This is the Part II of Delhi, and the important one for anyone who visits Delhi. Golden Triangle tour extends the Taj Mahal Trip towards Jaipur and their palaces. We opted for a easier package tour as I had no intention to do it on my own considering the complications out there. I didnt regret to go on a packaged tour option for this leg.
Agra is little excess of 200 KMs from New Delhi however it takes forever to reach. As I heard from the guides, roughly 4 or more hours. Luckily we have an alternate – Bhopal Shatabti express train takes hardly 2 hours to get us there. Its a AC Chaircar train with the hospitality of a top airlines which was quite surprising. They serve refreshments, food in the train. Its easier to spend those two hours even before realizing.
Taj Mahal
Agra, a small city for todays standards, sits on the shores of Yamuna river. The UNESCO world heritage site Taj Mahal attracts close to 4 million visitors a year. This architecture takes the best from Turkish, Persian and even Indian architectures. They have started building this mammoth in the year of 1632 and tool 21 years to finish. Built in the memories of Mumtaz Mahal who died during the birth of 14th Child in their 18 years of married life. In her death bed, she requested Shahjahan not to marry again but to look after their childer to which Shahjahan obliged. This white marble structure sits on a square blinth. Typical to their architecture design, its octoganal which looks same from all sides. External minartes are designed to lean bit eexternally to avoid that falls on the main structure when something goes wrong.
Myth (or our guide) says that Shahjahan didnt send any of the workers back to their countries fearing they may re-create or better the Taj Mahal. To keep them engaged, he started planning for a Black Taj Mahal and seems that was close to fact as many found black marbles in the yamuna river. Unfortunately ShahJahan was overthrowned by his own son Aurangzheb and restricted his access just to the palace. How I wish he accomplished the blak one.
Another version says, he wasnt interested in black tajmahal but interested in making a pool in the garden so the silhoutte looks dark. In 2006, archealogy dept tried his version and confirmed that the Taj Mahal looked the way ShahJahan described. However, there are horrific stories how the architects, workers were killed or made to sign contracts to protect this work of Art.
There is peculiar thing goin on, broken bangles are seen most of the places where silhoutte falls.
There are some replicas and the famous ones are Aurangbad bibi ka mauqbara, one in Bangladesh.
One thing I noticed was, they had high standards and their work is flawless and extremely passionate to get the outcome. Without the technologies, they built something very extraordinary no one could deny.
Agra Fort
Agra fort is the most important for of India. The great Mughals Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jehan and Augrangzeb lived here, and country was governed from here. It contained the largest state treasury and mint. It was visited by foreign ambassadors, trvellers and the highest dignitaries who participated in the making of medieval history of India. No other for of India had this honour.
Agra for stands on an ancient site just by the river Jamuna. After Panipat war, mughals captured Agra for and a vast treasure including Kohinoor, the largest diamond in the world. Realizing importance of its central situation, Akbar decided to make Agra his capital. Hardly 30 buildings from the 500s built by mughals survived to date.
Just few kilometers from the beautiful Taj Mahal, Agra fort where ShahJahan spend his last 7 years looking at the Taj Mahal from his palace. As a exception this was not built buy Mughals but our own Indian Rajputs however enhanced by Shajahan to the current state. Like typical palaces, this has numberous halls, rooms and gardens. They lived sophisticated life and even to today’s standards, their lifestyle was super luxury. 😉
More than half of the site is controlled by Indian army where access to public is restricted. Notable structures inside the fort are, Diwan-i-khas, Hamman-i-shahi, Musamman burj khas mahal (where Shahjahan spent his last days), Nagina masjid, machchihi bhawan, angoori bagh, Jehangir Mahal, Akbari Mahal, Bengali Mahal, Diwani-i-am, Baoli and Moti Masjid.
Fatehpur Sikri
Another UNESCO world heritage site, yes all these in 2 days.. 😉
Almost near to Rajastan this city stands to date to tell the stories of Mughals. Jodhah Akbar movie was shot here. Akbar when he was 28, started building this palace as he decided to move the capital to this place. Initially this place was called Fatehbad. This palace is surrounded by a 11 km wall on 3 sides and the fourth covered by a lake.
Buland Darwaza
The very next building which means Great Gate in Persian. This was built buy Akbar to celebrate the victory that he got over Gujrat.
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