Agra

Today was perhaps one of our most exciting days, so far. We started off early in the morning (7 am) from our hotel in Agra, and our very first destination was the one we had all been waiting for – the Taj Mahal. We met our tour guide, Mr. Jolly (who was actually very jolly, and a great tour guide) on the bus and then headed towards the Taj, which was only a short 10 minute ride away. We then stopped and boarded another small bus (a battery bus, to limit the Taj’s exposure to pollution) and made our way to the Great Gate (Darwaza-i-Rauza).

The Great Gate

The Great Gate is a magnificent preview to the Taj. And like Mr. Jolly explained, it is like a veil to the beautiful architecture of the Taj Mahal within. (If you look carefully, you can see a glimpse of the white marble of the Taj peeping out from the entry of the Gate in the picture above). Mr. Jolly then explained the history of the Taj: The Taj Mahal was built by the 5^th Mughal emperor – Shah Jahan – for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal (originally Arjumand Bano – Mughal empresses were given new names by their husbands) passed away during the birth of their 14^th child. Shah Jahan, distraught by his wife’s death, decided to build a mausoleum for her that would last forever. The Taj took 22 years and more than 20,000 workers/artisans to be completed.

We walked through the Great Gate, as Mr. Jolly explained many of the optical illusions of the Taj Mahal (For example: as you walk towards it, it seems as though it is moving away from you). As soon as you pass through the Gate, you are able to see the entire view of the Taj Mahal, which is unreal and cannot be done justice by any description. In front of the Taj Mahal is the typical four-part Persian garden (similar to what we saw at Humayun's Tomb in Delhi). 

Mosque next to the Taj Mahal

 

The Taj Mahal

SWE Overseas at Taj Mahal!

As we walked down the Persian garden/walk way, we took pictures and were able to observe the Taj’s slowly changing perspective. We then climbed onto the marble platform on which the Taj stands and entered the tomb. Before we entered, Mr. Jolly explained the exquisite marble/gem work of the artisans that Shah Jahan had employed. Precious and semi-precious gems are cut into various designs and then inlaid into the white marble (after the design has been etched away from the marble). The white marble carvings are all carved from one stone.

Marble/gem work on Taj Mahal

 Once inside the tomb, we were not able to take any pictures but were able to see more intricate marble/gem work on the tomb.

After seeing the Taj, we drove to the Agra Fort. By this time of the day, the temperature was starting to reach its maximum (113 ^oF!!) and we needed a lot more water! The Agra Fort was constructed from red sandstone by Akbar, the 3^rd Mughal Emperor. This was where the emperor Shah Jahan was later imprisoned by his own son, Aurangzeb. Once inside the fort, we got to see several buildings with beautifully intricate carvings on red sandstone and white marble.

Marble/gem work inside Fort (inside the room in which Shah Jahan was imprisoned)

View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

After seeing the Fort, we drove back to the hotel, picked up our bags and drove to Fatehpur Sikhri. On the way there, we stopped at a marble/gem work store where artisans (whose ancestors, I believe, were those employed by Shah Jahan to work on the Taj) explained their craft to us in more detail. Some of the gems they use in their artwork (and that were used in the Taj Mahal) are: Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian (translucent under light), Pearl, Jade, etc.

After this, we continued to Fatehpur Sikhri which was about 1 hr. and 15 mins. from Agra. Fatehpur Sikhri is a city that was built by Akbar in honor of a saint whose blessing, he believed, endowed him with three sons. The saint was known as Salim Chisti and his tomb is also located in Fatehpur Sikhri. We went to the palace Akbar built in this city. The palace once again consisted of many buildings, built with red sandstone and carved very intricately.

Architecture/carvings inside palace in Fatehpur Sikhri

 

Architecture/carvings inside palace in Fatehpur Sikhri

Architecture/carvings inside palace in Fatehpur Sikhri

After walking around in the palace under the scorching sun, we returned to our bus and drove to a restaurant for lunch. Lunch and water were much needed after our eventful morning! After lunch, we had a long and very bumpy ride back to Delhi, during which we got to see several rural/farming towns. Anyways, we made it back safely to our hotel in Delhi where we had a great dinner.

Today was an exhausting but exciting day, and we all can now say that we have seen the Taj Mahal - one of the Seven Wonders of the World! Tomorrow we fly out to Pune, and begin the most exciting part of our trip – outreach in Walchandnagar! But more on that later ;)

-          - Shobhita