Splendor of the Taj Mahal and the Blur of Bharatpur

Day 5 – Taj Mahal and the Red Fort of Agra
Once in Agra, we stayed at a very nice hotel. It was surrounded by a wall that drowned out the noise from the street, and had a swimming pool and garden in the back. A number of our group took full advantage of the pool, as the climate was still quite hot and sticky. We were up at the crack of dawn (no Dawn, I don’t mean you). We left the hotel at 5 AM, were at the Taj Mahal’s entry gate at 6 AM, and pushed on through to the grounds around 6:15 AM. While we didn’t experience a colorful sunrise over the Taj, it was nice to see the grounds before the big crowds pushed in.

 

This was to be the second time I would visit the Taj Mahal. I wasn’t sure if I’d be awestruck or non-plussed. I found it just as inspiring and beautiful as the first time. If you have the pleasure of visiting, you might want to have someone give you the history and details of the Taj beforehand, so that you can enjoy the grounds without the annoyance of a local guide. Last time, we hired a guide who kept trying to push us to do certain things that would earn him a commission (professional photographer & local handicraft stores outside the gates). This time, our group leader gave us an overview of the story of the Taj, and turned us loose to explore on our own. It was so much more pleasurable and serene.
There are several buildings in these pictures. The first is the main gate which opens out to the garden in which the Taj Mahal sits. It is made of red sandstone and has a number of bell-like structures on top of it. Once you walk through this gate, the breathtaking picture of the Taj Mahal assaults you, along with the two adjacent red sandstone buildings that sit on either side of the Taj. One of these used to be a guest house where people could stay the night (but no longer), and the other is still a mosque. Of course, the white marble building that is inlaid with semiprecious stones, is the Taj Mahal. Everything is quite symmetrical. On the far side of the Taj, sits the Indus river, and on the far side of that sits the site where the king planned to build a twin to the Taj Mahal in black obsidian. Alas, his son overthrew him, thinking that enough money had been spent on this labor of love, and preferred to redirect the funds towards war efforts.
After walking the grounds of the Taj Mahal for a few hours, we went back to our hotel for a rest before embarking on a visit to the Red Fort of Agra.
The Red Fort of Agra – the King’s high security home
In the afternoon, our bus took us to the Red Fort. I wasn’t at all sure that this would be worthwhile, after seeing the splendor of the Taj Mahal. It most definitely was worthwhile. Our group leader hired a local guide who gave us a most excellent (and commission-free) tour of the fort, pointing out all of the high security, high-tech and religious aspects of the architecture. Ashok united the many religions of the region, and the architecture shows this movement. One can see in the archways and wall carvings the combination of the lotus flower (Buddhism), star of David (Judaism), steeple or cross (Christianity), bells and animal shapes (Hinduism), and geometric shapes (Islam). They had built in air conditioning (ducts that took advantage of a breeze and placed the cool air in the right chambers), insulation (hollow stone walls), plumbing (water basins on top of the buildings, that could flow down into perfumed fountains), and one-way privacy screens for the women of his court. There’s also a beautiful view of the Taj Mahal from the fort.
To Carol Sanders: I’ve included a picture I found of you here. I’m sorry you lost your camera on this trip. Please let me know if you want me to send you any high resolution pictures for your collection.




By now, I was beginning to get familiar with the Moghul architecture (thanks to our guides and tour leader). Lots of red sandstone, white marble, stone inlay work, domes, minarets, stone screens for the ladies, multiple religious symbols, and high tech features for comfort and practicality. Throughout the rest of this part of the tour, I would continue to see these themes in the palaces and tombs of the Moghuls.
At the end of the day, I found myself having full body aches. It didn’t seem to be from walking around. It seemed more like the beginning of some kind of illness. Back at the hotel, I took advantage of their local spa and laid out 2,000 rupees ($49) for an hour of deep tissue massage. It seemed to help, but by the next day whatever it was came back with a vengeance. Probably dehydration and exhaustion. We had been going, going, going each day, and I’d been sweating buckets in this hot and humid climate, and not drinking enough water.
Day 6 – The Blur of Bharatpur
The next day, I kind of missed the whole day. I slept on the bus to Bharatpur, and once we got to the hotel there I skipped the afternoon bird watching activity to buckle down and sweat out what became a bad fever. I don’t even remember the town or the hotel we stayed in. But, the next morning I emerged a new man. I drank lots of water and juice, and had 90% of my energy back without the fever or aches. Thanks Bharatpur!
I had to refer back to my dossier to remember what we did between the morning in Agra and checking into my fever den in Bharatpur. Turns out, I had some pictures to match the activities. On the road, we stopped the bus to get some Jalaybees (spelling?). They’re like super sweet funnel cakes, or deep fried sugar strands. For 20 rupies ($0.45) a bag, the whole bus enjoyed a taste.

We then stopped at Panch Mahal, a 5 storied pleasure pavilion for the ladies in the harem for the emperor. Most noteworthy is the human chessboard (actually Pachisi) where dancing ladies were the pieces on the board for the emperor’s pleasure. Once again, I see the common Moghul architecture and artwork coming through in this palace.
Also, if you’ll notice, there’s a picture of a boy standing in his underwear next to a green pool. Basically, he and another man were shouting at the tourists above that they would jump into the muck for just 500 rupees. The boy looked like he was wet from jumping for an earlier crowd. But the man was busy stripping off his jeans, demonstrating to us how serious he was about making a few bucks.

Oh, and in case you forgot this was India, here’s a picture of a goat on a high wall, and another of a family on a motorcycle. This country has character.