India - Agra
By Red Sox Steve
Agra
I transfered from a 35 passenger bus to an autorickshaw right in the middle of a busy intersection when I arrived in Agra. When I directed the driver to go to the Taj Mahal, it was only because the south entrance to the 350 year old mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal was right near my hotel. As we drove through the city, which has an official population of 1.6 million, it was difficult to ignore that this was yet another bustling urban area, with wide busy streets and bumper to bumper traffic. After I checked into my hotel, the morning fog started to clear and I started out on foot. I could see the Taj Mahal from my hotel's rooftop, but thought it wise to get there early the next morning as opposed to rushing through in an afternoon before sunset.
The Taj Mahal is constructed on a north-south axis, facing south, which is how I knew I was heading west when I started from my hotel for some afternoon exploring. Small shops line each side of the street in the vicinity of the south entrance, and the streets are narrow and windy, so it was tough to maintain any sense of orientation as I walked. Bicycle and auto-rickshaws are the main forms of transportation in this part of town, so I hopped on one and directed him to the other major destination in Agra, which predates the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort. As the rickshaw ambled along a busy street, we passed Shah Jahan Park (named for the Mughal emperor who started construction of the Taj Mahal) on the right, and all of a sudden I saw a large, looming structure getting closer. Although I knew I wanted to see Agra Fort, I had no idea that the fort's walls would have a weather-worn reddish hue to them. As we got closer, I could make out more detail, first the structural arrangement of the fort, and then the fine carvings on the outer walls. When we pulled up, my first thought was, "this place is massive!".
After making my way through the usual cadre of hawkers and on to the entrance, I hired a guide (government-approved, recommended by the Lonely Planet, and well worth it), paid my admission fee and made my way in. The architecture and layout of the fort just inside the entrance were the first things I noticed. We had to cross a moat and go up a long alley way to get to the courtyard, but there were still many gates which sub-divided areas and structures inside the fort. We saw a great deal of sandstone even within the fort, as well as marble walls and columns and even an onyx slab used as a bench. The fort even had a battle scar from the Indian Uprising of 1857 (300 years after Emperor Akbar's modifications in 1573) - the British had fired cannonballs into the fort, cracking the black onyx tablet and a marble portico in the process. The interior of the fort was majestic and had been well maintained, which served as a constant reminder of the wealth and influence of the Mughal emperors. They were able to access human and material resources from as far away as the "Far West" (known to Westerners as the "Middle East") to construct the fort.
The one tragic story associated with the Mughals who occupied Agra Fort is that Shah Jahan, grandson of the mighty Akbar, had the Taj Mahal constructed as a tomb for his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahal. At the end of his life and before his Taj Mahal was completed, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb, and forced to remain in the luxurious fort (not such a harsh punishment) until his death. Each day, Shah Jahan, accompanied by his favorite daughter, spent time in a part of the fort called Muasamman Burj, a tower which faces the Taj Mahal. From here, he was able to monitor the Taj's construction from a distance until it was completed in 1653.
I still had a few hours of sunlight left after departing the fort, so I wanted to take in as many sights as I could before returning to my hotel. I hopped on a bicycle rickshaw and asked the driver to go to the other Mughal-era mausoleum in town, the burial place of Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal. Officially, the monument, finished in 1628, is called the Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula ("pillar of the state"); unofficially, many call it the "Baby Taj" due to its much smaller size relative to the Taj Mahal.
There were very few people there when I arrived - like its larger counterpart, architectural symmetry and fine detail govern every bit of its design. The walls of the main mausoleum are made of marble and inlaid with semi-precious stones like jasper and topaz, made into designs like cypress trees and or vases. The garden is perfectly maintained, with trees and flowers neatly placed around the courtyard. The inner walls of the secondary buildings have been worn out over time, however their external walls still maintain the detailed designs first conceived centuries ago.
After a mere 30 minutes, I had ventured to every corner of the monument, snapped sufficient photos and wanted to make one more stop before going back to my hotel: I hopped on the auto-rickshaw and the driver took me to a park along the Yamuna River. From here, I could see a rear view of the Taj Mahal across the dried up riverbed. Although implored (really, pestered) by my driver to go shopping, I decided to return to the hotel, where I could capture some shots of the Taj Mahal from the rooftop as the sun went down. I needed food and some rest because early the next morning, I would take in one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
JSAH Study of an Afghan connection
