Completing the Golden Triangle, Part 2: Agra

Matt and I had planned to take a train between Jaipur and Agra, but tickets were sold out and we couldn’t get off the waitlist. Tip: If you ever find yourself in India, book train tickets as far in advance as possible; they almost always sell out! Luckily many government-sponsored busses run daily between the two Golden Triangle cities, so our hostel manager helped us purchase tickets and we proceeded on the five-hour journey. The air-conditioned “deluxe” bus was easy and pleasant aside from a one-hour delay. It didn’t have a bathroom onboard, but we stopped for 20 minutes halfway between the two destinations at a decently-equipped rest stop that offered clean bathrooms (with toilet paper!) and friendly candy salesmen.

To sum it up in a sentence: Agra was absolutely wonderful and unforgettable. The city is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh and is a major tourist destination, primarily because it houses the Taj Mahal and many other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Matt and I were very lucky that we could yet again meet up with friends in India; our pals Anushree and Eric who also got married last year were traveling through the country visiting many of Anushree’s relatives. They carved out a couple of days for tourism since it was Eric’s first time in India, and we aligned our schedules with theirs so that we could visit the world-famous Agra sites together on February 19th.

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in 1632 to lay to rest his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was built over the course of ten years and cost what would now be USD $827 million. 7-8 million people visit the attraction per year, as UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.” Needless to say, seeing the Taj Mahal was a priority for us during our time in India!

Matt and I jumped on an autorickshaw at 5:00am to meet our friends at their hotel; we all had 6:00am entry tickets to the Taj Mahal because sunrise is the best time to view the stunning, ivory-white marble mausoleum. Anushree and Eric’s driver dropped the four of us off at the Taj Mahal and we passed through security while it was still dark. As the sky lightened, we entered the complex through a massive red-stone gate which was impressive in and of itself. As we emerged, we took in our first views of the Taj Mahal. Words can’t really do the Taj Mahal justice, and pictures do not capture its beauty. We really couldn’t take our eyes off the building, and couldn’t stop saying “wow” over and over again. The feeling of being at the Taj Mahal was unreal since I had seen pictures of the iconic structure my entire life and it always felt so far away and fairytale-esque. Surrounded by neatly-manicured gardens and blue fountains, the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical and looks the same when viewed from any of its four sides. The slow stroll through the gardens was very peaceful since crowds were still thin because of the early hour. As we approached the Taj Mahal, we could take in the shades of white and grey in the marble as well as the detailed tile-work and Arabic lettering that isn’t often captured in distant pictures of the building. We circled it, stopping for many photos and slipping on gauzy shoe-covers before entering the central chamber containing the white marble tomb and beautiful adornments. We also breezed past the active mosque that sits next to the main structure. Apparently the entire Taj Mahal complex closes one day per week to visitors so that Muslims can come and pray there. As we exited the facility around 8:00am, it was busy with tourists which reaffirmed our decision to wake up early and arrive at the break of dawn.

Close to the Taj Mahal at sunrise.

The beautiful white marble designs and colorful tile inlays - impossible to capture in the typical distant photos but truly breathtaking up close.

Eric, Anushree, me, and Matt at the end of our visit to the Taj Mahal.

Afterwards we enjoyed breakfast on the terrace of our guesthouse and relaxed for a couple of hours before heading to our next stop, Fatehpur Sikri, located an hour away. Fatehpur Sikri is another very historic site in the Agra region, and is a town that was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar. Surrounded by a 5-mile long fort wall, the town houses multiple mosques, tombs, a Hall of Public Audience, a Hall of Private Audience, a meeting house, multiple palaces for Akbar and his wives, a courtyard used to play life-size games, a courtyard used to house elephants, and more. After we parked, Anushree negotiated to hire a tour guide for our group who spoke English and shared detailed historical information about the grounds and how people spent their daily lives there back in the 1500s and 1600s. He was also eager to take lots of pictures of our group as we walked around, having us pose in front of each building which became somewhat comical. Having a tour guide to escort us around was a real treat, and greatly enhanced the experience!

Sitting in a courtyard that doubles as a life-size game board for the emperor's entertainment. It reminded me of the chess game played in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

One of the beautiful marble structures inside the compound.

Anushree and Eric departed for Delhi after dropping us off at our guesthouse, so Matt and I enjoyed a thali lunch at a hip restaurant called “Good Vibes Cafe” before proceeding to the Agra Fort, our last sightseeing excursion in Agra. The fort is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the residence of Mughal emperors until 1638. It was built in 1565 for Akbar the Great, and is more like a walled city than a military fort as the name might imply. Its high walls and entry gates are impressive, protecting the 94 acres of land from threats. We milled around the complex for about two hours, stopping to see the views of the beautiful Taj Mahal in the distance. We walked through the fort’s many courtyards, gardens, and towers, climbing through narrow stairwells and examining the white marble buildings that stood out from the typical red stone used to build many of the other structures. Especially beautiful were the elaborate screens with white marble patterns; I always wonder how they were capable of such intricate sculpting so long ago!

Thali lunch at Good Vibes Cafe in Agra.

Inside the Agra Fort.

The full day bopping around world-class historic sites Agra was one of our favorites so far, and of course we were exhausted by the end of it. We awoke for an early train to Delhi the next morning which ended up being delayed, but we had a few interesting experiences at the station including a bird pooping on Matt’s neck and watching an old Indian woman tentatively step on an escalator for what seemed like the first time. Matt was assigned a full bed seat in an upper berth of the train, which was goofy, while the man sitting next to me down below talked my ear off about Hinduism and showed me a 15-minute video of his niece’s dance recital. I was glad to be off the train as we transferred to the airport to catch a flight to Kolkata, our final city on this whirlwind India trip. More on that in the next post! Thanks for reading.

Waiting at the train station for our ride from Agra to Delhi.

Matt had to climb up to the upper berth!