Agra and The Taj Mahal

As we rolled toward Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, stops were made to check out the roadside stoneworkers and visit Fatehpur Sikri, Akbahr the Great’s failed palace.

Although it is an impressive piece of architecture it’s was built to far from any dependable water source and was abandoned after Akbahr’s death.



Fatehpur Sikri was also where judgment was rendered. Capital punishment was performed by elephants who would step on the criminals’ heads. The tusks of those elephants adorn a tower on the edge of the palace grounds.

Initially we had planned to get up early enough to see the Taj Mahal at dawn, which is supposed to be quiet a sight but the early morning was set for fog so instead we timed it just early enough to beat the throngs and catch some good post sunrise light.
To get there our tour bus had to drop us off at a depot a bit down the road from the Taj. Polluting vehicles are not allowed within 2kms of the sight but a variety of electric vehicles run from the Depot.

My experience with the Taj was a lot like my experience with Michelangelo’s David. It had been so hyped-up I decided to keep my expectations low to ward off the possibility of disappointment. In both cases the effort seems to have been unnecessary. The Taj has presence. The way it looms large against a wide blue sky provides a sense of the epic.

In the end the Taj Mahal is simply a mausoleum, the kind only the conspicuous wealth of an emperor could provide. The emperor was Shah Jahan and he built it to fulfill a deathbed promise to his wife who died giving birth to his 14th child. This probably didn’t sit well with his other 2 wives but history tends to glaze over that little issue.

Jahan himself was eventually also laid to rest in the Taj after living his last eight years imprisoned by his son in a cell facing the Mahal. Apocryphal stories abound about how that came to pass. Some say the son was trying to stop his father from bankrupting the kingdom with plans to build an equally large structure facing the Taj for symmetry. Some say it was simply a power grab. I say the son just had a real knack for creating a good narrative for marketing purposes.

Either way, Lauren, Cheryl and I spent the morning clicking away with our cameras trying to capture the monument in a way that did justice to the way it felt in person.

Some small confusion arose from the fact that many official guards don’t have real uniforms so it became hard to distinguish them from hucksters who were trying to get you to give them a few rupees for a little tour guiding. I gave one guy about a dollars worth for guiding me to some good photo spots.

We took the time to wait in line to see the inner sanctum, which was not nearly as exciting. All the charm of the place is worn plainly on it’s facade. We walked out about 11 am feeling satisfied like you would after a great meal.



Speaking of which I went for lunch in a neighborhood just behind the Taj. A small group of us had entrusted Justine (a Kiwi) to suss out something authentic to eat. She navigated us to Shankara Vegis, a tiny family restaurant with good food and a fantastic view of The Taj Mahal in the unusual context of being framed by scenes of real Indian city life.



We achieved a new Tuktuk record by squeezing in 5 passengers. Andre and I got to sit in the front on either side of the driver while holding safety handles on the vehicles exterior.

We met up with the rest of the tour group at the Agra Fort where Shah Jahan had been imprisoned for his final years. The place is a great labyrinth well worth getting lost in for a while. Like the Taj it attracts as many India tourist as is does foreign ones, many of whom have never seen a white person in the flesh before.

It’s not uncommon to find an Indian person sideling up next to you, only to realize he’s got a friend trying to get a picture of the two of you. When I catch anyone doing this I just pose with them and force them to take a picture with my camera too.

Because of an unexpected and particularly bad traffic delay we were tight on time for our last 2 stops of the day. So Perry put it to a vote and a group decision was made to limit our visit to the “Baby Taj” to just 5 minutes. This was fine. Although interesting and ornate it’s really just another mausoleum.

In fact it has no relation to the Taj Mahal other than being in the same architectural family. “Baby Taj” is just a nickname and the structure actually predates the Taj by a century or so.

So we all ran in, clicked away and ran back out … and then waited because Nick decided to use the washroom despite knowing we were in a hurry. Nonetheless we managed to cross the river and situate ourselves on the banks for a view of the real Taj by sunset. The fog had started to return but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Back at our hotel Lauren (the 95lb junk food queen) was jonesing for McDonalds. Usually I avoid American fast food when I’m doing the world travel thing but there is a limit to how much Indian I can eat without a break and the local McDonald’s menu is really interesting.

I tried the McAloo Tiki, which has a potato patty instead of beef. It was surprisingly good. I think if McDonalds really wants to offer veggie alternatives they should just import their Indian Menu to North America instead of their usual wilted lettuce salads.
Up next: Orcha.