While we only had a brief stay in Agra, we had an unbelievable time exploring the city’s historic sights and even got a chance to relax and enjoy the pool at our hotel – a real luxury after a whirlwind first week in India.
On Friday we woke up at 4:30am in order to catch our 6:00am train to Agra and, unfortunately, encountered one last scam on our way out of Delhi. We’d been warned about various hagglers and fake agents so we proceeded purposefully to the baggage screening area, happy to have avoided any unwanted hassles. As we laid our bags on the conveyer belt one of the two men standing next to the machine pointed at the official sign that requested we show our tickets in order to enter. Alex showed him our tickets and he immediately told us our train was cancelled and that we would have to take a later train, tickets for which could only be procured from a travel agency a mile down the road. Outraged that we were clearly in the midst of a potential shakedown, we snatched our tickets back from him and shoved past the screening area where the other man simply looked on as our bags moved through the scanner. As expected, our train was right on time and the station was filled with other – almost exclusively Indian – passengers waiting to board. We shook our heads in disbelief, grabbed some caffeine and boarded our train; goodbye Delhi!
Even though our train ended up being delayed by over an hour, we were both so excited to arrive in Agra that we didn’t care. We headed straight to our hotel – a Doubletree I was able to book for next to nothing since it is brand new and I had leftover HHonors points from my time at Blackstone – and felt like we had arrived at an oasis. Back home in the US, a Doubletree might not inspire much excitement but our one-night stay in Agra was one of the best hotel experiences we have had on this trip!
By 10am we were relaxing in our hotel room, admiring the view of the distant Taj Mahal and making plans to relax for the afternoon. We had an excellent lunch, caught up on some reading and even worked out before getting cleaned up for a sunset viewing of the Taj.
Kind of crazy that this is the back of the Taj Mahal.
There actually weren't many people catching the view from Mehtab Bagh but we found a very nice family to take a few pictures for us.
Magic Hour.
After our incredibly friendly taxi driver returned us to the hotel, we splurged on the hotel buffet dinner, which we literally had entirely to ourselves. After a week of almost exclusively Indian food, we filled up on Western and International fare, including a few indulgent bites of the most amazing chocolate brownie ever (it was basically uncooked in the inside and Alex had to cut me off). The chef actually guided Alex around the entire room to show him which dishes were nut-free and which were not – a welcome change from trying to explain in gestures that chickpeas are ok but cashews won’t fly. Full and happy, we took advantage of the fast wifi and watched an episode of House of Cards before going to bed.
We woke up at 5am today in order to catch the sunrise at the Taj Mahal and we were not disappointed by the views.
Sunrise at the East Gate of the Taj Mahal.
Our postcard-ready view of the Taj Mahal.
The view looking back from the Taj was also pretty impressive.
It's difficult to capture the massive scale of the Taj.
Does this help? (I'm sitting in one of the "small" archways you can see from the shots further away.)
There were a lot of other tourists but it wasn’t nearly as crowded as we feared and we were able to find a few quiet spots to take in the awe-inspiring view.
We lucked out with perfect weather, obviously.
A modern Wonder of the World, the Taj Mahal was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 as a grand gesture for his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Almost entirely symmetrical on all four sides – inside and out – it took 20,000 workers and 22 years to complete. We didn’t exactly swoon as our tour guide explained the “love story” that inspired the monument – Mumtaz was one of three wives and died during the birth of her 14th child at age 39 – but we continued to gaze in amazement at the Taj, overcome with awe at its size and grandeur.
Looking up at the massive arches.
It took a lot of patience and some very friendly strangers to score this shot!
An Islamic tomb, such as the Taj Mahal, must include a mosque. In order to maintain perfect symmetry, the architects built the mosque above as well as an identical "guest house" on the opposite side.
Once we felt we had sufficiently experienced the splendor of the Taj Mahal, our guide took us back to our hotel for a late breakfast – yet another delicious buffet-style meal at the Doubletree. After refueling with eggs and coffee, we were taken to the “Baby Taj,” or The Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah. Often regarded as a "draft" for the Taj Mahal, the tomb represents a transition toward the white marble favored during the Mughal reign. While not nearly as impressive in size or majesty, the Baby Taj was definitely a worthwhile stop; there were very few people and the intricate marble detailing was beautiful. We took our time exploring the grounds and actually managed to get a few pictures sans tourists!
Front view of Baby Taj.
While the Taj is known for its stark white marble surfaces, the Baby Taj was much more colorful and intricately detailed.
Our last stop for the day was Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and massive compound built by the Mughals that is still 75% utilized by the Indian government today. We explored the other 25% open to the public – still a massive area – and marveled at the variety of architectural styles and detailing. All day we kept coming back to the same thought: isn’t it amazing that all of this was built nearly 500 years ago with nothing but human strength, raw material and a chisel?
Entrance to Agra Fort.
I love the scalloping on the archways we keep seeing throughout India. Our tour guide explained that the more traditional archways are more Islamic, while these are more Hindu in style.
Close up of some of the detailing at Agra Fort.
Entrance to the palace within the Agra Fort Complex.
Most people make a day trip out of Agra from nearby Delhi and while we certainly could have done the same, we were really glad we had time to relax, catch both the sunrise and the sunset and – one more shoutout – enjoy our time at the Doubletree! We are about to catch a train to Jaipur and are looking forward to spending a few days in the “pink city.”