Tim Edensor - Tourists at the Taj: Performance and Meaning at a Symbolic Site

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TOURISTS AT THE TAJ

The Taj Mahal is seen by many as a symbol of India, the worlds greatest monument to love and the ultimate icon of splendid extravagance. Yet for many others it represents something quite different; a centre of Islamic power, or a national symbol of India.

For the first time, Tourists at the Taj presents an analysis of this conflict and demonstrates how the qualities which are recognised by contemporary Western tourists remain largely rooted in British colonial knowledge, contrasting with other narratives which contest these ethnocentric dispositions. Furthermore, by analysing a wide range of tourist practices at the Taj and by regarding tourist sites as stages, using the metaphor of performance to describe the culturally situated practice of travel, the author demonstrates that tourism is a continually changing set of processes rather than an epitome of particular social characteristics.

Clearly written and fascinatingly illustrated, Tourists at the Taj will be of interest to students in a wide variety of disciplines, including sociology, cultural studies and tourism. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest in India and to professionals in the travel industry.

Tim Edensor is lecturer and researcher in the department of cultural studies at Staffordshire University. He has researched extensively in tourist practices and popular culture.

INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF
SOCIOLOGY
Founded by Karl Mannheim
Editor: John Urry
Lancaster University

TOURISTS AT THE TAJ
Performance and meaning at a symbolic site

Tim Edensor

London and New York

First published 1998
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.

To purchase your own copy of this or any of
Taylor & Francis or Routledges collection of thousands of eBooks
please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Roudedge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

1998 Tim Edensor

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Edensor, Tim. Tourists at the Taj (International library of sociology) Includes
bibliographical references and index.
1. Taj Mahal (Agra, India). 2. Tourist industryIndia.
3. Popular cultureIndia. 4. Architecture and stateIndia. 5. Symbolism in
architectureIndia. 6. Great Britaincolonies. 7. IndiacivilizationBritish
influences. 8. Indiapolitics and government17651947. 9. Indiapublic
opinion. 10. Public opinionGreat Britain. I. Title. II. Series.
DS 486.A3E34 1998 985286
954 .2-dc21 CIP

ISBN 0-203-01065-5 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-17523-9 (Adobe ebook Reader Format)
ISBN 0-415-16712-4 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-16713-2 (pbk)

TO UMA, JAY AND KIM

Henceforth, let the inhabitants of the world be divided into two classesthem as has seen the Taj Mahal; and them as hasnt.

Edward Lear, 1874

Id rather go round an aeroplane works than visit the Taj Mahal.

Eduardo Paolozzi, sculptor

The Taj Mahal is only a typical illustration of how all historic buildings and townships from Kashmir to Cape Comorin, though of hoary Hindu origin, have been ascribed to this or that Muslim ruler or courtier.

Oak, 1979, 23

(The Taj) is representative of the amazing capacity of the Indian artisan to adapt himself to changed conditions and to assimilate the inspirations to which he is introduced from time to time.

Nath, 1972, 5

ILLUSTRATIONS

Figures

Frontispiece Tourist posing on bench in front of Taj

6.1 Green Agra, Clean Agra

Table

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for their support and friendship in the creation of this book. First mention must go to people in India who helped and befriended me during my stay in Agra. The staff at the Park View Hotel were enormously helpful, especially Vishnu Srivastava whose good humour and kindness made my stay there full of fun. The discussions I had with Brijesh Chandra of Agra University were very stimulating as were the suggestions of Mr Srivastava at Agra Planning Department.

I must extend a particular debt of gratitude to Professor Sinha, who accompanied me on many trips to the Taj, supplied a constant source of advice and information, and helped me to carry out many interviews. Without his assistance, the study would have been considerably poorer. Equally, I would like to thank Ahmed Iftikhar and his brothers who helped me carry out some essential work and with whom I spent many hours of stimulating chat over innumerable cups of coffee.

John Urry and Chris Rojek gave invaluable guidance and all the staff and students of Cultural Studies at Staffordshire University have provided a friendly environment in which to explore ideas. Thanks are also due to the following friends with whom I have discussed this work: David Bell, Ged Brehony, Emma Crewe, Paul Davies, Mark Gutteridge, Azzedine Haddour, Paul Hepburn, Shirin Housee, Lopa Kothari, Shanti Kothari, Tara Kothari, Tina Kothari, Gordon McLeod, Alan Myers, Tony Stacey, Phil Woodhouse and Ruth Holliday.

Above all, I must thank Rosemary Williams and Uma Kothari for their support and love.

Tourist posing on bench in front of Taj

INTRODUCTION

The worlds most famous tomb is situated next to the River Jamuna in the city of Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It is not a dominating feature of the skyline like the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, or St Pauls Cathedral, but is usually approached unseen, and is dramatically revealed upon entering the site. The Taj Mahal was constructed on the orders of Shahjahan, a Moghul emperor, as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who had died in 1631, giving birth to their fourteenth child. The Taj was completed twenty-two years later and has been a magnet for tourists almost since its completion.

As one of the most famous buildings in the world and the most renowned and recognised icon of India, there have been innumerable symbolic and metaphoric ways in which the Taj has been exploited (see Pal, 1989, 913). The name has been appropriated by Donald Trump for his casino in Las Vegas, a five-star hotel in Bombay, a blues singer and countless Indian restaurants throughout the world. Its image is found on packets of frozen food and embodied by, and embossed upon, ornaments of every kind. As a signifier of quality and magnificence, the site continues to be used in a host of metaphorical ways. After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, images were recycled of the princess sitting alone in front of the Taj, a lovelorn figure, neglected by her royal partner. The symbolic juxtaposition of the romantic qualities embodied in the Taj and a lonely woman proved irresistible to newspaper editors. Such representational practices have rendered the building something of a clich, signifying quintessential luxury, quality, romance and splendour.

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