Agra - The Moghul Saga

The Taj Mahal

"Taj Mahal, It’imad-Ud-Daula, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort", blurted out the guide whose help I was taking in creating an immersive itinerary for myself. I had visited the Taj Mahal twice in the past too but the Taj Mahal can and must be visited as many times as one can. The enigma, the intrigue and the beauty captures the beholder in a spell. It gets more majestic and prettier each time you visit.

I wanted an easygoing itinerary and wanted to experience the city fully, so took two days out for Agra alone. In a typical Golden Triangle tour, just a day is given for Agra which I feel is insufficient because Agra is not just about the Taj Mahal; Agra is a whole book of history within a city that requires its reader to be engrossed and lost in its pages.

Ours was a road trip from Jaipur, and Fatehpur Sikri fell on the way and hence had to be the first box to check in our sightseeing checklist.

Fatehpur Sikri

This was my first visit to this once-upon-a-time city. Fatehpur Sikri is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is under the protective wings of the ASI. Built in red sand stone, it's beauty captures one's eye and heart. You enter from the large gates that open towards the Sikri village and make your way to the designated parking area. Here onwards it is a walk to the ticket windows and a bus ride to the main entrance of the Royal Complex of Fatehpur Sikri.

As is the norm from time immemorial, guests are received in an outermost chamber of a house/palace/fort/mansion/business house, there is a Diwan-e-aam as soon as one enters Fatehpur Sikri too. This is where the emperor had his audience with the general public. Beautifully manicured lawns in the typical char-bagh Moghul feature welcome you to this city.

Fatehpur Sikri

The impeccably clean Fatehpur Sikri is a historian’s, an architect’s, a photographer’s, in fact, everyone’s delight. The tour keeps one so enraptured in the depths and details of Akbar’s times and the Moghul way of life, the charm of Jodha Bai aka Harka Bai aka Mariam-uz-Zamani and the finesse of the palace of Rukaiya Begum, one gets enveloped in the realms of the past as if floating through a gallery of sepia hued pictures. A closer look at the pieces of evidence of Din-e-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar as an amalgamation of all religions, a walk through the jewellery box of the empress and the vault (not wallet) of the emperor will make your jaw drop in amazement of the sizes of these chambers and the fact that these were once full to the brim and bursting at the seams.

Rukaiya Begum's Mahal

The detailed carvings, paintings (though only traces can be seen hither and tither), the planning of spaces, everything is so detailed. The Anup Talab is yet another attraction that holds your attention for a while. The performing stage for such legends as Tansen and Baiju Bawra and frozen in time as the location of the musical competition between these greats, Anup Talab witnessed the spontaneous lighting of lamps as an answer to the call of Raag Deepak followed by a shower to the call of Raag Megh Malhar. The private chambers of Akbar and his consorts are made keeping the various seasons in mind. Jodha Bai’s palace is exceptionally well planned and quite large as well owing to the fact that she bore an heir to the throne, thus protecting the Moghul lineage. The striking feature here is her expansive personal kitchen.

Anup Talab

Beyond the royal chambers are the places of worship, living quarters of the palace staff and stables. Most visited are a mosque and the Dargah of Salim Chishti- the saint whose blessings gave Akbar his son, Shahjahan or Salim as he was christened at birth.

Here in the second part of Fatehpur Sikri stands the World’s Tallest gate - the Buland Darwaza. Capturing this gate in your lens can pose a challenge for sure.

The serenity of Fatehpur Sikri is palpable and calms one down. Preserved well by the ASI, this gist of a city must surely be visited by every traveller who wants to peek into the history of Agra. Can you walk across a city in just one day? Sure you can, at Fatehpur Sikri, here you can walk a few times across the length and breadth of the whole city.

As the sun sets and the night announces its arrival, an evening at the local market of Agra for some delectable street food must be your next indulgence. The famous chaat gali in Sadar Bazaar is a tiny exhibition centre for food from across the globe! While the regulars like Pani Puri, various chaats, pav bhaji, dosas are available at most of the stalls, you can find Chinese, Mexican, Mughlai and Italian cuisines as well. Shakes and waffles to satiate that sweet tooth too. This is the hub for buying knick-knacks as gifts, stationary and imitation jewellery are available in abundance and you can bargain your way to a steal deal too!

Rest well in one of the many comfortable hotels of Agra with or without the view of the Taj Mahal and be up in time the next day for a morning visit to the Taj.

The Taj Mahal

We would recommend you go for the early morning visit to the Taj Mahal- the sunrise view. Reasons? Well, lesser crowd as compared to during the day, a cooler time of the day, abundant opportunities for some great pictures, Taj Mahal glowing orange in the morning sun, - reasons enough? 

The morning glow

There is so much written about the Taj Mahal, its gardens, its minarets, the Lady Diana bench, the mosque, the Yamuna, Taj’s architecture, the history and indeed the eternally romantic saga of love; that I feel I must not delve there and keep this article focused only on a quick crisp itinerary of Agra.

Framed

The Agra Fort

After your Tour De Taj, return to your hotel for a sumptuous breakfast. Your day has a lot of walking ahead, changing into a comfortable pair of shoes would be a great idea. After breakfast, we head to the Agra Fort, a part of which is with the Indian Army while most of the notable features are open to tourists.

Gazing at the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort

As you navigate your way through the palaces and chambers and courtyards and passages, you imbibe the richness of the beauty this monument holds. Do not forget to click yourself gazing at the Taj Mahal from the Fort à la Emperor Jehangir. I always recommend that a guide be engaged for visits to historical monuments for a thorough experience. Their storytelling skills make the trip more enriching and entertaining too.

Agra Fort

Leaving the premises of Agra Fort and bidding adieu to the twirling Kathak performers, the musicians, the courtiers, the gardeners, and bowing to the Emperor, just as you exit the gate you would be peeled out of the Moghul Saga that you were part of a moment ago.

Fort

The Throne

Head next to the local market for you must carry a souvenir and some Agra specialities back with you. The shopping list begins with Petha and Dalmoth, the sweet and savoury delicacies from Agra. Next come leather and marble artefacts, followed by jewellery, fabric and home decor with carpets on top of the home decor list. Moghul influence can be seen in most of the products one buys especially in marble craft. The market is flooded with Taj Mahal replicas in not just marble but other stones and metals too. Kashidakari embroidery can be seen all around the markets in its finest and cheapest forms, suiting to the taste and budget of the buyer. If the stomach growls as a reminder to the lunch hour being ignored, bedmi poori with aloo bhaji would be a great UP staple to try.

This is a short jaunt to the market as we have to visit the Baby Taj, It’imad-Ud-Daula. The mausoleum is the final resting place of the parents of the Empress Noorjehan. A mini version of the Taj Mahal, it is believed to be a precursor to the Taj. It is believed that the artists sharpened their carving skills on Baby Taj and worked on the Taj Mahal only after learning all the nuances of intricate marble work thoroughly.

Other attractions

After It’imad-Ud-Daula, it is time for a visit to the Mehtab Bagh - an expansive garden with flower and fruit trees growing in perfect patterns. The Moghuls were obsessed with symmetry and this is quite evident in the planning of every monument, market, garden and the city as a whole. Mehtab Bagh offers a magnificent view of the Taj Mahal from across the Yamuna and the sunset view from here is a big attraction among tourists as well as locals alike. Once again the Taj Mahal glows orange in the rays of the setting sun. Orange and then pink and then pale burnt auburn and then slowly making way for the silver, grey and black of the night. Take an e-rickshaw from Mehtab Bagh to your car waiting in the parking lot. And celebrate with more of Agra chaat for you just completed a beautifully curated itinerary of the Moghul City of Agra!

Itimad-Ud-Daula

Sunset view

The Taj Mahal will quietly wave a goodbye to you as you leave for your next destination the next morning, but with a sly knowing smile that clearly conveys “till we meet again.”

Reflection