Agra - The moment someone utters the word Agra, the first thing that comes to one's mind is Taj Mahal. Agra has almost become synonym to Taj Mahal. But Agra is much more than just the Taj Mahal. Agra fort, Fathepur Sikri, Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah (baby Taj), Mehtab Bag etc are all in Agra and are beautiful and have lots of history behind them. Of course, Taj Mahal is the jewel in the crown, but these place are equally beautiful and have rich architecture.
Typically people cover Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in one trip. We planned an exclusive 3 day trip to Agra. We have been planning for Agra trip from a very long time. Every time we ended up scrapping the plan because of over analysis. Either it would be because summers are hot or winters are very cold or kids exams, holiday/vacation season etc. This Christmas holidays, we took a risk and decided lets do it no matter what. We were prepared for the fact that the famous Delhi winter fog will jeopardise the whole trip.
Plan was to take a early morning flight to Delhi on Mon 26th, hire a self driven rental car from Zoomcar at Delhi Airport, take the Yamuna Express Highway to Agra and return back to Bangalore on 28th night. So it was going to be a 3 day trip - exclusively for Agra. After doing some research, we decided to book a 8am flight to reduce the risk of flight delay due to fog. Instead of hiring a cab, planned to try the self-driven cars from Zoomcar. So everything was booked well in advance - our return flight tickets, Zoomcar from Delhi airport for 3 days and hotel booking at Hotel Taj resorts (http://www.hoteltajresorts.com).
Hotel Taj Resort is at an ideal location (20 min walk) from eastern gate of Taj Mahal. It is at a very convenient location from the ticket booking counter and to the east gate of Taj Mahal. The hotel is pretty good in all aspects. Has two good restaurants (one roof top and one inside the hotel), good views of Taj Mahal from the roof-top restaurant, swimming pool (we did not use it as it was very cold) and a shop in the basement - which has some beautiful stuff for sale and at reasonable price. Don't miss checking this out before buying anything in Agra.
We went with a twin-rooms (rooms that are attached). This is ideal for families with grown up kids. The rooms were very good, with good bathrooms, hot water, A/C, TV and very spacious.
On 26th morning, we boarded the flight to Delhi. Thankfully the flight was on time. We reached Delhi by 11:30am. It took some time for the Zoomcar to handover our car at the terminal. We completed the formalities, set the GPS and we were all set to drive to Agra. Soon we realized the car that we rented was not that great. It was an old Honda City and the windshield had lot of scratches. We knew, it would be painful driving in the dark with this kind of windshield - especially if it's on a highway.
After navigating through the multiple flyovers, we hit the Noida expressway. Delhi has very good road network. All roads are divided and most of the traffic is 4-wheel (which is very different from the Bangalore traffic - which is lot more 2 wheel). However driving through Delhi traffic was a challenge. There are so many roads, and GPS sometimes does not clearly specify which road to take - on the flyover or below or service road :( We were at ease once we entered the Yamuna Expressway to Agra. Now it was lunch time and we were hungry. Surprisingly there aren't many sign boards on the highway which guide you on how much more time/distance for the next exit for refreshments. We exited the first exit we hit, as we did not know when and where the next one would be. The place was good. The complex had Gas Filling Station, restaurants, wash rooms, parking etc. We had some Rajma & Chawal and some chats. North Indian dishes tastes best in North India :)
After some food and relaxation, it was time to head back on the highway. We planned to stop at Mathura and visit the Krishna Janma Bhoomi temple and then visit Vrindavan and then head to Agra. Little did we know, what it is like to visit Mathura and Vrindavan... Many of our friends from North India had warned us. We thought we were prepared, but I think we under-estimated the touts and cheating. We just didn't realize how we fell for it :(
As we exited the high and entered Mathura, every few minutes we had people stopping us. They were claiming as poojaris, guides and promising different things. The GPS is also very unreliable here. We tried our best to stick to GPS, but unfortunately the directions were unclear or incorrect. So at one circle we decided to stop and enquire and that’s the blunder we made. A guy here, tells us he can show the Janam Bhoomi temple and other temples too for 100Rs. He made some stories on one-ways etc and we fell for it. Since the GPS was not giving us correct direction, we took the risk of agreeing to this guide. Now he calls a 10year kid and asks him to take us around. When questioned, he says the kid is local and knows everything. Now we tell this kid to take us to Janma Bhoomi temple and he takes us in some other direction. After driving about 30min, we stop as we suspect something fishy. We reconfirm which temple is he taking us to and he says Janma Bhoomi. We say, but the sign boards are in the other direction. He says first I will take you to another temple and then to Janma Bhoomi temple. We loose our cool. We drop the kid back at the point where we took him as guide and go on our own following the boards.
I don't understand why most temple towns are crowded, dirty, very noisy and very very corrupt. People are pushing each other, their is garbage everywhere, people are shouting. The whole feel good factor of visiting a place of worship is defeated. Unfortunately there is nothing nice about the place :(
Atlast we reach the temple complex. Its mad rush here. Everybody on the road is trying to guide to a parking place which actually is somewhere far. After ignoring a few, we find a policeman and ask him where we could pay and park. He directs us to a place. We park our car and enter the complex. New drama enfolds here. You cannot carry any Phones, Cameras etc. inside the temple. You need to deposit it at the entrance. This was not mentioned on their offical website. Thats it - we loose our patience. Its not that we are religious. We wanted to visit the temple more for been there done it and for mythological significance. Decide to not go to the temple. We purchase some Mathura pedas (very tasty) and enjoyed the sweet.
By now we have are already delayed by couple of hours from our scheduled plan. We decide to quickly visit Vrindavan - especially the "Prem Mandir" which everybody is talking about. We are at Prem Mandir by 6PM - just as the lights come on. I will call this a "Mythological Theme Park". Everything is done keeping the tourists in mind and gives a tough competition to the famous ISKON Temple.
TIP - I would not recommend anybody to visit Mathura and Vrindavan. There is absolutely nothing that one can like about these two place other than of-course the yummy Mathura Pedha :)
Agra is about 1 1/2 hour drive from Vrindavan. We had hard luck with GPS in Vrindavan. We lost lot of time because of incorrect directions. At one point the GPS directed us to take what was supposed to be a highway - but unfortunately it was a mud road, pitch dark not a soul in site. The road was so bad, had we encountered any problem, we would have not got any help. Very scary too. This particular patch seemed like never ending. It was a big relief when we came and joined a proper highway. We just hate driving at night :(
It was close to 9PM, when we reached our hotel "Hotel Taj Resorts" at Agra. We were hungry, sleepy, tired and irritated. Checked in our room. Luckily the hotel was better than we expected and rooms were pretty good too. This, kind of eased our mood. We freshened up and went straight to their restaurant for dinner. Gladly the food was yum. Our order was served quickly and was very tasty. Its funny how all problems/tiredness seem to dissolve the moment you have something good to eat. We had a lovely dinner and crashed to sleep.
After a good night sleep, we planned for a full day outing. Plan was to visit the Fatepur Sikri in the morning, then do the Agra fort in the afternoon and be at Mehtab Bagh around sunset to view the colors of Taj Mahal at dusk. Hotel Taj Resorts had a good spread on their buffet breakfast. We had our breakfast and drove to Fatepur Sikri.
We spent around 3 hours at Fatehpur Sikri. As we were leaving, we saw bus load of tourists arriving. The parking place, where we had parked our car was now full with vehicles. We had difficulty getting our car out. From here we headed to Agra fort. On our way to the fort, we stopped for a quick lunch.
TIP - At Fathepur Sikri don't take the guide at the car parking place. Hire a government approved guide at the ASI Tourist Centre at the top. Try to reach the monuments by 8am to avoid the crowd and sun.
Visiting Agra fort is another half day event. We reached the fort around 2:30 PM. There was already enough crowd. The parking area close to the fort was full. We had to park a little further. Nevertheless, this is a must visit place in Agra. It is beautiful and majestic. As soon as we enter the main gate of the fort after crossing the moat, there is the ticket counter. There are separate counters for Indian Nationals and Foreign Nationals. There is a separate line for ladies. We purchased our tickets here. After the security check (which is meaningless for the amount of crowd), we climbed the ramp which takes to the main area of the fort. It is useful to hire a guide as they will explain the history and significance of each monument. Make sure you check the ID card and hire only the official guides. Also bargain - whatever price is quoted, start bargaining from half that price. We hired a guide after some bargaining.
As we started our tour, we were spellbound with the red sand stone structures and the structures with marbles. Each king of Mughal dynasty has added structures to this fort and one can see the change is style, stone used, intricacies etc. during the reign of different Mughal kings. First we see the Jahangir Palace, which is a huge palace made of red sand stone with arches. The guide gives us some details of the palace and also tells the history. From here we move to the monuments added by Shah Jhan. Here the structures change from red sand stone to marble. One can see the Diwani Khas, Sheesh Mahal, the royal gardens, the marble palace of Shah Jhan etc. From here one gets the view of river Yamuna and the Taj Mahal. History mentions that this was done intentionally so that Shah Jahan can view his beloved wife's tomb from his palace until his death. He had plans to build another Taj Mahal with black marble on the other side of river Yamuna. The foundation for this was laid. However this never got started. It was great to hear from the guide on the amount of money spent by these kings and the kind of wealth they possessed. One actually can imagine the richness and glamour of India then - which eventually got destroyed and is now left as a poor country with rich history.
It takes about a minimum of 2 hours to explore the Agra fort. They also have a Light and Sound Shows in English and Hindi. These are scheduled in the evening after sunset. We were not keen on watching the show. We wanted to be at Mehtab Bagh at sunset time to see the changing shades of Taj Mahal.
Since we have few more hours for sunset time, from Agra fort we went to see "Itimad-ud-Daulab" - popularly known as Baby-Taj. This is in the shape of Jewel Box and started the era of white marble monuments in India. This was built by Noor Jahan for her father. This was tried as a prototype for the construction of Taj mahal. This monument is very small and is located on the banks of river Yamuna. It is very beautiful and the artistic work on the marble can be viewed very easily as it is not as large as Taj Mahal. Though river Yamuna is all dried up here and the surrounding views are not great or clean, one can easily imagine how beautiful this place would have been few centuries ago when the population of Agra was not so much. Definitely a must see place when visiting Agra.
It was almost sunset time and we headed straight to Mehtab Bagh. After a short walk through the orchids, one gets a view of Taj Mahal. It is here, we got a shock and feel of how big Taj Mahal is. It is gigantic and piece of marvel. With the setting sun in the background the marble had hues of yellow, orange and red. It was mind blowing. We just sat here quietly watching Taj with sunset colors, birds returning to their nests and long queues around Taj. People in the queues looked like match sticks - that's when we realised how big Taj was. Mehtab Bagh is not very popular with tourist. There isn't any place to actually sit or a view point. We sat on some mud wall and immersed ourselves in the beauty of Taj Mahal.
After we were fully satisfied watching Taj at sunset, we returned to our hotel. Next day's plan was to start early to visit the Taj at sunrise. There are multiple benefits of visiting Taj at sunrise - the crowd is lesser, hence lesser time in queue. One can get to view the monument with peace without people pushing you. Pictures can be taken peacefully and of course the beautiful colors of sunrise on the white marble.
We started from our hotel at 6am. Shilpgram, the place where entry tickets are given was right across our hotel. There was a huge queue even at 6am in the morning. However they have separate line for ladies. You need to carry a government approved ID card for all visitors to get tickets and to enter Taj. We bought the tickets and took a cycle rikshaw from Shilpgram to east gate. Try to buy the disposable shoe covers here. This will be required to walk on the marble at Taj. Taj Mahal is about 1.5Kms from Shilpagram. Since it was very cold we avoided walking.
Security checks at Taj Mahal can be very intense. To avoid security check hassles, don't carry bags, eatables, water, electronic items. Check the website for dos and don'ts at Taj. There are separate lines for Men and Women at the entrance. So to avoid confusion, its better if each carries their ID cards.
Eastern gate is the best gate to enter. This gate has comparatively less crowd. Most tourist buses start arriving by 8:30AM at western gate. This is when the crowd increases and the queue to see the Taj Mahal gets longer. So to have a peaceful experience, be at Easter gate by 6:30AM.
We were at the eastern gate by 6:30am. After the security check, we hired a guide. It is recommended to hire a guide. The sun was still to rise and the crowd was minimal. As we entered the gate, the sight of Taj Mahal was mind boggling. Never expected it to be so huge. It was a mammoth structure shining in the rays of sun. The view was spectacular. Seeing this monument we realised the amount of effort, material and money spent in those times. One also gets a glimpse of how life must have been 400-500 years back. The whole campus of Taj Mahal is picturesque and very well maintained. Because of lesser crowd, we had enough time to enjoy the beauty of Taj Mahal and click pictures. The carving/designs embedded with different colored marbles look very beautiful on the white marble.
We put on the plastic covers on our shoes, before we stepped on the marble platform of Taj Mahal. We slowly explored all the parts. The whole visit from the gate can easily take 2-3 hours. The time can increase based on the queue. There is also a small museum inside the campus. Nothing great about the museum. But since you are there, it is recommended to visit it. There are few drawings of the architecture of Taj Mahal which helps one get an insight into the making of Taj Mahal.
It was 9am and slowly the crowd was increasing. By the time we finished seeing the museum, there was enough crowd and people had to queue up for taking pictures. We had our heart full of Taj and started walking back to our hotel. We were very hungry. Our hotel had a good spread for breakfast. We ate to our heart content and started back to Delhi.
We were all impressed by the this whole new experience of renting car from Airport and driving on the super cool Yamuna Express. Little did we know what was awaiting us. All through our drive on the highway we were very careful not to cross the speed limit and we had never crossed 80Kmph. But we were given a ticket for speeding when we stopped at a toll. When we questioned, the cops got really offended and one lesson we learnt - never argue /question with cops in north India. We paid the fine and then we hit a bigger problem. As we exited Yamuna Express into Noida highway, we were stopped by the UP police. They asked us to produce the road tax papers. We were totally clueless. Zoomcar had not updated us on purchase of road tax. We thought all the paper work was taken care by Zoomcar. We were getting delayed for the flight and there was no solution. We again had to pay fine. We realised that all this was a well planned scam to get hold of tourists. We gave a stinky feedback to Zoomcar. This is where India fails as a tourist destination. Being a citizen of India and just coming from a different region, we faced such problems, wonder how will a international traveller can travel hassle free in India. A very long way to go indeed...
At last we reached Delhi airport in time, only to realize our flight was delayed. Our flight back was delayed by 3hours. By the time we reached Bangalore we were dead tired.
Except for the drive back to Delhi and our experience with UP police, we had a great trip and memories carved in our brain on the richness and grandeur of Mughals.
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| Taj Mahal - Truly a Masterpiece |
Typically people cover Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in one trip. We planned an exclusive 3 day trip to Agra. We have been planning for Agra trip from a very long time. Every time we ended up scrapping the plan because of over analysis. Either it would be because summers are hot or winters are very cold or kids exams, holiday/vacation season etc. This Christmas holidays, we took a risk and decided lets do it no matter what. We were prepared for the fact that the famous Delhi winter fog will jeopardise the whole trip.
Plan was to take a early morning flight to Delhi on Mon 26th, hire a self driven rental car from Zoomcar at Delhi Airport, take the Yamuna Express Highway to Agra and return back to Bangalore on 28th night. So it was going to be a 3 day trip - exclusively for Agra. After doing some research, we decided to book a 8am flight to reduce the risk of flight delay due to fog. Instead of hiring a cab, planned to try the self-driven cars from Zoomcar. So everything was booked well in advance - our return flight tickets, Zoomcar from Delhi airport for 3 days and hotel booking at Hotel Taj resorts (http://www.hoteltajresorts.com).
Hotel Taj Resort is at an ideal location (20 min walk) from eastern gate of Taj Mahal. It is at a very convenient location from the ticket booking counter and to the east gate of Taj Mahal. The hotel is pretty good in all aspects. Has two good restaurants (one roof top and one inside the hotel), good views of Taj Mahal from the roof-top restaurant, swimming pool (we did not use it as it was very cold) and a shop in the basement - which has some beautiful stuff for sale and at reasonable price. Don't miss checking this out before buying anything in Agra.
We went with a twin-rooms (rooms that are attached). This is ideal for families with grown up kids. The rooms were very good, with good bathrooms, hot water, A/C, TV and very spacious.
On 26th morning, we boarded the flight to Delhi. Thankfully the flight was on time. We reached Delhi by 11:30am. It took some time for the Zoomcar to handover our car at the terminal. We completed the formalities, set the GPS and we were all set to drive to Agra. Soon we realized the car that we rented was not that great. It was an old Honda City and the windshield had lot of scratches. We knew, it would be painful driving in the dark with this kind of windshield - especially if it's on a highway.
After navigating through the multiple flyovers, we hit the Noida expressway. Delhi has very good road network. All roads are divided and most of the traffic is 4-wheel (which is very different from the Bangalore traffic - which is lot more 2 wheel). However driving through Delhi traffic was a challenge. There are so many roads, and GPS sometimes does not clearly specify which road to take - on the flyover or below or service road :( We were at ease once we entered the Yamuna Expressway to Agra. Now it was lunch time and we were hungry. Surprisingly there aren't many sign boards on the highway which guide you on how much more time/distance for the next exit for refreshments. We exited the first exit we hit, as we did not know when and where the next one would be. The place was good. The complex had Gas Filling Station, restaurants, wash rooms, parking etc. We had some Rajma & Chawal and some chats. North Indian dishes tastes best in North India :)
After some food and relaxation, it was time to head back on the highway. We planned to stop at Mathura and visit the Krishna Janma Bhoomi temple and then visit Vrindavan and then head to Agra. Little did we know, what it is like to visit Mathura and Vrindavan... Many of our friends from North India had warned us. We thought we were prepared, but I think we under-estimated the touts and cheating. We just didn't realize how we fell for it :(
As we exited the high and entered Mathura, every few minutes we had people stopping us. They were claiming as poojaris, guides and promising different things. The GPS is also very unreliable here. We tried our best to stick to GPS, but unfortunately the directions were unclear or incorrect. So at one circle we decided to stop and enquire and that’s the blunder we made. A guy here, tells us he can show the Janam Bhoomi temple and other temples too for 100Rs. He made some stories on one-ways etc and we fell for it. Since the GPS was not giving us correct direction, we took the risk of agreeing to this guide. Now he calls a 10year kid and asks him to take us around. When questioned, he says the kid is local and knows everything. Now we tell this kid to take us to Janma Bhoomi temple and he takes us in some other direction. After driving about 30min, we stop as we suspect something fishy. We reconfirm which temple is he taking us to and he says Janma Bhoomi. We say, but the sign boards are in the other direction. He says first I will take you to another temple and then to Janma Bhoomi temple. We loose our cool. We drop the kid back at the point where we took him as guide and go on our own following the boards.
I don't understand why most temple towns are crowded, dirty, very noisy and very very corrupt. People are pushing each other, their is garbage everywhere, people are shouting. The whole feel good factor of visiting a place of worship is defeated. Unfortunately there is nothing nice about the place :(
Atlast we reach the temple complex. Its mad rush here. Everybody on the road is trying to guide to a parking place which actually is somewhere far. After ignoring a few, we find a policeman and ask him where we could pay and park. He directs us to a place. We park our car and enter the complex. New drama enfolds here. You cannot carry any Phones, Cameras etc. inside the temple. You need to deposit it at the entrance. This was not mentioned on their offical website. Thats it - we loose our patience. Its not that we are religious. We wanted to visit the temple more for been there done it and for mythological significance. Decide to not go to the temple. We purchase some Mathura pedas (very tasty) and enjoyed the sweet.
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| Prem Mandir - Vrindavan |
By now we have are already delayed by couple of hours from our scheduled plan. We decide to quickly visit Vrindavan - especially the "Prem Mandir" which everybody is talking about. We are at Prem Mandir by 6PM - just as the lights come on. I will call this a "Mythological Theme Park". Everything is done keeping the tourists in mind and gives a tough competition to the famous ISKON Temple.
TIP - I would not recommend anybody to visit Mathura and Vrindavan. There is absolutely nothing that one can like about these two place other than of-course the yummy Mathura Pedha :)
Agra is about 1 1/2 hour drive from Vrindavan. We had hard luck with GPS in Vrindavan. We lost lot of time because of incorrect directions. At one point the GPS directed us to take what was supposed to be a highway - but unfortunately it was a mud road, pitch dark not a soul in site. The road was so bad, had we encountered any problem, we would have not got any help. Very scary too. This particular patch seemed like never ending. It was a big relief when we came and joined a proper highway. We just hate driving at night :(
It was close to 9PM, when we reached our hotel "Hotel Taj Resorts" at Agra. We were hungry, sleepy, tired and irritated. Checked in our room. Luckily the hotel was better than we expected and rooms were pretty good too. This, kind of eased our mood. We freshened up and went straight to their restaurant for dinner. Gladly the food was yum. Our order was served quickly and was very tasty. Its funny how all problems/tiredness seem to dissolve the moment you have something good to eat. We had a lovely dinner and crashed to sleep.
After a good night sleep, we planned for a full day outing. Plan was to visit the Fatepur Sikri in the morning, then do the Agra fort in the afternoon and be at Mehtab Bagh around sunset to view the colors of Taj Mahal at dusk. Hotel Taj Resorts had a good spread on their buffet breakfast. We had our breakfast and drove to Fatepur Sikri.
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| Darga - Fathepur Sikri |
Fatehpur
Sikri is about 60 KMs (around 1 1/2 hour drive) from Agra. A must visit
place when visiting Agra. Private vehicles are not allowed on the top.
One need to park at a parking area, and take a shuttle to the spot.
There are lot of touts here who claim they are guides and tourists get
fooled. We were one of them. As soon as we parked our car, lot of guys
came to us claiming as guide. One of them offered a deal which we
thought was very good - little did we realize that we were fooled :(.
Here is the deal he offered and we fell for it - deal included
to-and-fro auto charges and guide to Fatehpur Sikri. we bargained and
reduced the price and happily sat in the auto only to realize later that
we were actually taken for a ride :( - more on this trap in the later
paragraph and Tips section.
Darga
is about a kilometer from the parking place, can be easily walked.
There are also CNG operated buses/shuttles which go up to the point or
even an auto to avoid the up hill climb and you can decide to walk back
one way. Plan to reach Fatehpur Sikri before 9AM, if you want to avoid
the crowd and see the place peacefully. Also it requires a minimum of 2
hours to cover the entire place. So starting early is good idea, as it
gets very hot in the afternoon.
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| Fathepur Sikri |
We
boarded the auto and our first stop was Durga. The guide gave some gyan
on the place and then started persuading us to buy the Chaddar. We kept
refusing and he kept pushing us to buy. We did not give in. It is
important to keep saying a firm NO if you don't want to fall for this.
We checked the tombs and Durga. The durga is made of white marble and
stands out among the red-stoned walls. It is beautiful. I only wished
people did not push tourists to buy stuff. Most of time goes is getting
rid/away from these guys then actually appreciating the beauty of the
place. After showing us the Durga, Buland Darwaza and Jama Masjid the
guide told us the tour is completed. We were shocked. From whatever
research we had done, we knew there were lot more places to see in
Fathepur Sikri. When we questioned the guide, he said he is not
authorized to guide us for those monuments. Only the government approved
guides are allowed. That is when it hit us that we were deceived.
Since
there were lot more monuments to be seen, we purchased the tickets and
also took a Government approved guide at the ASI tourist center which
was at the entrance of the monument. We had not seen this earlier as our
guide had got us through another route so that he will not be
questioned. The new guide showed us all the monuments and also gave a
good peek into the history. The monuments are beautiful and are also
well kept. The area is very clean and well maintained. For tourists who
want to explore the place at their own pace, there are audio guides
available too - at the tourist centre. Jodha's palace, Khass
Mahal, Shahi-Bazar, Mina-Bazar, the Panch-Mahal, Khwabgah,
Diwan-i-Khass, Anup-Talao and Diwan-i-Am are some of the important and
beautiful monuments at Fatehpur Sikri. All monuments are built in red
sand stone with some of them decorated with designs made from different
colored marbles - primarily white and black.
We spent around 3 hours at Fatehpur Sikri. As we were leaving, we saw bus load of tourists arriving. The parking place, where we had parked our car was now full with vehicles. We had difficulty getting our car out. From here we headed to Agra fort. On our way to the fort, we stopped for a quick lunch.
TIP - At Fathepur Sikri don't take the guide at the car parking place. Hire a government approved guide at the ASI Tourist Centre at the top. Try to reach the monuments by 8am to avoid the crowd and sun.
Visiting Agra fort is another half day event. We reached the fort around 2:30 PM. There was already enough crowd. The parking area close to the fort was full. We had to park a little further. Nevertheless, this is a must visit place in Agra. It is beautiful and majestic. As soon as we enter the main gate of the fort after crossing the moat, there is the ticket counter. There are separate counters for Indian Nationals and Foreign Nationals. There is a separate line for ladies. We purchased our tickets here. After the security check (which is meaningless for the amount of crowd), we climbed the ramp which takes to the main area of the fort. It is useful to hire a guide as they will explain the history and significance of each monument. Make sure you check the ID card and hire only the official guides. Also bargain - whatever price is quoted, start bargaining from half that price. We hired a guide after some bargaining.
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| Jahangir Palace - Agra Fort |
As we started our tour, we were spellbound with the red sand stone structures and the structures with marbles. Each king of Mughal dynasty has added structures to this fort and one can see the change is style, stone used, intricacies etc. during the reign of different Mughal kings. First we see the Jahangir Palace, which is a huge palace made of red sand stone with arches. The guide gives us some details of the palace and also tells the history. From here we move to the monuments added by Shah Jhan. Here the structures change from red sand stone to marble. One can see the Diwani Khas, Sheesh Mahal, the royal gardens, the marble palace of Shah Jhan etc. From here one gets the view of river Yamuna and the Taj Mahal. History mentions that this was done intentionally so that Shah Jahan can view his beloved wife's tomb from his palace until his death. He had plans to build another Taj Mahal with black marble on the other side of river Yamuna. The foundation for this was laid. However this never got started. It was great to hear from the guide on the amount of money spent by these kings and the kind of wealth they possessed. One actually can imagine the richness and glamour of India then - which eventually got destroyed and is now left as a poor country with rich history.
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| View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort |
It takes about a minimum of 2 hours to explore the Agra fort. They also have a Light and Sound Shows in English and Hindi. These are scheduled in the evening after sunset. We were not keen on watching the show. We wanted to be at Mehtab Bagh at sunset time to see the changing shades of Taj Mahal.
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| Itimad-ud-Daulab - Baby Taj |
Since we have few more hours for sunset time, from Agra fort we went to see "Itimad-ud-Daulab" - popularly known as Baby-Taj. This is in the shape of Jewel Box and started the era of white marble monuments in India. This was built by Noor Jahan for her father. This was tried as a prototype for the construction of Taj mahal. This monument is very small and is located on the banks of river Yamuna. It is very beautiful and the artistic work on the marble can be viewed very easily as it is not as large as Taj Mahal. Though river Yamuna is all dried up here and the surrounding views are not great or clean, one can easily imagine how beautiful this place would have been few centuries ago when the population of Agra was not so much. Definitely a must see place when visiting Agra.
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| Taj Mahal at Sunset from Mehtab Bagh |
It was almost sunset time and we headed straight to Mehtab Bagh. After a short walk through the orchids, one gets a view of Taj Mahal. It is here, we got a shock and feel of how big Taj Mahal is. It is gigantic and piece of marvel. With the setting sun in the background the marble had hues of yellow, orange and red. It was mind blowing. We just sat here quietly watching Taj with sunset colors, birds returning to their nests and long queues around Taj. People in the queues looked like match sticks - that's when we realised how big Taj was. Mehtab Bagh is not very popular with tourist. There isn't any place to actually sit or a view point. We sat on some mud wall and immersed ourselves in the beauty of Taj Mahal.
After we were fully satisfied watching Taj at sunset, we returned to our hotel. Next day's plan was to start early to visit the Taj at sunrise. There are multiple benefits of visiting Taj at sunrise - the crowd is lesser, hence lesser time in queue. One can get to view the monument with peace without people pushing you. Pictures can be taken peacefully and of course the beautiful colors of sunrise on the white marble.
We started from our hotel at 6am. Shilpgram, the place where entry tickets are given was right across our hotel. There was a huge queue even at 6am in the morning. However they have separate line for ladies. You need to carry a government approved ID card for all visitors to get tickets and to enter Taj. We bought the tickets and took a cycle rikshaw from Shilpgram to east gate. Try to buy the disposable shoe covers here. This will be required to walk on the marble at Taj. Taj Mahal is about 1.5Kms from Shilpagram. Since it was very cold we avoided walking.
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| Taj Mahal at Sunrise |
Security checks at Taj Mahal can be very intense. To avoid security check hassles, don't carry bags, eatables, water, electronic items. Check the website for dos and don'ts at Taj. There are separate lines for Men and Women at the entrance. So to avoid confusion, its better if each carries their ID cards.
Eastern gate is the best gate to enter. This gate has comparatively less crowd. Most tourist buses start arriving by 8:30AM at western gate. This is when the crowd increases and the queue to see the Taj Mahal gets longer. So to have a peaceful experience, be at Easter gate by 6:30AM.
We were at the eastern gate by 6:30am. After the security check, we hired a guide. It is recommended to hire a guide. The sun was still to rise and the crowd was minimal. As we entered the gate, the sight of Taj Mahal was mind boggling. Never expected it to be so huge. It was a mammoth structure shining in the rays of sun. The view was spectacular. Seeing this monument we realised the amount of effort, material and money spent in those times. One also gets a glimpse of how life must have been 400-500 years back. The whole campus of Taj Mahal is picturesque and very well maintained. Because of lesser crowd, we had enough time to enjoy the beauty of Taj Mahal and click pictures. The carving/designs embedded with different colored marbles look very beautiful on the white marble.
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| At Taj Mahal - Early Morning |
We put on the plastic covers on our shoes, before we stepped on the marble platform of Taj Mahal. We slowly explored all the parts. The whole visit from the gate can easily take 2-3 hours. The time can increase based on the queue. There is also a small museum inside the campus. Nothing great about the museum. But since you are there, it is recommended to visit it. There are few drawings of the architecture of Taj Mahal which helps one get an insight into the making of Taj Mahal.
It was 9am and slowly the crowd was increasing. By the time we finished seeing the museum, there was enough crowd and people had to queue up for taking pictures. We had our heart full of Taj and started walking back to our hotel. We were very hungry. Our hotel had a good spread for breakfast. We ate to our heart content and started back to Delhi.
We were all impressed by the this whole new experience of renting car from Airport and driving on the super cool Yamuna Express. Little did we know what was awaiting us. All through our drive on the highway we were very careful not to cross the speed limit and we had never crossed 80Kmph. But we were given a ticket for speeding when we stopped at a toll. When we questioned, the cops got really offended and one lesson we learnt - never argue /question with cops in north India. We paid the fine and then we hit a bigger problem. As we exited Yamuna Express into Noida highway, we were stopped by the UP police. They asked us to produce the road tax papers. We were totally clueless. Zoomcar had not updated us on purchase of road tax. We thought all the paper work was taken care by Zoomcar. We were getting delayed for the flight and there was no solution. We again had to pay fine. We realised that all this was a well planned scam to get hold of tourists. We gave a stinky feedback to Zoomcar. This is where India fails as a tourist destination. Being a citizen of India and just coming from a different region, we faced such problems, wonder how will a international traveller can travel hassle free in India. A very long way to go indeed...
At last we reached Delhi airport in time, only to realize our flight was delayed. Our flight back was delayed by 3hours. By the time we reached Bangalore we were dead tired.
Except for the drive back to Delhi and our experience with UP police, we had a great trip and memories carved in our brain on the richness and grandeur of Mughals.
