agra, example of mughal grandeur

after a few days in varanasi, we boarded yet another overnight train and headed to agra. we were exhausted at this point. all the overnight trains were becoming a real toll and we spent most of our first day in agra napping at our guesthouse. we went out after the sun had set and the temperatures were much cooler, for a walk around the city’s main and unmemorable market and dinner.

feeling a bit refreshed the day after, we went out for some sightseeing.

our first stop was the agra fort. like the one we had seen in delhi, the agra fort was built out of red sandstone, and is known to be the “red fort” of agra. red fort of agra predates the red fort in delhi, founded in 1565 by the emperor akbar (grandfather of shah jahan).

I loved the interesting blend of hindu and islamic influences on the fort's architecture and decoration. many of the buildings had filigree carvings out of its sandstone and star-shapped and geometric patterns decorated on the walls and floors. it seemed very “indian” to me; I’ve always associated lattice work with india.

emperor shah jahan, who built the taj mahal and the red fort in delhi, was imprisoned by his son in agra fort, from which he had a view of the building he erected for his deceased wife. we caught our first glimpses of the taj mahal from the agra fort.

after exploring the fort, we explored the city on a rickshaw. daniel traded spots with his driver, a seventy-four year old man with no teeth left in his mouth, and experienced what it was like to ride around town. we visited souvenir shop after souvenir shop. picked up some fabric and yet another pashmina before heading back to the guesthouse for a nap. while in varanasi, we discovered that indian cities need to be experienced in small amounts, otherwise it becomes overwhelming and tiring; thus in agra, we took lots of naps between going out.

in the late afternoon we visited i’timad-ud-daulah’s tomb, often called the “baby taj”. it was a beautiful mausleoum of white marble encrusted with semi-precious gemstones arranged in floral patterns. I became very excited for the taj mahal, which we went to see soon after...