Agra, India: The Taj Mahal

After a day in Delhi we hopped on a train headed towards Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Once there, we spent a few hours looking for a room before getting frustrated and taking a break for dinner. Finally we found a room and turned in so we could be up early for sunrise.


Sadly, sunrise wasn't particularly notable because a layer of pollution and overcast skies but we did get to see the golden glow of early morning reflecting off the sandstone for one brief moment. I've included the two pictures above and below to show both the sun on the Taj and the reflection in the garden fountain.

In 1648 the Mughul Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj as a tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The entire complex is a monument to symmetry which is apparent in every plant, fountain and pathway. The one break in the symmetry is Shah Jahan's coffin which lies next to his wife's, which is the focal point of the complex.
The picture below shows the south gate to the Taj Mahal. The 11 finials in the top center of this gateway are reflected on the backside and represent the 22 years it took to build the complex.
The square border around the arched entrance way above features calligraphy and excerpts from the Qur'an. The majority of the decorative elements on the Taj, including some of these scriptures, are created with semi precious stone inlays. The interior tomb features intricate flower designs on carved white marble lattice work. Each palm sized flower is created using at least 64 semi-precious stones.
Pictured below: The Taj from an adjacent mosque

We visited the Agra Fort next. The fort was originally commissioned by Akbar the Great but was greatly expanded by his grandson, Shah Jahan.

The fort is more like a walled palace with public audience halls, a princely mosque and this stately entrance way.
With massive building projects like the Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal, and the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb became worried about the kingdom's finances. To stop the spending Aurangzeb imprisoned his father in the Agra Fort. According to local lore, Shah Jahan died in this room, looking out at the Taj Mahal.


Our final stop was Akbar's Tomb, also known as Sikandra. Akbar was Emperor Humayun from Delhi's son and Shah Jahan's Grandfather. The photo below shows the tomb's impressive gateway adorned with intricate stone inlay.

Akbar commenced the construction in 1600 AD but the complex wasn't completed until 1613 AD, 8 years after his death. The photo below shows part of the beautiful mosaic in the tomb's entrance.

The photo below was taken halfway between the gateway and the tomb.

One of the most interesting aspects of Akbar's tomb is the surrounding grounds where deer and monkeys roam freely.

We rushed back to the Agra train station only to find out that our train had been delayed. By the time we got back to Delhi well pass midnight, we were exhausted and ready to fall asleep so we were quite happy to see Sanjay at the train station and Mr Ericson waiting up when we got back home. Thank you Mr and Mrs Ericson and Sanjay for helping to ease us into India, our experiences in Delhi simply would not have been as enjoyable without all your help.