An early morning start saw us in a taxi from Jaipur, driving on a well-sealed road through lots of small
towns, villages and farmlands, to Agra. There was a
plethora of people, animals, trucks and all sorts of slow transport using the road.
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| People, cows and a grain truck on the fast highway leaving Delhi |
Given that we were on a high-speed road, we thought our driver dodged these obstacles with great finesse.
After a few hours, we stopped for a break in Abhaneri. This is a small ancient village that is about 95 km from Jaipur and about 156 km from Agra. Abhaneri is famous for its 7th century Harshat temple. Now-days, only a small portion of the original temple remains and
the rest is in ruins. However, it certainly has intrigue.
Abhaneri is also known for the Chand Baori
stepwell, built over 1,000 years ago to harvest rainwater.
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| Chand Baori Stepwell |
A stepwell is a giant well with symmetrically
designed steps built down to the bottom of a water-well. Chand Baori goes down
13 stories via 3,500 steps (we did not try them!).
Stepwells are unique to this part of the world. They were used as a water source in dry times, and also as a cool place of
retreat. It was a very interesting sight, and quite unusual.
Our next stop was Fatehpur Sikri, a fortified
city that sits atop a rocky area in the Uttar Pradesh State in Northern India, about 39 km from Agra.
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| Fatehpur Sikiri fortified city (UNESCO) |
Fatehpur Sikri was founded in 16th century by Mughal Emperor Akbar. It came to be known as the "City of Victory", after Akbar's conquest of Gujarat in 1573. However, by 1610 the city was abandoned, primarily due to lack of water, and unrest in the north.
This amazing city has since been restored and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We found it a fascinating place to explore.
It is built in red sandstone and enclosed by a 6-km long defensive wall which has eight spectacularly carved entry gates. It includes many houses, tombs, monuments, public buildings, three palaces (one for each of Akbar's favourite wives), and a stunning mosque.
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| Fatehpur Sikiri mosque (UNESCO) |
Back on the road again, and after more dodging
and weaving in the traffic, we finally reached Agra.
It was after dark when we arrived, so we quickly and quietly settled into our room at the Hotel Parador for the night.
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| The Taj Mahal (UNESCO) |
The next morning, we headed to the Taj Mahal,
also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Wow! What an
amazing place.
This huge mausoleum of white marble was built between 1631 and 1648 by Shah Johan in memory of his wife.
Located on the bank of the Jamuna River, it is truly more spectacular than photos
suggest. The size, colour and symmetry of construction are beautiful. We spent a lovely day wandering around the main mausoleum, the outer buildings, and its pretty gardens.
Our other Agra highlight was the Red Fort (or Agra Fort), another UNESCO site.
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| Jahangir Palace at the Red Fort (UNESCO) |
Built of red sandstone, it is mixture of Persian art and
Indian architecture. It was the main residence of the Mughal rulers until 1638.
The fort is often described as a walled city. It contains public buildings, palaces, tombs, and courtyards, all having beautifully carved columns and wall and ceiling decorations.
Built in a semi-circle, it has huge defensive walls that are over 20 metres high. The walls contain wide ramparts, circular bastions, battlements and huge gates.
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| Amar Singh gate of the Red Fort, Agra (UNESCO) |
We entered through the Amar Singh Gate and had a good look around. Today the Indian military use most of it but there was still a lot to see. We thought it was stunning, and well worth the visit.
Over the next few days, we saw more of interesting Agra. But one sight that constantly amused us was the cattle.
By this time, we were used to seeing cattle in the streets of Indian villages, towns, and cities. But in Agra, they have whole herds of them that are driven through the streets at various times of the day.
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| Cattle in the streets of Agra |
After a few days in Agra, we were driven to the Tundla Junction Railway Station, about 25 km out of Agra, to catch the overnight train to Varanasi. This was to be our first Indian train experience, so we approached it with great interest.
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| Porter with both our cases on his head |
Then, while waiting on the poorly lit platform at about 7 pm, we kept catching flashes of movement around us and on the rails. A closer look caused us to gasp, as there were dozens and dozens of large rats running all over the place.
A normal occurrence, if the nonchalant behaviour of other waiting passengers was anything to go by. Yuk!!
A normal occurrence, if the nonchalant behaviour of other waiting passengers was anything to go by. Yuk!!
We circled our suitcases and put our amused driver and porter on watch, while we waited in angst to get on the 8 pm train.
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| Our cabin on the Agra to Varanasi train |
Finally boarding, we quickly found our berths, and stowed our cases. Once we had pulled out of the station, we were provided with two clean sheets and a blanket.
We felt reasonably private and safe, and so settled in for the night. The rocking and rolling helped us sleep, despite the very hard beds. Next stop: Varanasi
The above is part of our 2-month tour of India. The first blog on this tour is called "Off to Delhi"
The above is part of our 2-month tour of India. The first blog on this tour is called "Off to Delhi"