Agra is the dirtiest city that I've seen in India. Garbage everywhere! And the constant harassment from vendors, autorickshaw drivers, guides and just people who want you to do something you don't is exhausting. The perfunctory security checks that do nothing but give the guys doing them a job and the dour, unfriendly faces behind the ticket counters for the sights are enough to make you want to head right out of town.
But, it is an ancient city and was the capital of the Moghul empire for over a hundred years and they left their mark here. There is a lot to see besides the Taj and we tried to cover some of it in the two and a half days we had here.
Then there are the honest, friendly people that you encounter. Auto-rickshaw drivers like to cheat you out of money by pretending not to have any change. So I make it a point to ask if they have change before we hire them. This one guy was so offended by my question that he handed me my change
before we got into his rickshaw & started a tirade against the crooks in his trade that lasted the whole ride.
You need your imagination to appreciate
Chini-ka-Rauza, the tomb of Shah Jehan's prime minister. It was once covered in glazed tile, but sadly only portions remain. The painted interiors have somehow survived, and give a glimpse of what it looked like way back when I was young.
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| Chini-ka-Rauza - a couple of clowning kids always adds to the fun. Very little of the glazed tiles remain. |
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| Chini-ka-Rauza : The painted dome. |
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| Chini-Ka-Rauza |
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| Chini-Ka-Rauza |
Itmad-ud-Daulah was Shah Jehan's father-in-law (one of many!!) and also Mumtaz Mahal's (of Taj Mahal fame) grandfather. His tomb site is similar to many we've seen with a central mausoleum that holds the grave, a large square garden surrounded by high walls and divided into quadrants, and one of more elaborate entrance gates. This one was very beautiful with inlaid stone (pietra dura).
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| The entry gate to Itmad-ud-Daulah |
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| Itmad-ud-Daulah |
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| The beautiful stone work & Tami, of course |
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| Details |
The
Agra or Red Fort stands at a location that has had a fort for over a thousand years. This one was built in red sandstone by Akbar when he made it his capital. Subsequent rulers, especially Shah Jehan added to it substantially. Shah Jehan was imprisoned here in his last years by his son Aurangzeb, who overthrew him to be king.
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| Agra Fort |
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| Entry gate - I love the color of the sandstone in the late afternoon sun |
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| Diwani-Am | |
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| Inside the Diwani-Am |
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| Diwani-Am - Emperor's seat |
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| Detail of the emperor's seat |
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| Only the stains from the paintings remain |
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| This is what it would have looked like |
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| The Musamman Burj where Shah Jehan was imprisoned. |
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| Shah Jehan could see his beloved Taj from his 'prison'. |
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| Jehangir Palace - beautifully made of red sandstone |
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| Detail of the palace walls |
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| Courtyard along the river |
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| Detail |
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| Detail |
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| Tami in the palace |
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| More detail - the carvings were spectacular! |
In high school, Father Morondo - a favourite of all the students - taught us history. He used to strut around, ride chairs like horses and bring history to life. He's retired now and lives near his home in Spain.
I found out about Agra's Roman Catholic cemetery from this wonderful
blog and we found it after a long rickshaw ride. It was small, but definitely worth visiting. The cemetery goes back to the time of Akbar and has Armenian Christians (who were traders) buried here. It is still in use.
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| John William Hessing's tomb |
Lovely photos, as always. Glad you found some peace amongst the dirt and harassment.
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