Agra, Jan 27--29

detail of carving

Fatehpur Sikri--a stop on our way to Agra

Taj from across river

It's probably some sort of optical illlusion, but the farther away from the Taj Mahal, the larger it appears, and it is impressive at any distance. We see it just casually when we arrive in Agra, driving by and then taking a little hike to a spot across the river from it. We take some photos before the military shoos us away. We bring to his attention that others are also there whom he isn't shooing away, but I guess we look more radical than the normal Indians. We make arrangements, after driving around for quite some time to find the correct office, to visit the Taj at full moon the next night.

our treat for a long drive to Agra

Meanwhile, we do a little shopping and try to find a shop with a little replica of the Taj in marble as well as some other items. We also find a nice coffee shop and enjoy the chance to regroup again while we plan the day tomorrow. Nice Italian coffee is always a treat, although we've had some fine coffee here in India.

it's really amazing to be here

pretty mysterious looking, huh?

We enter the gate a few minutes after 7 am and proceed through the garden area to the inside gate and get a glimpse of the famous building through the Gothic arch. It is swirled in mysterious fog. I use the word mysterious to assuage our disappointment that we won't be seeing it in bright sun light. But it does give an aura of mystery. We spend 2 hours walking around this lovely and romantic building. The marble gleams and little specks of stone glimmer even without direct sun. Inside the dome in the center lies the emperor Shah Jahan's favorite wife; his crypt lies to the side of her. Actually, the real bodies lie in the basement of the Taj and nobody can go down there. Everything is white marble with inlay of carnelian, lapis lazuli, turquoise and malachite in intricate flower patterns and designs. Stunning! We wander for a couple of hours, look at each section (it's smaller up close) take a few more photos and depart back to our hotel for breakfast. We are looking forward to seeing this gorgeous structure in the moonlight.

entering the Agra Fort

Meanwhile, we visit Agra Fort which was built by Akbar in 1565, transformed into a palace, and finished by his grandson Shah Jahan who built the Taj. It had been covered in rich paintings and gold leaf, with Persian rugs and silk curtains. All this opulence was seized by mogul kings as they invaded and finished off by the British.  It is a very large area and is incredible to envision all the rich dressings that adorned the now-plain walls and floors. Still, there are beautiful carvings and jalis, which is a screen carved out of one piece of marble. That, in itself, is pretty unbelievable.

carved from single piece of marble

Some dinner, and then it is almost time for the evening viewing of the Taj. This takes place only 5 days out of a month, the night of the full moon and 2 days before and after it. The moon is rising as we eat dinner, but there is a fog/smog that is forming. Actually, there has been quite a lot of smog, and no wonder; every little group of people make a fire with the trash they sweep up. It's the case in every town and village that we have seen. But since we had to buy our tickets yesterday, and this is our last night in Agra, we must go, smog or no.

the Taj at night--kind of dark but visible

It's a very secure and somewhat complicated way that the Indians have this night visit set up. First, you must buy your tickets ahead of time at a special office; you need a copy of your passports to sign up. Then you must show up an hour ahead of schedule, go through airline quality security and get on a special bus that carries rifle-toting military personnel. They drive you to the east entry gate, you get out of the bus and walk through the gate, but not before your identity is checked again. So, we do all this and finally get in the grounds of the Taj. Just as I suspected, we aren't allowed to go up to the building at all. The Taj is not lit at night, so we are depending on the moonlight which, unfortunately, is not forthcoming because of the smog. Still, there's a very faint glow, and I can get a photo which is visible but barely.

an Indian classic--riding on top of the train

As we leave Agra, we come across a classic Indian scene--a local train with about 300 people on the top.  We've heard about this and we've also seen it in movies, but I never expected to see it in real lifet.  We are so lucky!