Tori and Alex's Indian Odyssey: Part Three - Agra

Welcome to Part Three!

Second one in the same weekend. I am a good girl :)

AGRA

 So to remind you of the ending of Part Two, I had survived the turn over into 2012 with a sore stomach and no hangover. I forgot to include these wee gems last time:

Our 'supplier'.

Naughty Alex

Naughty Diana

Those who did see midnight.

Upon arrival in Agra, I admit to looking longingly at my bed in the hotel, but not wanting to miss out on anything I headed to Agra Fort with a few of my tour mates. It was a dreary day and with the less than excited description of the fort from D, I was not anticipating much, but was wonderfully impressed.

The Entrance to Agra Fort

So here starts your history lesson for the day: Agra Fort has an ambiguous age, due to it's many additions and reconstructions, but is mentioned in history as early as the beginning of the 10th century. The Sultan who ruled from the fort held it, and the city as the capital, until the Islamic Mughals (Persian descendants of Genghis Khan) captured it in 1526. The most elaborate and extensive renovations of the fort were carried out by Akbar, who favoured the red sandstone of Rajasthan and then by his grandson Shah Jahan, who destroyed some parts of the fort to re-build in his preferred white marble. Shah Jahan later built the Taj Mahal in the same style, choosing the site for the mausoleum specifically as he could see it over the river from his apartments at the fort. As Shah Jahan's expensive taste in architecture began to bankrupt the country, he was usurped by his son and imprisoned in the fort, where he died 8 years later, all the time able to see the Taj Mahal, the resting place of his most beloved wife.

Shah Jahan's white marble apartments, with the river in the background.

Inside the bed chamber with Alex and Caroline

The sun breaking through the clouds behind the fort.

As you may have guessed, the Taj Mahal was visible and this was my first glimpse of the famous building:

It is actually indescribable how awe inspiring that moment was. I have seen so many pictures of the Taj Mahal, but they truly do it no justice, even from that distance in the early morning fog. We headed back to the others, my stomach issues quite forgotten in the excitement, to report back and get ready for the afternoon trip to see the Taj Mahal. I decided to put in a bit of effort, and fished out my make up and put on a dress for the first time. I figured I bought it all that way, and it was my first experience of seeing a Wonder, or World Heritage Site, I may as well dress the part!

We caught a bus to the beginning of the park surrounding the monument and got out to get tickets and get on an electronic bus. In an intelligent and green friendly move by India, gas powered vehicles are not allowed within 3 km of the gardens and main buildings. As with most entry fees in India the price for tourists was significantly higher than for Indian citizens but when we saw how long their queue was, we weren't too bothered!

A non gas powered transport :)

In the white people's queue with Robyn, Abby and Peggy

Lex and me, getting seriously excited now.

No pens, cell phones etc..

Ok, more history and information. So Emperor Shah Jahan's third wife, Mumtaz Mahal (Jewel of the Palace) died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. She was reputedly a woman of extraordinary beauty, and Shah Jahan promised her a resting place worthy of her beauty. The white marble used to build the main structure was brought over 400km from Rajasthan on 1,000 elephants. 

The main tomb took 12 years to complete, with the surrounding area taking a further 10, using a labour force of 20,000 workers. As expected, the Taj Mahal was defaced by the British, who chiselled the precious stones out of the marble, but they redeemed themselves in 1908 with extensive restoration, and the damage inflicted is not recognisable today.

It is decorated with gemstones and paintings of flowers using crushed lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade and sapphire. Being a Muslim monument, there are no depictions of animals or people but there is an Arabic inscription around the main entrance that is mirrored on the gate. It is this inscription that makes the Taj Mahal so extraordinarily impressive, as when viewed from the ground the inscriptions appear symmetrical, however as they get higher they get bigger, so the perspective does not affect the perfect symmetry of the building or area. The only non-symmetrical aspect of the whole area is Shah Jahan's grave, next to his wife's (who is centred), as he never envisaged resting next to her.  

The entire surrounding buildings and garden provide perfect symmetry to the Taj Mahal itself, with the Museum on the left designed to look the same as the Mosque to the right. The gardens match on both sides and even the water features help as they reflect the building. The gate's architecture recalls that of the Red Fort in Delhi and is an impressive structure in it's own right. The gate is solely designed to ensure the first sight of the Taj Mahal is framed beautifully, and even in the crowds your view is unimpeded as you walk through.

Brace yourself: there are quite a few photos of the Taj Mahal, it was one of the most singularly incredible moments of my life so far, and the whole area is amazingly photogenic, and it is therefore very hard to pick only one or two!

The Gate

Panorama taken directly in front of the gate,

Alex and me just inside the gate.

Demonstrating the symmetry

The "Princess Diana" Pose, on the seat she sat on. Robyn drawing attention to me on the right, and our posse of Indian followers on the left.

OMG it's like totally the Taj Mahal!

I absolutely loved watching the people trying to get the shot of them "holding" the Taj Mahal. They looked RE-diculous. On the left, Monique and Christina doing their best :)

The shoe covers we had to wear on the white marble.

Alex defacing the Taj Mahal with her uncovered shoe. For SHAME.

Slightly out of context screen display in the mosque.

By the side , with my shoes. The main entrance is on the left.

From left:
Back Row: Me, Robyn, Alex, Abby, Christina, Cara, Stephen, Brie
Front Row - Caroline, Diana, Monique, Peggy

And that concludes the Agra part of our trip. So far, India had surpassed all my expectations, and just kept throwing experiences at me that were so incredible I was slightly pessimistic that the rest of the trip would pale in comparison. But nothing can really beat spending the first day of a new year in the shadow of such a magnificent place.