ABSTRACT
The Taj Mahal, in Agra, is certainly one of India’s most important iconic buildings and tourist sites, if not its most famous one. It also is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Shortly after returning from India, I attended a party and got into a conversation about our trip with a woman who had been to India a number of years ago. “I only went to India,” she said, “because I wanted to see the Taj Mahal. I remember when I first saw it. I stood mesmerized by it, unable to take my eyes off it, almost hypnotized by its unbelievable beauty.” We can contrast this “romantic” description of the building’s significance with the description of a friend, a former editor of mine, who told me he had been to India and seen the Taj Mahal. “What did you think of it?” I asked. “It’s a big white building,” he replied.
