Taj Mahal

We visited the Taj Mahal last evening at 9:30 pm, in moonlight and without cameras.  It was beautiful!  We were up early this morning and left our hotel at 5:30 am, for an early entry for sunrise.  It was a cloudy morning, so we didn’t actually see the sun rise.  The Taj Mahal property is a large garden with four large gates, east, west, north, and south, plus a mosque and a similar building opposite.  Upon entering the Taj Mahal interior, all cameras must be put away.  Just as we exited the mausoleum chamber, the sky opened and rain poured.  We stood on the porch with dozens of others until the rain stopped, then spent time walking around the site.  It is stunning!  

Built between 1632 and 1653, the Taj Mahal was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.  Over 20,000 artisans and 1,000 elephants built the white marble complex.  The main structure is white marble, exquisitely inlaid with precious stones of jade, turquoise, lapis lazuli, sapphire, and more.  It was an unforgettable morning!

We returned to the hotel for breakfast, then packed up and drove toward Jaipur.  We stopped just a few miles from Agra for a tour of Fatehpur Sikri Fort.  It was a fortified city built in the 16th century of red sandstone by Emperor Akbar.  It served as the Mughal capital from 1571 to 1585, before being abandoned.  The site is famous for its blend of Hindu, Islamic, and Persian architectural styles.  Fans Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India is within the complex.  Emperor Akbar’s palace included spaces for his three favorite wives, one Hindu, one Muslim, and one Catholic from Portugal.  Emperor Akbar was curious and was known to invite scholars and learned men to his palace to talk.

Enroute to Jaipur, we visited Chand Baori, one of India’s largest and deepest stepwells, built in the 8th-9th century by King Chanda.  It features 3,500 steps over 13 stories, reaching a depth of 100 feet, designed for water harvesting and as a social gathering spot.  Stepwells are wells or cisterns with corridors of steps descending to the water level.  Stepwells played a significant role in defining water storage in India from the 7th to the 19th century, primarily to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability.  

We ended our day in Jaipur, at https://samode.com/samode-haveli/, where we are staying for three nights.  Samode Haveli is a 225 year old property that has been in the Samode royal family since it was built.  It is an 18 acre oasis full of details such as mosaic floors, handpainted floral scenes on walls and ceilings of reception room, 50 unique suites, and a rooftop terrace to see the city as night falls.

Our guide, Singh, and driver Santoosh, are giving us a wonderful experience!

Agra

We departed Delhi after breakfast at the Imperial Hotel.  We rode four hours on a divided highway to Agra.  We checked into the hotel, had lunch, then set off by 2 pm, with our guide and driver for Agra Fort.  Agra Fort is an historic Mughal fort in Agra, also known as the Red Fort.  “Mughal emperor Humayun (whose tomb we visited in Delhi), was crowned at the fort in 1530.  It was later renovated and added to by the Mughal emperor Akbar from 1565-1573 (present day structure was completed).  Architects laid the foundation and the fort was built with bricks in the inner core with red sandstone on external surfaces, over 94 acres.  Some 4000 builders worked daily for eight years to complete the fort in 1573.  It served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi.  It was used by various rulers through the next two centuries, and was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company’s rule in India and led to a century of direct rule in India by Britain.”  It is a grand royal fort.  We were in awe of Agra Fort and enjoyed being there with so many Indian tourists.  They enjoy their heritage and historic places.

We drove across the river from Agra Fort to the “Baby Taj.”  The Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah is a Mughal mausoleum, commissioned by Nur Jahan, wife of Jahangir, the fourth emperor of the Mughal empire, for her father.  Baby Taj is described as a jewel box and is regarded as a model for the Taj Mahal.  The gate buildings were built primarily from red sandstone and the mausoleum was built of white marble with inlay.  It is a beautiful site.