India's Gem

Agra was the best place we visited in India! We went to the Agra Fort, Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb, and finally, the TAJ MAHAL! With our new Indian outfits and Fodor's tour book (always a necessity) we were ready for our long day ahead.

 

Where is Agra? Here's a map that shows where we've been. MUMBAI (Bombay) to DELHI to AGRA. We had planned to go to Jaipur, but because of safety/liability reasons, our company decided it was best we didn't go there alone. If we weren't here during the off-season, six hours west of Jaipur is where you can do overnight camel excursions through the sand dunes! Next time I come back I also want to go to the far east section of the country on the map towards the Himalayas, where there are beautiful mountain ranges to go backpacking. South of Bombay along the west coast, popular beach and backwater destinations are Goa and Kerala, which would be beautiful to visit too.

After a long 4 hour drive to Agra in the morning (that I obviously slept through), we arrived at the Fatehpur Sikri. This stop was supposed to be on of the best, but it didn't go according to planned. In our tour book they warned us about relentless hawkers that won't leave you alone, but it was worse than I imagined! About a mile away on the road by a run down village there men stood in the middle of the road, refusing to move, and stopped us asking if we needed a tour guide. They actually expected to get in our car for the rest of the drive! Then when we arrived at the empty parking lot, men and boys (yes- no women) surrounded our car tapping on the windows and waiting for us to get out. Our driver was there to protect us (even though he doesn't speak ANY English), but in order to get to the site we had to park and take a bus to there. Fodor's did not mention this! I guess the rules had changed. Our driver told us we had to take our heavy backpacks we had in the car filled with computers, iPods, etc. with us so no one would break into the car. NO THANK YOU. A bunch of girls with thousands of dollars on them in electronics, walking through old ruins in the middle of no where, with a driver who would probably hand us over if life threatened, and a car with a stick (that none of us know how to drive) to escape- sounds like a perfect first scene of a horror movie right? In all seriousness, it was actually really sketchy, so we left, and apparently missed out on some beautiful ruins. Better to miss out on that than the rest of my life! 

  

Arriving at the Agra Fort was a relief! Since it is a huge tourist destination, everything was organized with signs reassurance we were safe! The fort (palace), was built by Akbar, his son Jahangir, and his grandson Shah Jahan. It contains royal apartments, mosques, assembly halls, and a dungeon. A massive 69 foot wall surrounds the fort for 1.5 miles in a triangular shape. When Shah Jahan took over the throne in 1628 when his father Jahangir died, he destroyed many of Akbar and Jahangir's buildings, and built his own inside the fort. We sat on Shah Jahan's black marble throne (which isn't the throne I had imagined- its just a square slab of marble), with the Yamuna River and Taj in the distance. Many years later, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, in a tower in the fort along the Yumuna River, with a view of the Taj Mahal (that Shah Jahan built). The views of the Yumuna River (dirty now, but hundreds of years ago must have been nice!) and Taj Mahal were beautiful from every window and balcony in the fort! In addition to the view, parts of the fort were lined on the inside with white marble. If I were a Shah Jahan, I'd be sitting on my marble balcony looking at the Taj every day.

 

 

Mughal Era Confusion? This list of generations should make things a little easier:

1) Babur: the founder of the Mughal Empire in India in 1526

2) Humayun: succeeded throne in 1530

3) Akbar: succeeded throne in 1556

4) Jahangir: succeeded throne in 1605

5) Shah Jahan: succeeded throne in 1627; led the golden age of Mughal architecture (Taj Mahal)6) Aurangzeb: succeeded throne in 1658-1707- when the Mughal Empire started to weaken (although it was in power until 1858 when the British took over)

Building our way up to see the Taj, we stopped at Imad-ud-Daulah's Tomb (The "Baby Taj") next. It was one of the smallest tombs we have seen, but the detailed marble was so intricate! I think it is my second favorite place we visited, after the Taj Mahal of course. It was built by Jahangir's favorite wife, Nur Jahan, for her father who became Jahangir's chief minister. It was built by workers from Persia with brown and yellow Perisan marble and marks the first use of Persian marble inlay. It is said to be the inspiration for the Taj Mahal, giving it the nickname "Baby Taj". This type of architecture has such a powerful presence. Even something small like this was breath taking. We didn't end up getting to see the inside of the Taj Mahal, so I can only imagine after seeing this what it would have looked like.

 
    

AND THEN...it was finally time to go to the Taj Mahal, India's most famous architectural wonder!

I've always believed in the saying: a picture captures a thousand words...but not this time! The Taj Mahal's true beauty is impossible to capture in a photograph. Every picture I've seen online and taken myself looks like it was edited in photo shop. It looks incredible in pictures, but in real life, you are able to take in the color, size, location, air, sounds, and life surrounding the Taj- which I think is the only way to grasp its grand presence.

The story behind the Taj Mahal is a tale of love and loss. While 14 year old Shah Jahan was walking through a bazaar, he fell in love at first sight with a beautiful Muslim Persian princess, Arjumand Banu, who was 15. Five years later, they got married and when Shah Jahan became Emperor, he named her Mumtaz Mahal, meaning "Jewel of the Palace". He had other wives, but she was his favorite. She died when she was giving birth to their 14th child, and on her deathbed, she begged him to build a monument so beautiful that the world would never forget their love. He built the most beautiful monument in the world over her grave. Begun in 1632, it took 20,000 laborers 17 years to complete the tomb. When Shah Jahan died in 1666, his tomb was placed nexts to Mumtaz Mahal, and the masoleum became known as the Taj Mahal and one of the 7 Wonders of the World. The Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace".  Directly under the dome Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are buried in a crypt below their tombs (so no one would ever walk over their graves).

  

We hired a tour guide, who claimed to also be a model, which was great because he retold the history and extra stories about the Taj. We thought we were really lucky because we happed to be visiting during the "Death Anniversary", so we got in for free! Our tour guide also got us to cut the entire entrance line, saving about two hours. However, we realized we weren't so lucky when we say a four hour line wrapping around the base of the Taj to go inside. Since it was already 4pm and they closed at 6, there was no chance of us walking on the top terrace or seeing the inside. o(our tour guide didn't have that much leverage). Instead we wandered around the base, looking up at all the intricate detail and beautiful marble! I've never seen anything like it! Our tour guide burst out laughing when I called the white marble dome on top of the Taj an onion dome (which is how it is described in my book!). They call it the crown. Words really can't describe its beauty. I was so impressed with the emotions that were expressed through its powerful presence as well after learning about the story. I could have sat on the lawn and stared at the Taj all day long. It is supposed to be a light pink at sunrise and a pumpkin orange during sunset. So pretty!