There is a castle on a cloud.

Before we get to the wonderful city of Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, let's talk travel.  Sabrina and I agreed that no trip to India would be complete without a journey along the legendary railroads.  Typically, things in India are relatively inexpensive, but when our four hour trip cost less than three Canadian dollars each, we knew we were in for a ride.  Sure enough, the "Sleeper car" we rode in had not one, not two, but three bunks per wall, one on top of the other, and while the seats are assigned by ticket, no one really pays attention.  Sabrina and I ended up slouching on the bottom bunk (there was certainly not enough room to sit up). Several window latches were broken so the car was a bit chilly  (although I imagine in the dead of summer, the lack of air-conditioning is infinitely worse than an evening draft).  Every half hour or so, despite being close to midnight, a small man would trek down the aisle with a big urn of tea calling "Chai, chai, chai."  Since we only had to endure it for a few hours, the whole thing was quite entertaining, but we were thankful when we finally pulled into Agra.

Any residual stress from the trip instantly melted away when we stepped into the lobby of our hotel.  Like I said, things can be very inexpensive, so when we booked our reasonably priced rooms, we didn't realize that we were staying in what was without a doubt one of the most beautiful establishments in which I've ever stepped foot.  As we had an early day, and it was already nearing 2am, we headed straight for bed.

DAY 8 :
Before sunrise the next morning, our guide was waiting for us in the lobby.  Well-spoken, funny, and very knowledgeable, he led us to the car and we headed for our first sight:  the long awaited Taj Mahal.



The entrance alone is pretty impressive...





... but the structure itself is indescribable.

"The Taj" has been described as the greatest love letter of all time.  When Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor, lost his beloved wife Mumtaz during childbirth, he swore he would honour her dying wish : build her a tomb which would preserve her memory and the memory of their love for the ages.  Now one of the most recognized structures in the world, the Taj Mahal accomplished just this, and all in the name of eternal love.

While the sheer immensity of the Taj is astounding, I believe the most breathtaking feature is in fact the smallest.  The white marble walls are covered with miniature geometric and floral designs formed by inlaid semi-precious stones, such as onyx, jasper, and malachite.  This method, known as pietra dura, can incorporate hundreds of individually carved and polished stones in a single flower or pattern.

For example, this marble table top Sabrina bought is the size of an LP and contains 600 individual stones.

Surrounding the Taj Mahal are beautiful gardens, as well as a mosque on the left, with an identical building on the right, historically used as a guest house, built to preserve the symmetry of the grounds.


One of the most surreal experiences we had was when we walked around to the back of The Taj, which faces a river.  It was still very early in the day, and the morning fog was so thick that it completely blanketed the landscape right up to the walls of The Taj.  To quote Les Miserables, this was our "castle on a cloud". 









After a quick nap back at the hotel, we headed off to the next sight, The Agra Fort : a massive red sandstone fort, not to be confused with The Red Fort in Delhi, which is similar, but not nearly as awesome.

Dating back almost 1000 years, this fort grew as subsequent Mughal emperors added buildings, courts, and palaces.  As such, there is a range of styles, from sandstone to white marble.  Originally, it even had a double moat : an outer one full of water and crocodiles, and an inner one full of shrubbery and panthers!













 While it took us a solid couple hours to see everything, less than 20% is open to tourists, as the rest of it is still used as a barracks and training ground for the Indian Army. 

 This fort hosted hundreds of years of Indian history, and saw some of the most incredible and horrifying stories, including this one :
The sixth, and final, Mughal Emperor was Aurangzeb, son of Shah Jahan (the builder of the Taj Mahal).  However, Aurangzeb was not the first in line to inherit the throne.  In fact, Dara Shikoh was Shah Jahan's favorite son. However, Aurangzed seized the throne through the murder and betrayal of his siblings.  Once he had his place in Agra Fort, he imprisoned his father within the walls.  As legend has it, on his father's birthday, Aurangzed had a servant deliver the head of Dara Shikoh, his father's favorite son, with the message "Your son sends you this to let you see that he does not forget you."

DAY 9 :
In stark contrast to the cruelty of Aurangzeb (whose reign proved very repressive, seeing the destruction of Hindu temples and the banning of music and other indulgences), the third Mughal Emperor was so accepting and caring of his people, he earned the title Akbar The Great.   It was Akbar who, in 1571, built Fatehpur Sikri, an immense and beautiful red sandstone palace dedicated to Saslim Chisti, the Sufi saint who foretold the birth of Akbar's son.

We were fortunate enough to be the first visitors of the day (the site is about 30 minutes outside of Agra).  Fatehpur Sikri is often referred to as a ghost city, because it was abandoned 14 years after construction due to a water shortage.  For this reason, I felt it was very appropriate that Sabrina and I got to wander around for an hour completely alone.

One of the ways in which Akbar earned his greatness was through his religious tolerance.  While he himself was a Muslim, he had three wives : a Muslim, a Christian, and a Hindu.  As such, Fatehpur Sikri features three separate palaces, each decorated in the religious style of its inhabitant : the floral designs of Hinduism, the geometric patterns of Islam, and the crucifix of Christianity.

It was certainly one of the highlights of the trip to be able to enjoy such a magnificent sight before it was packed with the usual tourist crowds (it also makes for better photos.)

Similarly peaceful, though not quite as barren, was Itmad-ud-Daula's Tomb, known more adorably as "the Baby Taj."  This 400 year old tomb was built by Nūr Jahān, wife of the fourth Mughal Emperor Jahangir, for her father.  It is considered a draft of the Taj Mahal, as well as a major link between the two major architectural periods of the Mughal Empire, sharing the red sandstone of the Red Fort, and the white marble of the Taj Mahal.  While paling in comparison to the Taj itself, this site is notably less crowded and overall a much more relaxing experience.
 
And with that, our adventure comes to an end.  We took a (slightly) more comfortable train back to Delhi, had one last delicious meal at hidden gem called Gunpowder, and headed to the airport.

Thanks for reading.  Now that India is sufficiently documented, I'm working on a couple of musical projects which will be making an appearance soon, so stay tuned!