AGRA BOUND
The Taj by moonlight, the mysterious Agra fort and the ruins of the never inhabited Fatehpur Sikri - these were some of the sights that made up my trip to the city of Agra. On a two day visit to the once Mughal capital, I came back with memories of beautiful Mughal architecture and imaginative glimpses into the rich pleasurable life of the Mughal dynasty.
Enter the city of Agra - and you are greeted by Akbar's tomb. It is a towering piece of architecture in red sandstone and as you drive past it, it is as if Akbar himself welcomes you into the city that was the capital of his vast empire. Further into the city, the Red Fort or the Agra fort looms large in front of you. Brick red walls that have been standing there for centuries, when there were no roads or electric poles, and when visitors or attackers galloped towards it. And a few yards away, you can just catch the white tomb of the Taj Mahal, teasing you and beckoning you towards it.
Walk into the Agra fort, and you enter a different world. Gigantic gates and high walled slopes later, is the sprawling mahal of Jehangir. A local guide will tell you that the well nearby is where he took his bath as a child. And you keep moving from one part to another, each unique serving a new purpose. Be it Shah Jahan's daughter Jahanra's palace, the Sheesh Mahal or the royal dressing room and the Diwaan-i-aam where the king sat with his courtiers and met his public. Sit there admidst the wide open spaces of the fort, watch birds flutter and fly across the dusky evening sky over minarets and tombs of dead kings and queens, and imagine a period of richness and culture.
You can only go to the Taj Mahal by a tonga, rickshaw or a battery powered vehicle to prevent pollution around it. You can take your pick of the lot. The battery powered vehicle is expensive and faster but the tonga is so much more romantic. When I got onto it, the tongawalla called his horse names ranging from dhanno to veeru! If you get onto a rickshaw, chances are that the puller will eventually veer you into a U.P handloom house because he's being paid for it. But insist on going to the Taj first for obvious reasons.
After passing through two gates, you get a peek of the Taj from the silhouetted arch of the gateway. And the wonder that befalls your eyes once face to face, is a creation that happens only once. By daylight or by moonlight, the effect of the Taj's beauty cannot be put into words. It can only be felt and admired. It's so perfect! Look at it from any angle, and it's so well balanced. The purity of it's white colour, the intricate calligraphy on it and the rising minarets cannot take your eyes off it for a moment. Walk around it, lounge around it, laze over it's marble floor and ponder over the Yamuna. This tomb of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan is flanked by two red sandstone tombs on its either side. These belong to the other two wives of Shah Jehan. You tend to feel bad for them, but they too balance and compliment the Taj.
And you can see every type of human being here. Old and young, families and honeymooners, Europeans to South-east Asians, and Indians from every corner of the country. And while stepping out, every visitor turns around, for that last glimpse of a tomb, a marvel in architecture, a piece of art, a thing of beauty, with sheer poetry in every curve. For me the Taj Mahal was not just a monument, it was an experience.
The Taj by moonlight, the mysterious Agra fort and the ruins of the never inhabited Fatehpur Sikri - these were some of the sights that made up my trip to the city of Agra. On a two day visit to the once Mughal capital, I came back with memories of beautiful Mughal architecture and imaginative glimpses into the rich pleasurable life of the Mughal dynasty.
Enter the city of Agra - and you are greeted by Akbar's tomb. It is a towering piece of architecture in red sandstone and as you drive past it, it is as if Akbar himself welcomes you into the city that was the capital of his vast empire. Further into the city, the Red Fort or the Agra fort looms large in front of you. Brick red walls that have been standing there for centuries, when there were no roads or electric poles, and when visitors or attackers galloped towards it. And a few yards away, you can just catch the white tomb of the Taj Mahal, teasing you and beckoning you towards it.
Walk into the Agra fort, and you enter a different world. Gigantic gates and high walled slopes later, is the sprawling mahal of Jehangir. A local guide will tell you that the well nearby is where he took his bath as a child. And you keep moving from one part to another, each unique serving a new purpose. Be it Shah Jahan's daughter Jahanra's palace, the Sheesh Mahal or the royal dressing room and the Diwaan-i-aam where the king sat with his courtiers and met his public. Sit there admidst the wide open spaces of the fort, watch birds flutter and fly across the dusky evening sky over minarets and tombs of dead kings and queens, and imagine a period of richness and culture.
You can only go to the Taj Mahal by a tonga, rickshaw or a battery powered vehicle to prevent pollution around it. You can take your pick of the lot. The battery powered vehicle is expensive and faster but the tonga is so much more romantic. When I got onto it, the tongawalla called his horse names ranging from dhanno to veeru! If you get onto a rickshaw, chances are that the puller will eventually veer you into a U.P handloom house because he's being paid for it. But insist on going to the Taj first for obvious reasons.
After passing through two gates, you get a peek of the Taj from the silhouetted arch of the gateway. And the wonder that befalls your eyes once face to face, is a creation that happens only once. By daylight or by moonlight, the effect of the Taj's beauty cannot be put into words. It can only be felt and admired. It's so perfect! Look at it from any angle, and it's so well balanced. The purity of it's white colour, the intricate calligraphy on it and the rising minarets cannot take your eyes off it for a moment. Walk around it, lounge around it, laze over it's marble floor and ponder over the Yamuna. This tomb of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan is flanked by two red sandstone tombs on its either side. These belong to the other two wives of Shah Jehan. You tend to feel bad for them, but they too balance and compliment the Taj.
And you can see every type of human being here. Old and young, families and honeymooners, Europeans to South-east Asians, and Indians from every corner of the country. And while stepping out, every visitor turns around, for that last glimpse of a tomb, a marvel in architecture, a piece of art, a thing of beauty, with sheer poetry in every curve. For me the Taj Mahal was not just a monument, it was an experience.
[Photo Credit: Harmanpreet Kaur]
