Mughal Grandiose

I had lived in the national capital for almost three years, but had never visited the best known monument which lay only 200 kilometres from Delhi in a historic setting left behind by the illustrious Mughals.

This Eid holiday, Milan and I paid a visit to Agra and tick the Taj Mahal off our bucket lists.

The decision making process was not so simple, however J

When we decided to take a holiday together, we settled on a beach destination because both of us needed to get away. From the monotony, the pressures and the voices. Our first choice was the Maldives and weeks of planning went into it, a number of calculations were undertaken and it felt like it was actually going to happen. But there were unforeseen circumstances, a number of complications and Maldives had to be forgotten (which in hindsight was a blessing in disguise give the strategically timed Phailin K)

We were determined to make it to someplace, and so the choice of destinations fluctuated over weeks, with Cleartrip.com become the most visited website on our Google Analytics, and looked a little like this:

Maldives → Jordan →Thailand → The Andamans → Sri Lanka → Kerala → Lakshwadeep Islands →  Digha → Puri → Neemrana → Agra!

As is visible, we got quite desperate towards the end, but sense prevailed and we decided on Agra as both of us had not been there before and it was do-able in two to three days.

On one fine October morning, I was in the cab heading to the Nizamuddin railway station, picking up my co-traveller on the way. Norah Jones was singing ‘Sunrise’ in my ear and that is the best kind of feeling you can have before a trip begins.

We boarded the practically empty Samta Express – a super fast express train plying between Visakhapatnam and Hazrat Nizamuddin and plugged our dying phones into the electricity socket (Yuss!) while Milan threatened dangerous things would happen if I got some shut eye! After two and half hours, a steady flow of in-train vendor calls and an unhealthy dose of spicy chips, we reached the city of the Taj. Dodging taxi and auto wallahs, Milan leading the way, we got into an auto to get to our little slice of luxury – the ITC Mughal.

It is an absolutely stunning property, reflecting the luxury of the erstwhile Mughal capital city with a hint of the modern. We planned to spend a lot of time in it, and were quite delighted with what we saw – the pool looked inviting and we had food coupons for meals and drinks at any of the three restaurants!

Shortly after a delicious lunch at the local Mughal restaurant, Peshawri we set off to look at the only Wonder of the World that our country boasts of. Agra looked like just another bustling Indian city save for the legacy that the Mughal Empire has left behind – in the form of a magnificent fort and sprinkles of mesmerizing tombs and mausoleums, while the Yamuna River provides a suitably sacred backdrop.

Mughal emperor Babur established his capital here in 1526, and for the next century Agra witnessed a remarkable spate of architectural activity as each emperor tried to outdo the grandiose monuments built by his predecessors.

We took an auto rickshaw to the site and as we walked through narrow, direction-less lanes studded with loud hawkers and staring men to get to the Taj, I could complete connect with the Lonely Planet as they said, and I quote, “Agra’s magnificent white marble Taj Mahal stands like a bulbous beacon, drawing tourists like moths to a wondrous flame.” To add to the madness, it was around Eid – so all the more people were around. We bought our Rs. 20 tickets, found a guide and were ushered away from the long entrance queue to the North Entrance.

As he took us around, and explained the geometry and history behind each edifice, we got more and more captured by what lay around us. Magnificent red brick structures and from the minaret shaped royal entrance, you could see the Taj quietly glimmering away, in all its glory.

It is without doubt one of the most beautiful monuments, I have laid eyes upon – and to think that all of this was achieved without modern equipment, seems to blow many minds away. A good three to four hours should be enough to explore, photograph and have a bit of time to revel in the history. I would recommend enlisting the services of a guide – they charge Rs. 600 (obviously this number fluctuates based on the season and their perception of you, so go ahead – bargain) but they tell you things that Wikipedia cannot. Also, carry water in a backpack, there are no vendors within the premises.

Exhausted from all that walking around, and overwhelmed by what we had just seen, we got back to the hotel, took hot baths, got started on our bottle of Belvedere with Red Bull and went to dinner (which was surprisingly disappointing at the Taj Bano). Milan and I polished off all their bread sticks and butter, to settle scores!

After a brief walk around the luxurious gardens, which were a bit creepy by night, we returned to our rooms and yes, finished the rest of the one litre of the finest Polish vodka. Needless to say, no one was waking up to go to Fatehpur Sikri the next morning. Milan is one among the few people who has kept in touch with me since I left my life at Gurgaon behind, and it was so very good to catch up with her and talk about all kinds of rubbish, play our favourite music, do animate renditions of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ and press noses against the cold glass while playing a random geography quiz. Yes, vodka does all sorts of things to you.

Of course we woke up around noon the next morning, hungry but sans hangover! This was relaxation day and we spent most the afternoon by the pool, trying to ignore the annoying music that was playing at a sangeet party nearby – which eventually stopped and the pool area was run over by curious uncles and their even more annoying children! But it was the most tranquil day I have had in months – nothing beats sitting by the pool and feel the warm Sun (even though I mostly stay away from it). I feel that every holiday, however hectic, should have one such day – the body just needs it.

The next afternoon we had our train back to Delhi, so we decided to visit Fatehpur Sikri – This magnificent fortified ghost city, 40 km west of Agra, which was the short-lived capital of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Emperor Akbar. It is deserted, yet absorbing and demonstrates the intellect and love for all cultures that the Emperor was known for. We reached pretty early in the morning hence did not have to face the full might of the Sun – people reaching there by themselves have to park at the designated location and take the CNG bus to the World Heritage Site. Once you get there, all the attractions can be visited on foot. Palaces of Akbar’s consorts, meeting halls, treasuries with secret chambers and elaborate mosques – all this and more await at Fatehpur-Sikri.

We headed back to the hotel, packed and go onto the train to go back to Dilli – feeling quite enriched in history and tired, but so glad that we decided to do this! Here’s to more 😀