Taj and Fatehpur Sikri

"No wonder it’s a wonder of the world".... that’s what comes to your mind when you see the first glimpse of Taj.

We (Jhanvi, Mohit and me) drove to Agra last weekend (26-27 Dec) and the visit was definitely worth it. It is astounding to see what rulers/ architects could create back in 17th century when there were no high-end equipments or highly precise instruments to compute angles/ measure distances, etc. Despite this, Taj is simply PERFECT. Everything from Taj itself to its pillars, arches and various monuments surrounding Taj, are perfectly symmetrical. And the details to which creators of Taj went into is revealed by the fact that the four minarets that surround Taj are not at 90 degrees but are slightly tilted outwards in an event of calamity, minarets will fall outside and not on Taj!

We set off from Delhi at about 8-30 am, the drive to Agra via NH-2 is quite comfortable. The stopover at food joint opp. Mathura refinery is quite hygienic and is recommended for a quick bite on the way. We reached Agra by around 2-30 PM and then headed for Taj.

Some trivia about the place: Located in Agra, Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It took over 20 years to complete and the cost of construction was around Rs. 4 crores at that time. (the banker in me has to comment on the costs.…)

We reached Taj at around 3:30 in afternoon and after standing in queue (parking and then entry) for around 2 hours (it was a maddening crowd owing to holiday season), we finally were at Taj at around 5:30.... and what a sight it was! Simply breathtaking! No doubt, beauty of Taj made us forget the initial hiccups of entering the place. We were shown around the place by the guide we had engaged, which turned out to be quite useful as he told us many interesting facts about Taj and its history. The large structure of Taj seemed to swallow the crowd and one felt as if time stood still for Taj, with the river flowing by its side for years and the fort of Agra overlooking the place. One can only wonder how grand the place would have been before being plundered by the various invaders. It was dark in next 30 minutes. So in order to do justice to the majestic place, we decided to come back the next morning [someone was not very keen though :) ]. In evening, we headed for the local market, Sadar bazaar. It has decent offerings of stone/ marble artifacts and leather goods. Mohit bought a pair of shoes and was very happy with the deal. We stayed at Mama ji’s place and enjoyed the north Indian hospitality at its best :)

As planned, we were back to see Taj next day morning....it was 7-40 AM and still we had to stand in queue for around 30 minutes! We felt we had seen the beauty of Taj the previous evening and the excitement was over, but we were wrong. The beauty of Taj and its grandeur floored us yet again. The morning mist made it impossible even to see the river Yamuna flowing alongside. And not to mention, walking on cold marble bare footed was some experience :).

We entered the tomb and saw the tombstones of Mumtaz and Shan Jahan. Its was touching to see them together inside this wonder created by one for the other, a symbol of their love that people from all across the world come to see. Having clicked tonnes of pictures, we checked out of the place at about 9-30. We went back to Mama ji's place, got ready and left for Fatehpur Sikri.

Sadly, UP Govt, ASI (and whosoever else is responsible for management/ maintenance of the monument today) have done little… entering Taj is chaotic - be it at the Parking or the road that leads to Taj (completely littered with camel/ horse dung) or abundance of touts (promising entry without standing in queue for a hefty convenience charge!) or lack of lighting within Taj. I hope authorities realize their responsibility towards Taj - something which brings so much tourism for the city.

Fatehpur Sikri is around 30 kms from Agra and the road is fairly okay. It gets its name from Fateh, meaning victory after Babur defeated Rana Sanga and Sikri, a small village next to the palace. It is said that after the blessing of Sufi Saint Salim Chisti (who lived in Sikri village) Akbar was blessed with a son (Salim, later renamed Jahangir). So, Akbar, thinking that the place is lucky for him, decided to make Fatehpur Sikri his capital. So he built this majestic fort and tomb "Salim Chisti Ka Mazar". But due to shortage of water he had to move his headquarters to Agra Fort.

Sikri Fort is really grand - Though it is perhaps smaller in size as compared to other forts built by Mughals but it is very finely designed. We saw the place with the help of guide, which was a must given that each building had some tale associated with it. The fort has the usual Diwan-e-Aam, Diwan-e-Khas, residence areas for Akbar and the Queens, the Meena Bazar and the five storied building Panch Mahal. One special spot was the place where the competition between Tansen and Baiju Bawra is said to have taken place. We also saw the Mahal of Birbal, one of 9 Jewels in the Akbar’s court. The place is maintained quite well and most buildings are surrounded by lawns and gardens. There is a giant Chaupar (ludo like game played in past) in the centre courtyard and it is said that the king along with his queens used to play there with dasis acting as pawns, isn’t that interesting!!

Akbar was religiously tolerant (as compared to other Mughal rulers) and the architecture of the fort (having blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture) proves this. Akbar also started a new faith "Dīn-i Ilāhī" i.e. Divine Faith which intended to merge the best elements of all religions. However, various Muslim clerics were not happy with this and this faith did not last for a long time. The other main attraction of the place was the Dargah of Sufi Saint Salim Chisti, which is built in white marble unlike other monuments in Fatehpur Sikri, which are made of red stone.

By around 2:30, we decided to head back home. Return journey was via Bharatpur (we have made up our mind to visit this place soon). Thanks to Mohit, he drove all the way – however not to mention I also woke up in between to ask if he wanted any help! We stopped at a dhaba to have some paranthas - Finally reached home by around 8:30 PM. Thankfully, there was no fog that day and driving was not difficult.

All in all, we were quite impressed by Taj. Perhaps, we will come back to this place to get floored once again :)

Things to keep in mind before you visit this place:
1. Taj gets fairly crowded on weekends, holiday season - So try reaching the place as early as possible. It opens at around 7 AM (when the day breaks) and closes at sunset.
2. Beware of touts (they are in abundance around that area)
3. Guide is desirable at Taj and Fatehpur Sikri - you can always negotiate with them on the rate.
4. And dont forget to charge up the camera batteries, every glimpse of Taj is picturesque :-)

Cheers, Nitin and Jhanvi