Hearing the effort that Shah Jahan expended on behalf of his wife, I was filled with a new enthusiasm and, as I stepped through the gate, I couldn't help but gasp. Rising up towards the clouds, the the stark white of the building pierced the blue sky. The Taj Mahal conjures heaven, but it was actually the craftmanship that astounded me. The walls of the building were so delicately carved, that they almost resembled an impressionist painting.