Travel Diary–Agra & Fatehpur Sikri (2008)

This was my third trip to the Taj Mahal and really the first trip to Agra. Confusing, hmmm.. it is so because on the previous two occasions I had conveniently opted to skip everything else which the city had to offer except the Taj. However, this time around, I made it a point that the trip was planned in such a fashion that we did not leave any monument out of our schedule.

We started from Gurgaon on December 20 at about 0800 hrs. and drove down to the city of the Taj making only one pit stop along the way. This happened to be a McDonald's joint on the highway near Mathura. This is one of the better places to take a break if you are driving down on your own. The place is built on what can be said as a huge area going by the standards of Delhi and Gurgaon and gives you ample space to stretch your legs (you can take a short jog from the parking to the gate if you wanted).

First Stop - Sikandara

Having driven all the way sans the pit stop talked about above, we headed straight for the Akbar's tomb in Sikandara. Emperor Akbar started the construction of this tomb himself, which was later completed by his son Jahangir. This beautiful tomb is a grand affair built in the Indo-Saracenic style with a variety of exquisite carvings and designs covering it.

The tomb stands in the center of a vast garden, which is enclosed by high walls on all sides. in the middles of each enclosing wall is a monumental gateway. The whole garden is divided into four equal quarters on the conventional charbhag plan. Each quarter is separated by a high terrace or raised path with a narrow shallow water channel running at the center. Each terrace has in the center, a tank with fountains.

One can approach the monument from the Southern gate only. Ticket counter is located to the left of this gate. The ticket itself is nominally priced at 20/- a head for an Indian National. Although there is only one entrance in use today there exist four red sandstone gates which lead to the mausoleum complex.  The decoration on the gateways is strikingly bold, with large mosaic patterns set into it. The gateway's four minarets rising from the corners are particularly striking. Built of red sandstone, the minarets are inlaid with white marble polygonal patterns; the pleasing Proportions & Profuse surface ornamentation makes the gateways very impressive.

Destination - Taj Mahal

From Sikandara we made a dash towards the Taj. It was disheartening to see lack of able direction maps on road to a world heritage site and one of the seven wonders of the world and we nearly got lost twice. Well, I say nearly because it is difficult to get lost in India as you possibly can not find a place where you don't find at least 50 people around. But this is where the problem begins, often people (good Samaritans as they are) would tell you directions differently and you could be lost in a mesh of cross roads. (Well, we Indians are not in habit of either carrying or reading maps, so let us not begin on that point).  

Anyway, so we reached Taj and because of the recent happening in Mumbai we were face to face with a queue that ran miles. To that point, let me just draw your attention to the fact that the nearest car parking for the Taj is about a kilometer and a half away and you either take a primitive horse cart or a battery operated vehicle. (The tanga shall cost you about 100/- lumpsome and the electric cars about 10/- a head). The ticket prices for Taj vary for Indian Nationals and Foreigners (30/- and 550/- respectively, Oh yeah, we fleece them good).

I will not get into the details of the history on Taj (everyone knows that, I suppose, if you don't just click here then). It took us about 45 minutes just to make it through the door. People planning to take this trip are cautioned not to carry any eatable on them (even candies and gum are not allowed). You are not allowed to switch on your mobiles once inside and for a person visiting it for the first time, you are advised to negotiate well on the rates that a person claiming to be a tour guide would ask you. However, it is recommended that you do hire one, as these people usually have fine yarns to share. (Probable negotiable price 100/-).

The day was kind of hazy so I would not boast much about the pics I took, yet the beauty of Taj should be seen to be believed. It mesmerizes you like no other structure would and you would be tempted to just stand and marvel at the mere sight of it.

By the time we came out of the place, it was dark and it kind of became imperative that we found ourselves a shelter for the night and rest our feet for the day. There are plenty of options around that would suit pockets of all sizes and finding a place is not very difficult.

However it is good to be cautious of touts and local guides. We ran into one such a person who stalked us for nearly 2 miles, talking about prices and places to stay on and on. I am kind of disappointed that we did not run him under our car. Anyway, the point is to be better safe than sorry. Period.

The Market & 'Panchi Petha Store'

The Sadar Bazaar is one of the better markets in Agra and it is not a bad idea to explore the market. We raided the market after checking into one of the hotels (negotiations can lead you to get about 50% discount. Don't settle on the price that the manager across the hotel reception quotes you at all). It is advised that you hunt for a 'Panchi Petha Store' right in the heart of the market and treat yourself to some 'Paan Petha' if you have a sweet tooth. You would have trouble picking out the sweetmeat for you as they don't offer you a taste bite but then if you happen to be a glutton like me, you would buy a box of each possible variety (just as I did) I guess, a visit to any city is incomplete without a little display of gluttony for the local food.

Day 2, The Agra Fort

We started our day a bit early and reached Agra Fort. The structure is not very different from the forts in Jaipur or Delhi but it is worth a visit. The 'Sheesh Mahal' or the palace of Noor Jahan boasts of well maintained lawns and glistening marble. Akbar had built this grand military structure in 1565, which occupies the very center of the city of Agra. In fact, after the Taj Mahal the Agra Fort is the second most popular tourist site in Agra. Even though this 20 meter high fort was mainly constructed for military purposes, Shah Jahan converted a part of it into a comfortable palace during his reign. The Amar Singh Gate is the only entrance to the Agra Fort, which also offers a magnificent view of the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna River.

The day was a typical December offering, cold and little misty but it somehow was very pleasant to walk down the royal corridors. I was able to click a few real nice pictures with shadows and mist playing.

Itmad-Ud-Daulah

The next stop from the Agra Fort was Itmad-ud-Daulah which is the tomb of Mirza Ghyas Beg, a persian who had obtained service in Akbar Court. The Marvel tomb was made by Emperor Jehangir's Queen, Noorjahan, for his father Mirza Ghyas Beg during 1622-1628 A.D. The Craftmanship at Itmad-ud-Daulah foreshadows that of the Taj Mahal. It was here that. "Pietra Dura"-the inlay work on marble-so characteristic of the Taj-was first used.

The place has a serene air about it and it was one of the better places to visit in Agra. I would seriously recommend to any person traveling to this part of the country.

Chini Ka Roza

Next on our list was the 'Chini ka Roza'. This tomb is dedicated to Allama Afzel Khal Mullah Shukrullah of Shiraz, who was a Persian poet-scholar and later the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan. Built in 1635 AD, this tomb derives its name from the tiles or chini that were used to decorate its wall and ceilings. However, this is much a neglected structure now and the dilapidated walls really do not invite many a visitors now. Give it a miss if you are running short of time and you wouldn't miss anything. Trust me on this.

Fatehpur Sikri

We took to Fatehpur Sikri on our way back. The road to the place was a nightmare to drive on. There was much construction work going on and the road from Agra (or maybe the one we took) passed through some very crowded and gut churning rough lanes.

The city of Fatehpur Sikri was built by Emperor Akbar during 1571 to 1585 AD. Akbar had originally planned this city as his capital, but an acute shortage of water forced him to abandon the city after 12 years. There are some fine monuments within this area like the Diwan-i-Am, Diwan-i-Khas, Panch Mahal, tomb of Saint Sheikh Salim Chishti and of course the Buland Darwaza.

The Buland Darwaza or the 'high door' is a grand gateway constructed at Fatehpur Sikri to commemorate Akbar's victory over the king of Khandesh (Gujrat) in 1573. Standing 175 feet tall, the Buland Darwaza is one of the most visible monuments of Fatehpur Sikri. It is built in red sandstone with intricate decorations in white marble. Calligraphic inscriptions from the Quran on its front and pillars and chattris at the top makes the Buland Darwaza a truly impressive sight.

However, the stair case to the structure was thronged by people from all walks of life. There were umpteen beggars, people with their goats (no kidding, yeah), street urchins and all possible variety of animals which throng any Indian pavement (cows, dogs, buffaloes etc.). I was in particular disappointed at the condition of the gate. To the ceiling of this mammoth structure, you could actually see huge bee-hives. The people inside would coax you to buy a sheet for the grave of 'Saleem Chishty', do it if you don't want to look out of place, but then as ever, do bargain a bit to get the right deal.

The courtyard inside houses some fine monuments but as the case was, we could not really spend much time inside.

On our way back we made a stop again at the McDonald's on the Mathura highway and then later dropped in for a few minutes at the ISKCON temple in Vrindavan, which is about a 6 kilometers detour from the highway.

Check the complete picture set HERE.