The Red Fort and Taj Mahal
We left early at 7-45 am for Agra to see the Red or Agra Fort and Taj Mahal. Both were Mughal monuments built by Emperors as Agra was their seat of government. The fog covered the whole four hour journey smothering any view of the countryside. At Agra we experienced the first polarity of poverty and wealth. We drove thorough a slum where the locals would keep their animals and meagre possessions in dirty front areas. There was a market in session. The coach made its way thorough the pandemonium with much hooting before turning off the road to the 5 star ITC Mughal hotel. This was a modern low building in red brick which reminded me of hall of residence in one of those universities that sprang up in the sixties.
After lunch, we boarded the bus again to the Red Fort. The foundations were laid by the third Mughal Emperor Akbur, added to by his grandson Shah Jahan and then his son Auringreb completed it. It was Jahan who built the Taj Mahal and he was thinking about constructing another grand building for his own mausoleum when his son put him under house arrest. He complied with this as long as he had a view of his beloved Taj Mahal which is more than we did in the fog. We then proceeded to the Taj (garden) Mahal (palace). This was the monument to his beloved second wife by Shah Jahan and built between 1731 amid 1752. The guide said he met her in he courtyard of the Agra Fort but his father was against the marriage. He married her anyway and she died during the birth of their fourteenth child.
There is always the potential feeling that, given the reputation that the Taj Mahal has of being the most beautiful buildings in the world, you might be disappointed. In a milky light I was not and was struck by the perfect symmetry of the building and its 4 minuets. Yet a number of factors spoil the experience. The first is the crowd. It attracts some 100,000 visitors a day and you feel like you are on a crowded tube in rush hour. The second are the beggars and hawkers that assault as you come off and on the bus.
The lack of currency – you see queues every where outside the banks – was a convenient excuse as no one had rupees but we were assured they took dollars. Thirdly, the noise of children shouting accompanied by soldiers whistling shrilly was unpleasant. Fourthly, the security in entering is akin to a modern airport. Finally, the interior is disappointing. I would not put you off. The group was invited to go back today at dawn as it’s seen best in the early light when it changes colours but there may not be that many takers for an early morning visit particularly as the cloud of fog will be there again.
