Visiting Agra
Agra is, for most of us, a synonym of Taj Mahal. And for good reasons. Though you already know it from TV, and movies, and magazines, and everything else, only being there allows you two complementary things indispensable to feel the monument: A sight of the whole, with its management of space and proportions, and the close look at the precious fine details.
Of course, Agra is a lot more than Taj Mahal, but this is what really makes it a lot different from Delhi, Jaipur, Gwalior, or Mandawa, the other cities I visited.
The Taj Mahal
Wow
We all “knew” Taj Mahal! Tv and movies took it to everybody’s home.
We only missed the details, and now we saw them… Wow!
The finely carved Marble Screen in only one large piece, the marble inlaid with precious stones, the harmony of the whole, enhance everything that is already said and written by everybody.
You just have to see it for yourself, as we did!
Inlaid and carved stones
The architecture of Taj Mahal is no surprise – anyone had seen it prior to arrive, in any kind of media and illustrations.
The best surprise in place is the delicacy of the works in stone: the best artists were gathered to decorate the interior but also the exterior, with all kinds of representations allowed by Muslim religion, in a precious harmony.
The Red Fort
Starting to be a military establishment in the XVI century, the Red Fort, facing from distance the Taj Mahal, was later converted into a palace, suffering several additions and transformations, giving an impression of a city within the city.
We can’t visit much, but the marble mosque inside the fort is very beautiful. We also appreciated the views over the river, with Taj Mahal in background.
Clarks Shiraz hotel – Maybe excellent
Clarks Shiraz hotel – Maybe excellent
All the seconds in Agra were not enough to explore its wonders, so we arrived late and tired to the hotel, without any other intention than… to rest.
The children used the pool, with satisfaction, the rooms were good, the staff gentle, the food hot… hot… hot… like everywhere else in India, and… that’s all. We were in a package, so we didn’t know how much did we pay for it.
Address: 54, , Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Site: Clarks Shiraz
Cows
Tired of seeing cows doing what they want, wherever they want, I was surprised when I saw two of them, in the Taj Mahal, tied to a car… working! Wrong impression – cows worked in the old Portugal, not in India. They were buffaloes, of course.
It’s hard to a western guy to understand that difference between both animals, and reading doesn’t help much.
It seems that the cult of cow comes from the Vedic times, when a celestial cow Kamadhenu, supplied to the owner all the needed milk, and became the mythological nourisher of all the earth. However, buffalo milk seems to be better than cow milk so why the difference?
I read that injuring a cow is (or was) in India a serious crime, more serious than killing a person. Do you imagine my concern when, in Gwalior, a small cow decided to attack Fernanda, and I had to interpose myself?
Everything ended with a small scratch in my left hand, and I didn’t even think about disinfection, because it was a blessed scratch. Or not?
My God! It’s hard to adapt to so different cultures.
People
The best in India was… the people. We couldn’t understand any signs of the different castes, only evident signs of poverty in most people. All nice, simple and gentle.
Would it be the result of the old democracy?
Budget
A negative impression was left by the degradation of most beautiful historic buildings that we saw. A nice surprise expected us in the Red Fort, where Mogul’s residence was carefully restored. Absolutely fabulous, but… the work was not complete, and the guide explained that the budget ended in the middle of the work.
My God! If the budget was not enough for ONE room, in ONE palace, what is going to happen to India’s treasures?
