Agra
We departed Jaipur for another promised day as long and arduous as our journey there. We were off to Agra but first had a very special stop along the way. One we had actually been greatly anticipating given the research we’d done on the place. About halfway along the 265km trip, but to be honest, who really knows, we alighted at the small village of Abhaneri to see the infamous Chand Baori Stepwell.
Considered to be one of the oldest surviving step wells in India it contains 3500 steps cascading 3 sides 13 stories deep into a massive tank of water at the bottom. Built in the 800’s it has served multiple purposes alongside drawing water and played a significant role in religious or ceremonial activities. Over the centuries pilgrims are said to have found comfort quenching their thirst and finding a resting spot at the steps of Chand Baori after their long travels.
The fourth side of the well has a Haveli pavilion once used by the royal family together with two niches serving as shrines to the deity Ganesha and changing pavilions both male and female. Given the structure was built over 1,200 years ago it remains an optical and architectural wonder. Reminiscent of Escher’s famous works, you can’t help but be drawn into every precise join of ancient porous volcanic stone used to allow water to seep in from all sides of the well. It was mesmerising and worth the horrendous drive to get there. We couldn’t draw ourselves away, it was simply breathtaking, every turn of the head revealed something new and the longer we looked the more we saw.
Adjoining the well is the small Harshat Mata Temple where we again removed our shoes and helped a little with the daily sweeping needs while photographing various human and animal life.
With Ganache warming to us more and more every day, he held no hesitation in advising we were now very much behind schedule. While he finished his cigarette we showed him some recent images on our camera screens and he quickly changed his tune. A little further from the well we stopped for lunch. A quaint little restaurant on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere where they, you guessed it, conjured the best masala curry, jasmine rice and naan bread possible. A few Kingfishers and our daily routine was gaining traction. It was here we spied something not seen thus far. Field workers, ladies no less, on bended knee and sickle in hand thrashing the wheat fields into small manageable bundles. Given the chaotic atmosphere of the cities thus far, and the peaceful almost cathartic nature of rural India, it was pleasant to witness. Conversely, on the tail end of our journey to Agra the pandemonium of Indian highways continued with trucks roaring past brimming with workers hanging on every available surface.
We hit Agra late afternoon, in full blown traffic of course, and quickly checked into our hotel before being told we had 30 minutes before yet another guide would walk us through the wonders of the newly discovered city. With literally only minutes to view our room, which were greatly improving the further we ventured from Delhi, we dumped the bags, reloaded the batteries and SD cards, and met Ganache in the foyer.
We were headed to the famous Agra Fort which at this time of day would glow kaleidoscopic colours bringing with it the photographic Gods we so often travel with. Built by Emperor Akbar in 1565 the construction of this huge red sandstone fort took 8 years to complete and by and large served the purpose of just about all Indian forts thus far detailed. However, across the river a mere 2.5km away the unparalleled Taj Mahal was erected in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan housing the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Most notably while suffering a severe illness in 1657, a succession war between his four sons surfaced whereby Aurangzeb, the third son, proceeded to kill his rivals then imprison his father in the Agra Palace and seize the throne for himself. Incarcerated within the deeply fortified walls of the Red Fort, the former Maharajah could only now gaze across the river reflecting on the beauty of the magnificent mausoleum he’d erected in loving memory of his wife.
As we walked through the Red Fort absorbing its history and detail, resplendent as every other fort in India thus far, we came upon an eastern forecourt and paused to admire the beauty both within, and out. Through a reasonably insignificant window framed within the rampart walls we saw for the first time, the very first time, the majestic Taj Mahal off in the distance unclouded by the habitual mid afternoon haze of Agra. Lyndall, to be fair, broke down immediately weeping tears of joy and sobbed uncontrollably at the beauty. Fatpap of course turned his head so no-one would see the equally expressed emotion at such a wonder. A seven wonder of the world no less.
The Red Fort of course was unbelievably magnificent, an iconic marvel of the modern era and naturally UNESCO recognised. It, despite the obvious similarities to the others we had seen was mind blowing and a pure joy to spend time walking through its sacred grounds.
We arrived back at our hotel and as expected hightailed it to the roof top bar for some G&T’s and a debrief of the spectacular day just experienced. Sitting among the coloured fairy lights and piped music of the contrived bar atop of what ever hotel we were staying in, through an archway in the facade wall surrounding the pool did we see a sun lit, then flood lit silhouette of the Taj Mahal in the distance. That’s when we knew, that’s why you do these trips. To experience that moment in that minute in that hotel in that city. We couldn’t photograph it, you just need to take our word for it.
The following day we woke well before the sun and driven to unquestionably the most anticipated part of our Indian journey. In fact, we are sure the catalyst to most travellers making the pilgrimage to this country. The Taj Mahal. As part of the government’s program of preservation we alighted almost 2 kilometres from the precinct and transferred to electric golf carts to take us onward to the main gates. Still pitch black, the street hawkers were setting up their stalls and we almost shook in anticipation of what stood behind the monstrous red crenellated walls.
Walking through the forecourts then main gates, our guide rattled off marvellous, and we are sure significant details regarding the name, shape and meaning of everything before us. Interesting as that was, it was not why we came this far. By now the first crack of light was appearing to the east and we passed under the enormous stone archway of the southern gate. Among the first of no doubt thousands to follow that day, we emerged with just a little bit more light to witness feasibly the most spectacular tourist-sight-seeing-thing ever seen.
The Taj Mahal, Agra, India
In perfect symmetry toward the end of a blue bedded pool of reflection stood quite possibly the most famous building in the world. Photographs just don’t do it justice. Even ours. Our breath was momentarily removed from our bodies, and needing to hug each other, once again a tear uncontrollably traversed our cheek. The sight of The Taj Mahal in the magical pre dawn golden hour was…it was…well, there are in fact no words to describe what it was. Spiritual. Enlightening. Mesmerising. They will do but in no way reflect what we felt in that very moment. Like your first love, your first born, somehow visiting the Taj Mahal is of the same calibre.
The Taj is an ivory-white marble mausoleum commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mugal Emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favourite wife, and later himself. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42-acre complex which includes a mosque and guest house set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall. Completed essentially in 1643 the building cost in today’s money USD 1 Billion. Employing some 20,000 artisans under the guidance of Ustad Ahmad Lahori, the emperor’s court architect, it displays various types of symbolism to reflect natural beauty and divinity. The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".
We fired off a gazillion photos of course but as the light was still very shallow and no tripods allowed on site, we slowly strolled the walkways flanking the central reflection pool. Again our guide spoke of many things about this simply awe inspiring place but we either didn’t hear them or quickly forgot them. We are photographers after all and in the emerging dawn bangers sprung up in every direction with light reflecting off the white marbled dome with a never before seen hue of sub-continental glory.
The entire precinct is symmetrically beautiful and detailed to precision everywhere you turn. But looking down the central chord specifically designed for that very reason, the quintessential Taj Mahal images were not coming to mind, they were there in front of us. Please good reader, forgive our perhaps often repeated images of essentially the same building, but being there, in that light, mayhaps only once in our lives, we clicked to our heart’s content.
The tomb is the central focus of the complex and its large, white marble structure stands on a square plinth consisting of a symmetrical building and arch-shaped doorway. The most spectacular feature being the marble dome surmounting the tomb. Nearly 35 metres high it is accentuated by a cylindrical "drum" standing a further 7 metres in height. The shape of the dome is emphasised by four smaller domed kiosks placed at its corners which replicate the onion shape of the main cupola.
We had by now made our way down the gardens and stepped onto the unbelievably detailed tessellated tile work of the forecourt. Being this close to The Taj Mahal, in fact standing within its shadow of morning light, yet another wave of euphoria swept over us. It is truly as inspirational up close as it is from afar. The detailed stone work, the decorative inlays, the sheer precision of something constructed nearly 400 years ago just takes things to another level. The exterior decorations are among the finest in Mughal architecture and as the surface area changes, are refined proportionally and created by applying paint, stucco, and stone inlays or carvings.
The minarets, a feature Fatpap was particularly taken by, are more than 40 metres tall and display the designer's penchant for symmetry. They were constructed slightly outside of the plinth and in fact angle ever so gently outward so that in the event of a collapse, typical with many tall constructions of the period, the material from the towers would fall away from the tomb.
We removed our shoes and headed inside the tomb. The inner chamber is an octagon shape allowing entry from each face, though only the door facing the garden to the south is used. The interior walls are 25 metres high and topped by a "false" dome decorated with a sun motif. Maybe the most outstanding thing, or what sets this attraction apart from others, is the fact that you can run your hand over every surface. Feeling the smoothness of the marble, the ever so slight indentations of the inlays, the seamless joint of stone blocks. Over all the chamber was considerably small given the vastness of the exterior grounds but paled nonetheless insignificant.
The complex is set around a large 300 square metre garden using raised pathways to divide each of the four-quarters of garden into 16 sunken flowerbeds. Halfway between the tomb and gateway is a raised marble water tank and reflecting pool positioned on a north–south axis reflecting the image of the mausoleum. Sadly it was devoid of water during our visit, but elsewhere the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and fountains. At the far end of the complex are two grand red sandstone buildings that mirror each other facing the sides of the tomb. The western building is a mosque with the other thought to have been constructed for architectural balance or used as a guesthouse.
Outside the walls are several additional mausoleums, including those of Shah Jahan's other wives, with these structures composed primarily of red sandstone typical of the smaller Mughal tombs of the era. The main gateway is a monumental structure built primarily of marble and reminiscent of the Mughal architecture of earlier emperors. Its archways mirror the shape of the tombs and its pishtaq arches incorporate the calligraphy that decorates its walls.
We had almost 4 hours at the Taj Mahal which, on reflection, absolutely flew by. It is an extremely tranquil setting where we guess most visitors find reflection within themselves. It is quiet, measured, respectful. There could have been thousands of people there that day but we didn’t know it.
We reluctantly left, but only a final tear of joy, and maybe sadness, to return to our hotel for a much awaited breakfast and to pack the bags for our not so enthusiastically awaited 4 hour trip back to Dehli. We broke the boredom of the now familiar intra-Indian travel by comparing photos taken that morning thankful we had actually seen such a magnificent sight. Even Ganache was impressed and Like-and-Subscribed on the spot.
Lunch that day was at a very peculiar truck stop where the ordering process was as anomalous as the food. Any chance to get out of the car was duly taken and we enjoyed Indian type spring rolls, a “wrap” of some description and two icy cold Cokes.
We arrived in Delhi and unceremoniously booked back into the same room we had left only a few days earlier. Really? In this shithole at least a different room would have made a minuscule of difference. The construction lamentably continued and with no bar, outdoor area, pool, or surrounding restaurants or street life to visit, we ordered gins and jumped onto hotelbookings.com vowing never to return to this cesspit again….which of course we were due to in 3 days time.