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Published: March 7th 2017
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We headed for Agra and on the way were greeted with the sight of many people digging up potatoes and bagging them. This is the potato capital of Utter Pradesh we were told. The road was lined with numerous trucks all heavily laden with sacked potatoes.
In Agra we went past the massive fort and crossed the Yumana River to see the Taj Mahal at sunset but before we did we went on a Mughal Village Heritage Walk. This turned out to be a surprising experience. Assish escorted us down a dirt path between fields growing wheat and aubergines where we were met by a guide from the village. The village is run by a corporation set up to maintain traditional life while still merging with the 21
st century. He pointed out the many improvements to village life brought about by the corporation including septic, improved water supply and education. The children were keen to be photographed but the women were not.
The Taj Mahal at sunset certainly didn’t disappoint. We were on the opposite side looking across the river and took in the changing hues of the white marble dome as the sun sunk lower towards the horizon.
Our hotel, the Clarks Shiraz is fabulous and we have a great room with a king sized bed overlooking the Taj. Ideal!
The next morning the Taj was shrouded in haze which took almost until midday to clear. We were glad we had decided to forego the sunrise excursion and to sleep in instead. Our first experience this morning was to visit the Agra Fort. This, reputedly is one of the finest Mughal forts in India. Built on the banks of the Yamuna River (the river has since shifted) construction of the fort began in 1565 for the Emperor Akbar which we learned was not his real name which was Abu’l –Fath Jahal ud-din Muhammad Akbar. Hence Akbar for short.
The fort has undergone many transformations since with successive emperors. Originally a military structure Shah Jahan transformed it into a palace. His love of white marble is evident. One sad feature of the palace was the Musammam Burj and Khaz Mahal, the white marble place where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb and from where he looked out on the Taj he built to his wife’s memory. They even had elder abuse back then.
The quality of the carvings and the remains of the art work and painted buildings must have made this a fabulous palace in its heyday. The ceilings were often painted gold with the walls being painted in many colours each piece of the lacelike carved walls being painted a different colour. Cornelian was inlaid for red, lapis lazuli for blue and malachite for green –although in some rooms jade was used. The walls were adorned with precious gems, most stolen by the British and the floors covered in carpets, silk in summer and wool in winter. Outdoor areas were shaded with brightly coloured fabrics. What a sight it must have been,
This afternoon we visited the Taj Mahal proper. We walked through the west gate and opened on to a large courtyard. Interestingly enough to the left was the Labourers Gate through which the craftsmen for a nearby village entered the Taj compound. This gate was much more ostentatious as a mark of respect to the skill of the craftsmen who built the TM. Walking through the impressive red sandstone gateway inscribed with verses from the Koran you gain your first visit of the Taj. No matter how many times you see it the Taj will never cease to impress. From the gateway to the Taj is an ornamental garden set out on a classical Persian design, a square quartered by four watercourses with a throne or plinth at the centre. The Taj is beautifully reflected in the water. The Taj stands on a raised platform with the Yamuna River at its back. We spent nearly two hours looking at this magnificent tomb from the east, west, north and south observing the changing colours as the sun set before entering the Taj proper and looking at Mumtaz Mahal’s tomb. A guide shone a light on the inlaid flowers decorating the walls and they shone like neon lights in the torch’s beam.
As darkness fell we returned to our hotel. No matter how many documentaries one might watch or books one might read nothing can replace the experience of seeing it ‘in the flesh’.
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