There are really only a handful of truly iconic places that one must visit in their lifetime. Today, we get to see one that must nearly top the list. The enigmatic, breath-taking Taj Mahal.
Arriving Into Agra
Our train has left us at Bharatpur Station, an hour’s drive shy of Agra. The platform is the longest we have seen yet, and it takes a hard 10 minute struggle on broken concrete to exit the station. A guide is waiting for us, and as we journey onwards, we hear some random stories. The most interesting involves the Taj Mahal. This area once contained a large leather tanning industry, but the factories’ pollution was having a detrimental effect on the marble of the Taj Mahal, discolouring it, so the factories were moved elsewhere. Likewise, pollution from vehicles. Today, only electric vehicles are permitted within a 1.5 km radius of the Taj Mahal.
The Red Sandstone Agra Fort
India is on the brink of its monsoon season, which normally lasts from June/July to September. It means that the days are slowly getting stickier, and with Agra hotter than Jaipur, today’s is the hottest and stickiest yet. It’s too hot to do anything in the middle of the day, so our guide leaves us at our hotel for a few hour’s welcome rest.
It’s like stepping into an oven, when at 5 pm, our guide chaperones us into Agra Fort. With a hot wind blowing, high humidity and a temperature of 46 degrees, it’s actually hard to breathe. Despite the conditions, our visit to this red sandstone 16th century Mughal monument is worth it. With just 25% open to the public (India’s military use the remaining 75%), it’s one of the most impressive buildings we have ever visited. One intriguing story about the place is that it served as a prison for the emperor (Shah Jahan) who had the Taj Mahal built. Imprisoned on the orders of his son and successor as emperor, he was confined here from 1658, until his death in 1666.
The Ivory-White Marble Mausoleum Taj Mahal
In 1632, emperor Shah Jahan commissioned a building to house the remains of his favourite wife (he had 5 in total). It was a gesture born of guilt after making his wife come away on holiday to a place that couldn’t deal with medical complications. Heavily pregnant with her 14th child, she died while giving birth. Legend goes that 2 days before her death, she had dreamt that her husband, the Shah, would build a building that would make her feel like she was in heaven.
Taking 22 years to build, he was pretty spot on with her specifications. Made of gleaming white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones and surrounded by beautiful red sandstone buildings, the Taj Mahal is every bit as spectacular as I was hoping.
Where Next?
For the months leading up to this adventure, there was only one segment that we were dreading: the overnight sleeper train from Agra to Varanasi. Wanting to have a truly authentic journey, we had chosen the sleeper train over flying, but we were still apprehensive about it. With no private carriages, we would be sharing with the masses. Stay tuned to see how we went.
