Exploring Agra and the Taj Mahal

8th February 2018 – Exploring Agra

Finally, I get to see the Taj Mahal!!  I was thwarted on my 1^st attempt almost 30 years ago by Thai Airways, which inconveniently broke down at Heathrow airport causing me a 48 hour delay, and ever since, have been determined to get there.

Our itinerary actually had 2 visits to the Taj Mahal scheduled in the same day – one at sun rise and one at sunset.  Not being an early riser I’d more or less decided that I wouldn’t bother with the sunrise visit, but Tarun, our guide, told us that it was worth it as was much quieter and less crowded.  Mum, however, had visited it before, so told us to go without her unless she was already awake, in which case she would join us.  However, at 6am, when we left, Mum was not awake, so we went without her.

It was a short drive to the west gate.  We were dropped off about 1km away as cars aren’t allowed any closer and had a brisk walk to the gate.  The east gate is actually closer, but apparently, is a lot busier as most hotels, including ours, are located near that gate.   There were 4 lines separated by iron bars – I was directed into the 2^nd from left and Chris the 2^nd from right   - these were the foreigners lines separated into male and female.  The far left was for Indian ladies and the far right for Indian men.  The gates opened 30 minutes before sunrise so, today, that was at 6.35am.  Our e-tickets were checked against our passports and after being frisked quite thoroughly by security, we were through into the forecourt area. 

The main gateway at dawn

To the left of us was the main gate, which is an impressive sandstone building inlaid with marble.  The central section is topped with 11 small domes in a line and either side of it are 2 towers topped with a large dome.  In the centre section is a huge recessed arch with 6 recessed arches within it on 2 levels – the almost insignificant central lower arch leads you through into the main complex – ahead of you is the Taj Mahal.   To actually be there and see it in reality is breathtaking – it floats almost ethereally in the distance with a wide water channel with fountains (not running) planted with trees either side leading your eyes towards it.  It is quite simply magnificent.

Just to give some background on the Taj Mahal:  it is a 27 hectare complex situated on the banks of the Yamuna river.  It was commissioned by the Mughal emporoer, Shah Jahan, in 1632, to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahai, who died whilst giving birth to her 14^th child.  Work was essentially complete by 1643, but continued for another 10 years and was finally completed in 1653.  In today’s terms it would have cost about 52.8 billion rupees or $827 million – mind boggling amounts of money anyway! 

The Taj Mahal at dawn

The tomb is the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal. It is a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth and consists of a symmetrical building with an iwan (an arch-shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin.   The base structure is a large multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners forming an unequal eight-sided structure that is approximately 55 metres (180 ft) on each of the four long sides. Each side of the iwan is framed with a huge pishtaq or vaulted archway with two similarly shaped arched balconies stacked on either side. This motif of stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides of the building. Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth facing the chamfered corners.

What I hadn’t appreciated before, is that it is actually set within a large garden.  The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. Halfway between the tomb and gateway in the centre of the garden is a raised marble water tank with a reflecting pool positioned on a north-south axis to reflect the image of the mausoleum.   Benches are strategically placed here and this is where Diana sat when she was photographed sitting alone in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992. 

Who are this love struck couple?

Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees labelled according to common and scientific names^[28] and fountains. The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by Babur, the first Mughal emperor. It symbolises the four flowing rivers of Jannah (Paradise) and reflects the Paradise garden derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning 'walled garden'. In mystic Islamic texts of the Mughal period, Paradise is described as an ideal garden of abundance with four rivers flowing from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west, south and east.

Most Mughal charbaghs are rectangular with a tomb or pavilion in the centre. The Taj Mahal garden is unusual in that the main element, the tomb, is located at the end of the garden. With the discovery of Mahtab Bagh or "Moonlight Garden" on the other side of the Yamuna, the interpretation of the Archaeological Survey of India is that the Yamuna river itself was incorporated into the garden's design and was meant to be seen as one of the rivers of Paradise.

As the Mughal Empire declined, the Taj Mahal and its gardens also declined. By the end of the 19th century, the British Empire controlled more than three-fifths of India and assumed management of the Taj Mahal. They changed the landscaping to their liking which more closely resembled the formal lawns of London.

Fishing boat on the river

Entrance to the tomb

We took far too many photos from various viewpoints, although just in front of the platform was the best in my opinion.  You had to jostle for position with other people and there was the usual posturing and pouting in front of mobile phones too.  We took a circuitous route through the garden admiring the parrots, hoopoes and mynah birds before getting to the platform on which the mausoleum is built.  We had to put on over shoes before being allowed on the sandstone platform which is topped with marble slabs.  We then joined a tiny queue of people to enter the mausoleum which is surprisingly small, hot and dark.  The emporer’s tomb is on the left of that of Mumtaz Mahai which is centrally situated under the dome.  They are on a north south axis with their heads tuned to face Mecca.  The tombs are difficult to see as they are surrounded by a series of beautifully carved marble screens inset with semi precious stones.  Our guide had a contact here who, for a few rupees, got his torch out and shone it on the marble highlighting its stunning translucent qualities.  It transpires that the tombs we see are actually copies of the original which are in a chamber below and have been since the buildings inception.

The mosque to the west of the Taj Mahal

When we exited the tomb onto the platform we walked to the river side and admired the views up and down the river which was covered in an early morning mist and looked very picturesque.  Either side of the Taj Mahal are 2 ornate sandstone buildings.  The one to the west is a functioning mosque – the one to the right is basically a folly and built to replicate the other one in order to balance the garden.  We took yet more photos from here as the light was really improving now and the marble looked a sparkling white. We had been warned before we came that the Taj Mahal was undergoing extensive renovations and that huge parts of it might be under scaffolding.  Luckily for us, there was no scaffolding at all.  However, we were told that the main dome and the surrounding domes all still needed cleaning and that the scaffolding was scheduled to go up again late April/May and the work would take about 12 months.

The light is better now.....

After walking around the other side of the gardens and taking a few more photos (how can you not?), we exited the complex and headed back to the hotel for breakfast, showers and to pick up Mum.

The gateway to the baby Taj

Feeling more refreshed, we set off again at about 10am and started off at the baby Taj or to give it its correct name – tomb of I’Timad-ud-Daulah.  The mausoleum was commissioned by Nūr Jahān, the wife of Jahangir, for her father Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, originally a Persian Amir in exile,^[1] who had been given the title of I'timād-ud-Daulah (pillar of the state). Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was also the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl,  the wife of the emperor Shāh Jahān, responsible for the construction of the Tāj Mahal.  Along with the main building, the structure consists of numerous outbuildings and gardens. The tomb, built between 1622 and 1628 represents a transition between the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture – primarily built from red sandstone with marble decorations, as in Humayun's Tomb in Delhi – to its second phase, based on white marble and pietra dura inlay, most elegantly realized in the Tāj Mahal.

Tomb of I’Timad-ud-Daulah

Located on the eastern bank of the Yamuna River, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways. The mausoleum itself covers about twenty-three meters square, and is built on a base about fifty meters square and about one meter high. On each corner are hexagonal towers, about thirteen meters tall.

The walls are made up from white marble from Rajasthan encrusted with semi-precious stone decorations – cornelian, jasper, lapis lazuli, onyx, and topaz formed into images of cypress trees and wine bottles, or more elaborate decorations like cut fruit or vases containing bouquets. Light penetrates to the interior through delicate screens of intricately carved white marble. The interior decoration is considered by many to have inspired that of the Taj Mahal, which was built by her stepson, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

Washing on the banks of the river

I really liked this mausoleum which is also often described as a jewel box and you can see why as it’s a very apt description.  This isn’t on the tourist trail so much either so was really quiet and uncrowded.  From the banks of the river we could see bright swathes of cloth lying on the slopes of the river which were the sides of tents that has been washed and were drying in the sun.  The water channels were being renovated whilst we were there – would love to return when they are working as would make the gardens spectacular.  What I really liked though was that the lawns were being replanted with fruit trees including guava and pomegranates, which would have been more like the original planting, although planting was being kept low by the paths so as not to impede your view of the mausoleum.

Entry to the red fort

Our next stop was the red fort.  It was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi.  The emperor Akbar rebuilt a huge sandstone fort on an existing brick fort. Some 4,000 builders worked on it daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.  It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its current state. Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made from white marble. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his own.  At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed and restrained by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort. It is rumoured that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal rumoured that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.

Part of the red fort

The fort is absolutely enormous and we entered via the main gate over a dry moat with huge, imposing sandstone walls surrounding it as the 1^st line of defence.  We then had a slight zig zag through 2 further gates – again to repel intruders and up a hill down which they could roll rocks if necessary.  We visited several different royal buildings within the fort  - 3 generations worth of emperors who all stamped their personal taste on their building, with the decoration becoming more elaborate with each successive generation.  However, the fort was not just a royal palace but also the centre of government so we saw courtyards with various buildings for courtiers and administrators as well.  We saw only  small proportion of the fort as the vast majority of it is currently used by the military.

Inside the red fort

After this, we were dropped off back at the hotel just in time for lunch time drinkies  and were told to be ready for a 4pm for our afternoon visit to the Taj Mahal.  This time we entered by the west gate following the same procedure as the morning.  What a difference 10 hours makes – it was very crowded and in all honesty, as it was cloudy and slightly hazy, the light wasn’t as good as in the morning.  Tarun took Mum off to see the tombs, which took ages as at this time of day the queues are enormous.  Chris and I just sat on a bench in the gardens with a good view of the Taj Mahal and soaked up the ambience and watched the visitors all taking selfies with their sticks.  After about 30 minutes, Mum and Tarun reappeared and we left as had had enough of the crowds by then.