. The bull is standing next to the fan that is blowing out somewhat cool air, this weekend has been a humid and hot one. The bull knows best to stand next to that old fan cooler.

Photos from Fort in Uttar Predesh, India.

Here’s the beautiful Agra Fort, the sister to the Taj Mahal. And incredibly hot summer September day touring around the fort made fro a great story and some sweet photos.

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Inside Agra Fort, Agra India

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inside Agra fort. Foreground, two pilgrims sit for a break in the shade, in the distance two Europeans sit..

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this is the elaborate room inside the Musamman Burj, where Shah Jahan spent the last seven years of his life under house arrest by his son Aurangzeb, he later was barried next to his bride in the Taj Mahal..

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The Taj Mahal in the distance

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A section of the inner wall.

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