AGRA - MARCH, 2014

The third leg of my trip to India was a short two hour flight from New Delhi to Agra [which included a stop in Varanasi.] Agra has a population of 1.7 million people and is in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 200 million people. Agra was congested and gritty, and not as metropolitan as Mumbai or New Delhi. Because the main tourist sights were spread out over a considerable distance, and no public transportation was easily available, I took a day tour organized by UP Tourism. This was a bus tour which had about 15 people on the tour; myself, a couple from Australia, and the rest from India. Although it was a busy day, it gave me the chance to see the main tourist sights, the countryside outside the main city of Agra, and to get the feel of India.

Our first stop was Fatehpur Sikri, which is a magnificent fortified ancient city about 26 miles from Agra. Fatehpur Sikri was the short-lived capital of the Mughal empire between 1571 and 1585. It was built by the Emperor Akbar, and includes a stunning mosque, which is still in use today; and three palaces for each of his favorite wives, one a Hindu, one a Muslim, and one a Christian. Built in an area that suffered from water shortages, it was abandoned shortly after the death of Akbar. The palace complex and mosque sit on top of a ridge that runs between the small villages of Fatehpur and Sikri.

The road between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri was a narrow two lane road filled with trucks, buses and carts traveling at breakneck speed with no regard for safety or traffic laws. The area that the road traversed was rural, and we passed through many villages. It gave me an insight into the difference between the highly crowded cities and the more pastoral countryside.

Our second stop on the tour was the Agra Fort, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. Mentioned for the first time in 1080 AD, it was held by various parties over the centuries until Emperor Akbar made it his capital and had it rebuilt with red sandstone in 1558. During the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan [who built the beautiful Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal] the buildings were improved. At the end of his life Shah Jahan was deposed by his son and imprisoned in the fort. It is rumored that Shah Jahan died in a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.

Our third and final stop on the tour was the Taj Mahal, which has been described as "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity," and is considered by many to be the most beautiful building in the world. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. In 1633 Mumtaz was interred in an underground tomb, on top of which the Taj Mahal would be built. The entire Taj Mahal complex was not completed until 1653. In 1658 Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son and imprisoned in the Agra Fort until his death in 1666. His body was transported along the Yumana River and buried underneath the Taj alongside the tomb of his beloved wife.

We entered the Taj Mahal complex through the East Gate, and the beautiful sight of the Taj Mahal opened before our eyes.

The last photo that I took in India was this photo of the Taj Mahal at sunset.

I enjoyed my trip to India very much. India is certainly a country of contrasts; hot and dirty with incredible poverty, while at the same time having many of the world's most beautiful sights.