India:

India Trip

November 2008

Agra

The center of art, culture, commerce and learning during the reign of King Akbar in the 16th century.

The Taj Mahal in Agra symbolizes India to people all over the world. It represents an eulogy of love and loss in the memory of Emperor Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz, who died during the birth of her 14th child. The Taj took 22 years and some 20,000 craftsmen laboring day and night to create this architectural wonder. The semi-translucent white marble is inlaid with thousands of semi-precious stones in beautiful patterns. The structure holds four identical facades. Mumtaz requested the Shah to build a monument (mausoleum) so beautiful to forever remember their love. The Shah planned to build a similar tomb for himself out of black marble but he died before it materialized.

Agra Fort is a sprawling fortified palace that housed royal apartments, mosques, assembly halls, a dungeon and much more. It sits on the banks of the Yamuna River not far from the Taj Mahal. The fort and the palace were the seat of Mughal/Islamic power for four generations of imperial rule in the 16th century until British colonization in early 1800. It has been said of this fort that from top to bottom, the fire-red stones linked by iron rings, are joined so closely that even a hair cannot find a way into their joints. Originally there were 500 structures made of these red stones. Some of these structures were demolished to make way for the creation of Shah Jahan’s quarters, combining Hindu and Islamic architectural styles.

Fatehpur Sikri (called the city of victory… in the state of Uttar Pradesh) was the Emperor Akbar’s imperial capital…20 miles SW of Agra. There are well-preserved remains including the palace and the mosque. By 16th century standards, this city exceeded London in population and grandeur. Fatehpur Sikri was built of sandstone quarried from the hill on which it stood. It was only occupied for 14 years before Akbar moved his capital. Some said this was done because the water ran out; others said it was moved for strategic reasons.

Before we boarded the train from Agra, we visited the Baoris...intricately carved step wells used by locals to harvest rain water. They date back to the 8th/9th centuries. We also visited some local temples and saw the local people working.

We left the Agra area for a three hour train ride to Jhansi where we transfered to a bus for another 2 1/2 hour ride. Later we arrived in Khajaraho.

Agra Photo Gallery

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