Walking through the east gate of Taj Mahal’s gardens I was filled  with an overwhelming sense of anticipation and apprehension - after all the Taj is on everyone’s list of wonders to see. Can anything built by man be that beautiful?

The answer is, quite simply, “yes”.

Poring over a hundred photographs, reading a dozen guide books, listening to countless travellers’ tales all prepare you for its appearance - nothing prepares you for the sheer wonder, nor its stunning, overwhelming beauty.

You are drawn toward the magnificent marble mausoleum, each stride filling you with more wonder and, once beneath the impossible whiteness of its majestic dome, you are loathe to leave.

I have never before walked away from a sight and be compelled -every few strides - to turn and gaze again at this stunning monument. Later, a mile away, in my hotel - the aptly named Taj View - I was drawn again and again to gaze upon its opulence, even through the heat haze of an Indian afternoon.