Skull at Agra

Posted by Richard_Irwin (Belper, United Kingdom) on 13 June 2007 in Miscellaneous and Portfolio.

This skull was washed ashore by the River Jamuna in Agra. If you look carefully, the dome of the Taj Mahal can be seen behind.

The Taj Mahal was built as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, the favorite wife of the Emperor Shah Jahan, in 1632. Though she passed so long ago, through the beauty of the building her memory lives on, bringing joy to millions who visit each year

The skull is from an unknown person, but I think it is equally beautiful, and this image is posted as a celebration of the passage of life, and the memory of all those that have lived through this world to whatever lies beyond.

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Comments (23)

Kiran Nair from Cochin, India

They are mutually exclusive. One the symbol of love. And the other of death.
Nice abstract.

13 Jun 2007 12:54am

kaveh from TEHRAN, Iran

very strong shot Richard! and actually awesome!!

13 Jun 2007 1:20am

Ming Img from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

So eerie! I have never found a skull before. Haha nice shot and story behind

13 Jun 2007 2:09am

craiger from United States

Very good composition but skulls creep me out!

13 Jun 2007 2:22am

Manuela Photography from Hainburg, Germany

Incredible find! Awesome composition Richard.

13 Jun 2007 2:56am

{H} creatives from Santa Clara, United States

Definitely a very strong image...it's kind of eerie that it just happens to end up on the river shore. Specifically curious is what caused that hole in the skull's head.

Nice shot, though. I agree with Kiran Nair on this beautiful abstract - one could argue, however, that even death cannot separate love.

13 Jun 2007 2:57am

Balpa from Ravenna, Italy

Incredible broken skull. Excellent composition.

13 Jun 2007 3:00am

Stunner from Kingston, Jamaica

Excellent and awesome shot! Superb composition!

13 Jun 2007 3:08am

maivju:z from kyoto, Japan

A really strong, moving capture.

13 Jun 2007 3:21am

Jason Kravitz from Brussels, Belgium

Great subject and write-up. The skull alone makes for an excellent photo, tying it with the Taj adds good context.

13 Jun 2007 4:47am

Claus from Herfølge, Denmark

This one would look very evil in black and white!

13 Jun 2007 6:12am

Myst from Bologna, Italy

Creepy! Superb composition! Love it too much!

13 Jun 2007 6:56am

Images by KC Photography from Redmond, United States

I agree with craiger, wonderful composition but skulls do creep me out as well LOL, but still a great shot

13 Jun 2007 9:51am

Daniel from United States

This is nice. I'd like to see the background a bit darker, so it does not distract from the skull.

13 Jun 2007 10:14am

Laurie from Lincoln, United States

Wow! Interesting find. I agree with what's said above, it's a little creepy but the composition is great. Good job!

13 Jun 2007 10:57am

Rahul from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Nice shot here and wonderful angle. The Taj in the back adds a lot to this pic. :)

13 Jun 2007 11:31am

badala from Leiria, Portugal

Fantastic.

13 Jun 2007 12:25pm

Reza from Montreal, Canada

Wow! This one is a great shot Richard! Like the composition, DoF and angle!

13 Jun 2007 1:50pm

hamidreza from Tehran, Iran

great composition and framing. excellent shot Richard.

13 Jun 2007 4:10pm

Amy from Rocky Mountain House, Canada

OK... Holy ****!!! Now this is an evocative image!! Incredible Richard... just incredible. I'm not even going to go into the technicalities of this image... don't need to... the shot says it all.

13 Jun 2007 9:00pm