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Published: October 10th 2009
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Agra. What a dump. Now don't get me wrong, every Indian city we've been to has had the usual rotting garbage in the streets being feasted on by animals, open sewers, bad smells, exposed high voltage cables and general grime but Agra has taken all of this to a whole new level. Thankfully it makes up for all of this with its two redeeming landmarks: the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal, which were the main purpose of our visit.
Arriving around midday on an early train from Jaipur, we put our big bags into the railway station cloakroom, which was a dirty lean-to building against the station. It was a risk, but it was the most convenient way to see Agra Fort which was just across the road. We were even more reassured when the cloakroom guy said that there were mice and he'd take no responsibility if our luggage was eaten. Oh well. Off to the fort!
The fort is a huge red sandstone structure built by the Moghals when they chose Agra as their Capital. The architecture was very grand and noticeably different from the Hindu forts of Rajastan. The entrance fee was 20rs
for Indians and 300rs for foreigners. Its not a lot of money in British terms but this differential is common at most tourist sites and is really starting to annoy us, being on a daily budget. Ok, its fair enough to pay a bit more, but 15 times as much?!? Hmm...
From to fort, we caught our first glance of the Taj Mahal, a few miles away in the distance through the haze of a particularly overcast day. It caught us by surprise and was a striking image. Only half of the fort was open to the public, the rest still being used by the military but the parts were impressive and included a small palace. The fort was used by the British, and was useful for the British in Agra in 1857 during the uprising of the populous, also known a the Indian Mutiny to us.
We got an autorickshaw to the hotel we'd booked which was just outside the Taj Mahal, in a small area known as the Taj Ganj. You may think being within a hundred meters of supposedly one of the most beautiful buildings in the world would mean that the surrounding area would
be full of up market hotels, nice restaurants and be generally worthy of being in such a position. Surprisingly this was completely the opposite: its the dingy area where only the backpackers stay. Our hotel as the dirtiest and most unpleasant we'd stayed in yet but it was just outside the entrance gate of the Taj. We did come very close to leaving a few times, like when mice tarted running around the floor of our room. One particular image that will stay with us is that not 50 foot away from the entrance, there was a few tons of rubbish in an alley, rotting in the heat of the day and being feasted upon by a dozen pigs.
Anyway, enough complaining about the disgraceful state of the area. After a terrible night's sleep we got up early and went to the Taj Mahal. The sun was shining and we were thankful that we hadn't visited in the gloom of the previous day. Paying a mere 750rs entry (Indians pay 20Rs, so only 37 times the price!), we went through the security check and into the inner courtyard. Proceeding through another large Moghal gate, we were into the main
area with the water and gardens stretching up to the Taj Mahal. It was a sunny day and a great view. To describe the place, the grounds are enclosed on three sides by a high red sandstone wall with the fourth side near the river banks. The Taj Mahal sits on a huge marble platform with a mosque on one side and an audience hall on the other, creating a perfect symmetry.
The Taj Mahal was built as a memorial by Shah Jahan for his favourite wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. Looking at it, I'll bet the other wives were a little jealous. It was finished in 1653 by a workforce of 20,000. To go up onto the marble and view the mausoleum, you either have to take off your shoes or wear some stylish (but completely ineffective) shoe cover to protect the marble. Inside, it is a large hall with the coffin of Shah and his wife in the centre. The walls are decorated with semi precious stones, such as jade, coral, amber etc. from across the world. Indentations are cut into the marble and the stones are shaped and glued into place to
form intricate patterns and pictures. No wonder it took 20 years to finish - the detail is amazing and the whole place is stunning! We spent a good half day just sitting and wandering around the grounds before going back outside to the squalor. India really is a place of contrasts in that respect, with well preserved monuments but otherwise crumbling infrastructure. 500Rs of the 750rs is a tourist tax and is supposed to be spent on developing Agra but thanks to the well known corruption within local politics, this money is never put to good use.
That evening we spent another sleepless night thanks to the constant power cuts which are immediately followed by the deep grumbles of the hotel's diesel generator. Thankfully our train to Delhi the next day was at a sociable time in the morning. Overall verdict: Agra - bad;
Taj Mahal - very good.
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valda blewitt
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taj mahal
Thought you might have some photos of the taj mahal. Were you not allowed your camera inside? Agra just goes to show you how the others live and how well your mother looked after you. (I suppose self praise is no praise) Love Mum