Our delayed arrival in Agra was delayed a little further by the late appearance of the guide and the car. He had apparently not been warned by the travel agency that we had not boarded the train in Delhi and had looked for us at Agra station, nor had he been told the new time for meeting us. Obviously the day had started on the wrong foot. Nevertheless, I particularly enjoyed his look. He was dressed like a Bollywood star with jeans, sneakers, a leather jacket, well-tended moustache (even more amusing than John's), and a pair of aviators. We all made our way to the car and off we went to the first stop for the day: Agra Fort.
The majesty of the Fort could be well appreciated from a distance as we were driving along the Yamuna river. The construction of the Fort was started by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565. It was then extended by his successors, and in particular by his grandson Shah Jahan (who also built the Taj Mahal). The Fort was originally designed for warfare, but was then turned into a palace by Shah Jahan.
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| Amar Singh Gate (main entrance to the fort) |
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| Walls of the fort and now-dry moat |
We entered through the Amar Singh Gate, climbed the ramp lined with high walls up to the heart of the Fort, and arrived in Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audiences). This hall was used by the Mughal emperors to deal with day-to-day administration of their realm. Nearby in the Hall of Private Audiences (Diwan-E-Khas) the Peacock Throne once stood (before being moved to the Red Fort in Delhi), decorated with gold, silver, and precious stones (in particular the 191-carat Koh-i-noor Diamond, later acquired by "the Britishers" and recut). The throne, which supposedly cost twice as much as the Taj Mahal, was unfortunately dismantled in the 18th century in Persia.
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| Main gate to the fort |
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| Ramp leading up to the heart of the fort |
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| Hall of Public Audience |
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| Arches of the Hall of Public Audience |
From there we walked over to the Musammam Burj (the Jasmine tower) and Khas Mahal (the Private Palace), where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb for eight years until his death in 1666. At least he was able to gaze out from his ornate cell at the Taj Mahal, the tomb that he had built for his beloved wife.
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| Jasmine tower |
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| Private Palace |
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| View of the Taj from a screen window of the Private Palace |
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| View of the Taj from the Fort |
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| Jehangiri Mahal built by Akbar for his son Jehangir and later used as the main palace for women of the royal family |
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| Inside the palace of Jodhabai, Akbar's favourite wife, who was Hindu |
After the magnificent fort, which was even more impressive than its Red successor in Delhi, we headed to Itimad-Ud-Daulah, the tomb of Mizra Ghiyas Begwas (and his wife). This mausoleum, often called the "Baby Taj", was built by his daughter (the wife of Emperor Jehangir) in the early 17th century. Interestingly, Mizra Ghiyas Begwas was also the grand-father of Mumtaz Mahal (Shah Jahan's favourite wife, for whom he built the Taj). After passing beneath a finely decorated entrance gate, we reached the beautiful white marble building. The Mughal structure was similar in shape to the Taj but much smaller in scale, hence its nickname. It was covered in beautiful carvings such as the Jali, delicate lattice screens cut from white marble. Inside were exquisite examples of marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, so fine that it looked like the panels had been painted.
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| Entrance gate to the Baby Taj |
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| Team photo in front of the Baby Taj |
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| Inside the Baby Taj |
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| Tombs of Nur Jahan's parents |
Before heading over to the gardens facing the Taj Mahal for sunset, we just had time to stop for a quick glance at Emperor Akbar's Mausoleum. We peered through at the tomb from the magnificent gateway, built from red sandstone and white marble with beautiful geometric patterns. The Emperor himself designed his impressive tomb, but he died soon after the construction had begun and his son Jehangir finished it based on Akbar's plans.
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| In front of Akbar's tomb |
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| Huge entrance gate to Akbar's tomb |
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| Peering through the gate to Akbar's tomb |
From Akbar's Tomb we drove back across the bridge to Mehtab Bagh, a park originally laid out by Emperor Babur on the back of the Yamuna river. From there we had a great view of the Taj Mahal across the river while we waited for the sun to set. Apparently sunset is more impressive in the summer than in winter, but we greatly enjoyed the view of the glorious white marble building in the slowly changing light. Interestingly, we also saw the foundations of the black marble mausoleum that Shah Jahan had supposedly intended to build for himself, facing the similar version of his beloved wife. His plans were interrupted when his ambitious middle son Aurangzeb imprisoned him (and killed his elder and younger siblings) to seize the throne.
Shah Jahan himself had led a revolt against his own father, so Aurangzeb was really just following the parental example.
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| View of the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh |
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| A scenic walk for goats |
Our eyes filled with beautiful sights, we came back to the hotel where we had a tasty dinner before going to bed ready for an early start the next day.
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