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Other entries in Agra

Agra, India

May 23

Updated: May 24

After defeating the last Lodi Sultan in 1526, Babur sent his son Humayan to capture Agra and the Moghul dynasty begun here.  It was his son then, Akbar the Great, who ruled the Moghul empire from 1556-1605.  He first constructed the fort at Fatehpur Sikri, but soon realized Agra to be a more suitable capital.  

I wake up early to see the sunrise over the Taj Mahal, but it is cloudy and raining!  Overall, I can't complain the weather on my trip since the first few days in Hawaii has been ooutstanding, not compromising a single activity.  On top of some stomach problems and a poor sleep, I'm not in a prime mood.  Nonetheless, I'm en route to the Taj by 6am, having borrowed an umbrella from the hotel.

The driver parks a fair distance away, as no pollution-generating vehicles are allowed inside a 500m perimeter now.  So after a short rickshaw, we are entering the south gate.

Wow.

Even in rainy weather, it is hard to fathom the enormity and beauty of this creation.  It is a massive, all-marble temple giving off different shades of grey, cream and white depending on the lighting.  The Taj stands at the north end of the complex, with vast gardens enclosed by the walls and three great gates.  There are channels of water ("rivers") from each direction dividing the gardens into four, as per Islam's Gardens of Paradise.  These rivers meet in the centre at al-Kawthan, the Celestial Pool of Abundance, mentioned also in the Koran.

Shah Jahar was Moghul ruler in the 1600's.  His favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahaldied shortly after giving birth to her 14th child in 1631.  Devastated by her death, the Shah set out to create an unsurpassed monument to her and their love.  A poet once described the Taj as a "tear on the face of eternity", which makes sense knowing his mission and motivation.  Shah Jahar spent the next 22 years completing this marvel - the same number of years that he had courted and been married to his wife.

Koranic verses are inlaid around the front entrance, designed such that all characters are scaled to look identically-sized when viewed from the ground.  There is a huge white marble dome topping the square structure, with four domed towers on the corners.  An interesting tidbit from my guide is that the four towers are tilted by 3 degrees, in case of an earthquake, to never topple into the Taj!

Inside are the tombs - first of his wife in the centre and then his own alongside.  The actual bodies are buried in a another crypt in the exact same positions, but 7ft below.  There is only natural lighting, so it's a bit dim with the cloud cover today.  But Amrish, my guide illuminates some of the stonework and inlaid marble with his flashlight to fully appreciate the incredible craftsmanship.  20,000 men from all over Asia combined to create this monument over the 22 years.  No pix are allowed inside the Taj, but it's a high echoing octagonal chamber with marble screens and inlaid marble adorning the walls.

Outside, facing west of course (Mecca) is an impressive attractive mosque.  On the opposite east side of the complex is a duplicate structure with no other use or significance than to preserve the perfect symmetry.  

Amrish was worried about my reaction to the weather, but is pleased when the overwhelming beauty of the place makes me disregard the rain entirely, and as if successfully "weathering" that test, we are soon rewarded with breaking skies and the emergence of the sun in time for some great pix.

While in the courtyard, I meet Mary Ann - who puts my "first retirement" to shame!  From NYC, and facing a major mid-life crisis as she put it (no further details), she embarked on a worldwide journey.  That was four years ago!  And she actually returns home in two days time.  We compare travel stories, exchange emails and chat over a water break.

It's difficult to turn away from this remarkable creation - truly one of the world's wonders.  But I have a strange comforting sense that I will return to enjoy it again one day.

The nest stop is Akbar's mausoleum at Sikandra.  Now nothing compares with the Taj, but this design is impressive in its own right.  Akbar's preference was for the bold masculine red sandstone monuments, here - mush like his fort at Fatehpur Sikri. 

After walking through the enormouse "Gateway of Magnificence" (which I might rename my front door), there is a huge courtyard divided into the four gardens per Islamic custom.  The Koranic translation around the entrance seems apt; "These are the gates of Eden, enter here and live forever."  Within the park, there are dozens of antelope grazing and dozens more of long-tailed langur monkeys - calm, curious and amusing!

In the centre of the gardens is the mausoleum, beautifully ornate, with a few marble domes atop (added by his son after his burial).  Some of the rooms still show painted ceilings and walls.  From the south side, there is a ramp descending to the underground crypt - a room fed by soft sun rays, where Akbar's grave lies in the middle.  An elderly Muslim man sings and the reverberating echo is incredible, amplified by the octagonal shape and high domed roof.

The third stop of the day is Itmad-ud-Daulah, the tomb of Mirza Ghiyath Beg, an important official to Akbar and later his son Jahaingir.  The story goes that Jahaingir fell in love with Ghiyath Beg's daughter, Nur Jahan.  However, Akbar wouldn;t allow his son to marry her, and sent her away to marry a distant warrior.  As soon as his father eventually passed away, Jahaingir declared war and ensured that her husband was a casualty.  As was customary, he invited the new widow to join his harem, and she soon became his beloved and favourite wife.  She eventually became powerful, wielding control over much of the empire.

One of her requests of her husband was to build this mausoleum for her farther and relatives.  Nicknamed the Baby Taj, it was constructed earlier, and pioneered much of the intricate marble  and stone inlay art that was used in the Taj.

Later in the afternoon, we begin touring Agra Fort, on the Yamuna River, about 2km from the Taj Mahal.  Originally built by Akbar in the 1560's, it was expanded upon by his successors.  It is well fortified with a high outer wall, a water moat, a dry moat where tigers and crocodiles could be released, and then the inner wall.  Deeper entry beyond the massive gates had to be made up a long walled ramp, where boulders could be rolled down or hot oil spilled upon would-be attackers.  

There is the usual Hall of Public Audience, two specific palaces for princesses and the King and Queen's sleeping quarters surrounded by hollow walls where running water and harem members with fans would create a cool breeze through the carved marble screens.

On the way back to the hotel, I stop and see a family who carry on the handed-down craft of inlaid marble art that their ancestors used to decorate the Taj Mahal.  The manual effort and concentration to create a trinket or a statue or an elaborate marble table top is amazing.

After that, I go back to the hotel to escape the 45 degree heat and relax.  My stomach doesn;t feel like eating (rare I know), so I forego dinner, write my journal and pack for the early journey to Khajuraho tomorrow.

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