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I wanted to be well rested and
fresh for my visit to Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, but alas, it was not
to be. The night before, I had been unable to secure a sleeper berth on the
train so for close to 20 hours (due to train delays), I was seated on a
bench with 6-7 other men in a very crowded compartment. Sleep in these
cramped quarters was hard to come by so when my train finally arrived into
Agra at about 10:00 the next morning, getting to my hotel and taking a nap
was my first priority.
As I made the way by rickshaw to
my hotel, it seemed incredible to me that a monument so beautiful as the Taj
Mahal could exist in such a dirty, polluted, and crowded city where being a
lone foreign traveler could only mean one thing; being taken
advantage of. Agra certainly had this reputation and I knew that getting
from place to place in this city of just over one million people would be a challenge.
I tried to take a nap at my
hotel but I couldn't erase the image of the Taj Mahal out of my mind so after
about 30 minutes, I got up, took a shower, and headed out. I had fish and
chips at a local Indian restaurant and after arguing and having to become
stern with a rickshaw driver who was trying to play one of his tricks, I
arrived at the Agra Fort which is another famous landmark in the city. This
fort, which was built by the Moghuls, was particularly fascinating to me
because it was a testament to a ruler who respected and accepted multiple
religions including Islam, Hinduism, and even Judaism. It was also
interesting to see how advanced technologically these people were; I saw
close up examples of air conditioning and drainage systems as well as a
method used to pump water into fountains. I also sighted for the first time,
from the upper levels of the fort, the Taj Mahal which was partially hidden
in the distance by a polluted haze.
Before heading to the Taj Mahal,
I made a brief stop at I'timad Ud Daulah which was the first white marble
building constructed during the reign of the Moghuls. It was a beautiful
tomb that was constructed for an important official who died during the
reign. The setting was peaceful and monkeys played and chattered to each
other nearby. Later, I was glad that I came here first, however,
because the Taj Mahal would have made this building look ordinary and unimpressive.
The highlight of the day of
course was the Taj Mahal. I was a little disgruntled at first at having to
pay close to twenty dollars to enter, but certainly later I agreed that it
was well worth the price. This international symbol of eternal love, built
by a 17th century ruler who was grieving the loss of his wife during childbearing, is
simply gorgeous. I have been to some famous sights that certainly didn't
live up to my expectations but the Taj Mahal was everything I had hoped it
would be and more. The building even after a few hundred plus years, seemed to be in
pristine condition and the pools of water in front mirrored a perfect
reflection of the grand tomb. As sunset began to fall, the
building seemed to glow, giving it an appearance that will stick in my
memory forever. A guide that I hired at the door explained to me that in
addition to the white marble, the tomb was also covered with designs that
were created using gems from all over the world. Before
ascending to the upper level, I had to buy a shoe cover. Inside the tomb, I
was not allowed to take pictures but I was able to view a replica of the
tomb that the ruler's wife was buried in which was actually a ways beneath
the ground. I remained on the grounds of the Taj Mahal until the sun had
almost set. The next day, I returned in the morning to take more pictures
from the outside.
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