March 20: Agra - Taj Mahal

Take one of India's faster air-conditioned trains to the Mughal city of Agra. Agra is home to one of the world's most recognisable monuments, the Taj Mahal. Hop on to your cycle rickshaw for a tour of the city - a truly fun and Intrepid way to see the monuments of Agra. Visit the Taj Mahal - a masterpiece of shimmering white marble set amid beautiful formal gardens. Built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz, this 'teardrop on the face of eternity' (as it was described by Rabindranath Tagore) lives up to all expectations.

Visit Agra Fort on the banks of the Yamuna River. Built in 1565 by Emperor Akbar, the fort was originally designed to be a military structure. It was converted to a palace in Emperor Shah Jahan's time and eventually became his prison after he lost power in 1658. (brochure)

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We leave our hotel at 5 AM to catch a train to Agra....home to the Taj Mahal. The train station is busy at that early hour...notice the people sleeping on the hard marble floor. The train takes just 2 hours to reach Agra and we had a quickie Indian breakfast aboard the train.

Sleepers

Julie and Karen are ready to Go

We are met at the train station by our mini-bus driver and his assistant who will be transporting us through the rest of the Rajasthan trip....our mini-bus is a very nice vehicle with comfortable seats...plenty of room to stretch out and A/C. We drop our luggage at the hotel and head for Agra's Red Fort, a World Heritage Site. The walled  fort was conquered by the famous Mughal ruler, Akbar the Great, in 1526. What a beautiful fortification....a huge structure that covers 20 +acres of land....a moat filled with crocodiles greets an invader...after crossing the moat the next challenge is an large grassy area housing lions, tigers and other vicious animals....having overcome the animal guardians, a ramp surrounded by stone walls pocketed with holes allows the defenders to utilize arrows, spears and guns while hot oil is poured over the invader's incoming armies. On and on, it goes with tighter rings and higher battlements, creating difficult lines-of-fire. Enjoy the pictures, they tell the story:

Main Entrance to Fort

Parapets at Entrance

Courtyard

King's Viewing Area















Queen's Palace Area

Pool Area for Concerts






Column Detail

King's Public Hearing Area





Gardens

Group Shot

Taj Mahal ..... Everyone has heard of the Taj Mahal, a World Heritage Site. Built as a mausoleum by Mughal King Shah Jahan for his beloved wife who died in childbirth while delivering their 14th child. One comment that I will make concerning this BLOG is that the pictures you see cannot do justice to the beauty of India's forts, mausoleums  and monuments. The floors and walls were conce overed with beautiful ornate rugs...precious and semi-precious stones adorned each room.....I am talking about hundreds and in some cases thousands of jewels/semi-precious stones in a single room. Mirrors were used judiciously to multiply the effects of the carpets, gems and colors. The Taj was stripped of its precious stones by invaders that followed the Mughals. Notice some of the pictures containing water reflections.



For my grand daughter Anna. Anna, this is where I stayed one night.....the gentleman all dressed up with the fancy white uniform, red turban and beard is the hotel doorman. What a wonderful day....tired...dinner and bed!!