A trip to India is incomplete without going to the beautiful city of Agra! The 6 of us study abroadians left Saturday early early morning to start our journey. The train left at 6:15am on the dot (surprising for India - usually everything is late!). We arrived in Agra at around 8:30am to find our travel bus and guide. Our guide, Rais, was a short and stately Indian man who wore his sweater draped over his shoulders with a loose knot in front to keep in from falling. His English was very clear - his accent sounded almost British and his grammar was better than any of ours. Being a "national certified" guide, he was well-versed in the history of all the monuments we went to. It was exciting to hear all the stories behind everything we saw.
Our first stop was....of course, the Taj Mahal! I can't even explain how large and stunning it was. There is a certain area around it where cars cannot go (to keep the pollution down), so we took an electric bus for part of the way and walked the rest of the way. After going through the elaborate red stone gate, the Taj Mahal emerged in all it's glory. The mist seemed to enclose it, but as we walked closer through the park and around the fountains, it became clearer and clearer. I have never seen so many tourists in one place! The most notable were the European women with high heels and fluffy scarves, and the HUGE groups of Chinese tourist groups with their large cameras.
The Taj was made by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The story goes that the site of the Taj is where they first met and fell in love - because of this, Agra is coined "the city of love." Before going to the actually building and surrounding areas, we had to remove our shoes. Walking up the stairs and emerging from the tunnel to find myself right in front of the Taj Mahal was a breathtaking experience. The art work, an endangered art of gems inlaid into marble, is very detailed. For such a massive structure, the amount of work all around the building is incredible. It took many many workers working all day and all night for 22 years to complete the structure!
After the Taj Mahal, we went to a restaurant that catered to the tourist crowd - this meant it was safe for us to eat everything! This has become a luxury to me, as I am used to watching everything I eat (conditions are not very sanitary here). After that, we went saw two forts: Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Each fort was made by a Mughal emperor and is stretched over miles of land. The architecture was a mix of Hindu, Islam, and Persian influences. We roamed around the open courtyards with empty fountains that were once filled with water. We explored the rooms, including the emperor's quarters, the royal kitchen, and the suits for each queen. Akbar, the great Mughal emperor had three wives of three religions - Hindu, Muslim and Christian. This made him very popular with the people. The Hindu wife ultimately bore him an heir, so her quarters in Fatehpur Sikri were the largest.
We also got many chances to buy some marble inlay artwork. At one showroom, an older gentleman showed us the process of making this art, then took us to see the finished products. I started speaking Hindi with him, telling him about our group, our study abroad program, etc. I also told him about my heritage, but how my mom is the best Indian cook (to which he replied "Can you invite me to your wedding so I can have your mom's food?"). He was so impressed with me that at the end of our visit, he gave me a little elephant statue made out of the local stone! I've found that looking completely American but speaking Hindi has gotten me a range of benefits. Maybe my brown hair and freckles are coming in handy after all...
After a long day, we took the train back. I'm proud to say I am able to somewhat navigate the Indian Railway System now. Hopefully I will make my way back to Agra someday!
Our first stop was....of course, the Taj Mahal! I can't even explain how large and stunning it was. There is a certain area around it where cars cannot go (to keep the pollution down), so we took an electric bus for part of the way and walked the rest of the way. After going through the elaborate red stone gate, the Taj Mahal emerged in all it's glory. The mist seemed to enclose it, but as we walked closer through the park and around the fountains, it became clearer and clearer. I have never seen so many tourists in one place! The most notable were the European women with high heels and fluffy scarves, and the HUGE groups of Chinese tourist groups with their large cameras.
The Taj was made by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The story goes that the site of the Taj is where they first met and fell in love - because of this, Agra is coined "the city of love." Before going to the actually building and surrounding areas, we had to remove our shoes. Walking up the stairs and emerging from the tunnel to find myself right in front of the Taj Mahal was a breathtaking experience. The art work, an endangered art of gems inlaid into marble, is very detailed. For such a massive structure, the amount of work all around the building is incredible. It took many many workers working all day and all night for 22 years to complete the structure!
After the Taj Mahal, we went to a restaurant that catered to the tourist crowd - this meant it was safe for us to eat everything! This has become a luxury to me, as I am used to watching everything I eat (conditions are not very sanitary here). After that, we went saw two forts: Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Each fort was made by a Mughal emperor and is stretched over miles of land. The architecture was a mix of Hindu, Islam, and Persian influences. We roamed around the open courtyards with empty fountains that were once filled with water. We explored the rooms, including the emperor's quarters, the royal kitchen, and the suits for each queen. Akbar, the great Mughal emperor had three wives of three religions - Hindu, Muslim and Christian. This made him very popular with the people. The Hindu wife ultimately bore him an heir, so her quarters in Fatehpur Sikri were the largest.
Love this!!! I was right there! Miss India soo much your blog makes me want to return!
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