Here on this dusty earth, it keeps death tenderly covered in the shroud of memory,” so sang Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.[break]
What can one say about this masterpiece that has not already been exclaimed as stunning? Magnificent! Breathtaking! Mystical! Butterflies flutter in my stomach, my eyes sparkle with wonder, and I become the hopeless romantic each time I think of Agra.
Agra was always on my bucket list while growing up for being the most accessible “wonder of the world” and the sheer romance it manifests. When I boarded the Taj Express one early January morning from Nizamuddin Station in Delhi, I was more excited about meeting my friend who was already there than the Taj.
It was only when I stood at the entrance and caught the first glimpse of the perfectly symmetrical, white-domed mausoleum standing beautifully as a symbol of eternal love that the rest of the world blurred out. That moment was surreal, and the tingling feeling it leaves you with stays.
It won’t be exaggerating if I said, The Taj Mahal is jaw-droppingly gorgeous!
Built by the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the loving memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal who passed away in childbirth of their fourteenth child, Taj Mahal epitomizes a man’s endless love and immense loss.
It took 20,000 Persian workers and 20 odd years to complete this mind-boggling structure, and we all have heard rumors about how upon its completion, Shah Jahan ordered to have the hands of many artisans amputated so that it could never be replicated.
For obvious reasons, the Taj Mahal is thronged by tourists year round, but the huge expanse that it covers allows enough space for all. Besides, the antics of local tourists are always a pleasure to observe. Enamored by this charming piece of architecture, people go berserk clicking pictures.
I don’t blame them; you would want to stamp to memory every single angle you see the mesmerizing Taj in. At the gate or at the centre of the grid-patterned garden, visitors are taking pictures – holding the tip of the Taj, or lifting it from below is quite a common sight.
Some even try to pretend to be jumping off the monument! I was humored and stalked, if you will, by quite a few locals with cameras chasing you with, “Yes... Hello, picture?” It is one of the touristy places but totally worth the experience.
As you walk past the Char Bag, the Mughal Garden, and get closer to the monument, the intricate mosaic work, typical of the Mughal era, becomes evident.
Calligraphic Arabic scripts from the Holy Koran are hand-carved along the walls with black onyx. Motifs of plants, inlaid marbles and extravagant gemstones decorate the main structure which overlooks River Yamuna on one side with a masjid (mosque) to the west and the mehman-khana (guesthouse) on the east.
These sandstone structures are fascinating in themselves.
I took a round, casually walked inside the dome to see the tombs. But I wanted more. Getting away from the crowd, I found a bench under a tree and just could not take my eyes off the Taj Mahal in the lasting aura that emanated from the view. The precious stones that line it sparkle when sunrays fall at an angle at dawn and dusk.
However, to be able to see the Taj Mahal illuminated in all its glory on a full moon night is every lover’s delight, they say. I’m still waiting for my right moment to testify it!
Some 2.5kms away from the marble beauty is a one of my favorite sandstone forts in India – the massive Agra Fort.
Such was the madness of his love for Mumtaj that Shah Jahan wanted to construct a Black Taj Mahal across the Yamuna for his funerary.
However, before he could exhaust the coffers of his state on his beloved projects, his own son Aurangzeb imprisoned him at this very fort. Shah Jahan then mourned and thought of his beloved wife from the Muasamman Burj, an octagonal tower, with a marble balcony and a full view of the Taj, set within the fortress.
He spent eight years of his imprisoned life here, and it is rumored that he died here. This fort is an important one in the historical context of India but is also a visitor’s delight.
You also should not miss, among others, Jahangir’s Hauz, a five-feet-tall mobile bathtub, the baoli (step well), Jahangir’s black marble throne, the jharoka (window), and of course, the Sheesh Mahal (Glass Palace) which is the royal dressing room with small pieces of mirrors engraved on the walls.
I was awestricken by the lavishness, and could only imagine what it would have been like at that time.
The road leading up to it may make you feel like you are headed to an abandoned monument or some ruins, but Fatehpur Sikri is a sandstone palatial enclosure built by Akbar the Great in the sixteenth century. It is a short bus ride away from Agra and was the political capital of the Mughal era.
On one side is the tomb of the Sufi saint Sheik Salim Chishti. Popular folklore suggests that childless women, especially ones without male heirs, should tie a thread at his tomb. In fact, anyone who asks for something dil se will receive. Did I try it? No, but on second thought, perhaps I should have!
Inside this mosque is the Buland Darwaza, also known as the Victory Arch. The colossal structure was built to mark Akbar’s conquest over Gujrat. Akbar had three wives, one Hindu, one Muslim, one Christian along with 362 concubines.
Owing to that, the Sikri fortress is famous for harboring an amalgamation of carvings and architectural designs of all three faiths in one place. The most alluring of all to me is the Pachisi Court (Chess Court) – a life-size chessboard at the center of the courtyard.
The classic love story of Jodha and Akbar also blossomed in these very premises. No wonder, it is rumored that Jodha Bai’s palace is the largest in the complex though this is generally passed off as a misnomer.
Also, one of the greatest composers of Hindustani classical music and one of the Nava Ratna-s (Nine Jewels) of Akbar’s court, UstadTansen sang different ragas at different times of the day at the Anup Talao, which is next to the emperor’s chamber.
History oozes out of Fatehpur Sikri, so does architectural harmony; and to witness it all at once is beyond fascinating!
If you take the train, you will cross huge garbage dumps and numerous slums just before you reach Agra. As you travel around the city by road, you see more of the same.
Bantering touts around all the tourist locations are disarmingly annoying and extremely persistent. If that is not enough, you should watch out for pickpockets and UP men who are especially infamous for being lecherous.
The meandering traffic among bovines, stray dogs and pigs running along the road, coupled with haggling, can test your patience.
It was a happy coincidence for us that we bumped into the same auto-rickshaw driver, and throughout the day we made good friends with him.
But, despite these dampers at unexpected times, at the end of the day, as you head back, I can promise you this: you will carry along the spirit of love that the Taj Mahal exudes, the opulence the Agra Fort radiates, and the possibility of a wish coming true from the thread you tied at the Fatehpur Sikri!
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