The Reality Behind the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India (Literally)

Photo by author

The Taj Mahal needs little introduction. Rising from the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, it is one of the most famous monuments in the world. The Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal and took over two decades and thousands of workers to complete. Today, the Taj Mahal attracts over six million visitors per year and some estimate its cultural and economic value in the billions.

I visited the Taj Mahal right before I started my anthropological fieldwork in Udaipur, India. Being at a place that I have seen in photos, films and magazines so many times is undescribable and surreal. The Taj Mahal is truly breathtaking with the magnificent symmetry and the magical way the white marble changes color with the sunlight as the sun rises.

But there is a reality that is quite literally behind the Taj Mahal that we do not see in photos, films and magazines. That is, the life of people living around the Taj. Whereas cities like Agra live off tourism revenue from monuments like the Taj Mahal, that wealth rarely benefits the city's poorest. Many locals work informally as rickshaw drivers, street vendors, or ticket hustlers, often earning barely enough to get by.

Photo by author

Photo by author

Photo by author - The view behind the Taj Mahal, riverbanks where some people make their livelihoods

And so there is a sharp contrast between the beauty and cleanliness of the Taj Mahal grounds and the street life right behind. From the rooftop of our hostel we got a peek into the lives of people in Agra: rooftops in construction where children play and young people chat. The streets of Agra, however, were particularly emotionally difficult for me to navigate, especially around the train station where most tourists and travellers arrive.

Agra is one of the places with the most child beggars I have seen in my travels so far.

Photo by author - Youth hanging out on rooftops in Agra

Getting out of the rickshaw to the station to leave Agra, we had multiple children hanging onto our bags. I never give money to child beggars as this can perpetuate exploitation. Child begging often is not voluntary, meaning children may be forced to beg by adults, sometimes by family but often by organized networks that exploit children for profit. However, these children were not asking for money. Instead, they grabbed onto the small snacks and water bottles that we had.

Knowing you need clean drinking water for your 8+ hour train ride, but also seeing how desperately these children reach for your last bottle and in the emotional chaos of the moment: What would you do? Do you firmly hold onto your bottle, while a child is pulling on the other side, trying to get out of your hands?

I have tears in my eyes just thinking back of those moments. No amount of years of studying anthropology, philosophy and ethics prepare you for practical situations like these. In such moments, ethical dilemmas cannot be solved rationally, emotions are always involved. And the most heartbreaking thing for me was that as soon I looked in the eyes of these children with tears in mine, they registered my emotion as an opportunity and pulled harder saying ‘please water please’. And so when I did not want to give up my last bottle after giving some away, I started looking away, ignoring them.

This I find the hardest thing about facing such immense inequality. I always try to look people in the eyes and greet them with a smile because I feel like that is the way to establish connection and recognise each other as persons. But in situations like these, I cannot always do it, which goes against all of my core values. At the same time, the fact that I can look away is an immense privilege.

Poverty in India is a complex and deeply rooted issue shaped by history, caste, colonialism, economic policy, and structural inequality. While India has made significant progress in reducing extreme poverty over the past few decades — especially since the liberalisation of its economy in the 1990s — millions still live without secure access to food, healthcare, education, housing, and clean drinking water.

The best you can do to help these people is find local NGOs that work to improve the circumstances for and with these communities. And if you decide to travel to Agra or elsewhere in India, make sure you hire local guides and avoid spending time in resorts as their revenues usually do not feed back into the local economy. We stayed in Joey's hostel, where we were well received by friendly staff. Although I am not sure who owns the hostel, the staff was able to recommend us local and certified guides to visit the Taj Mahal and the many other sightseeing locations in Agra, such as the 'Baby Taj' (see photo below).

Photo by author - Baby Taj

Travel has a way of offering beauty and discomfort in the same breath. It shows us what dazzles—and what hurts—without always giving us clear answers. Sometimes all we can do is stay open to both.

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