Agra home of the famous Taj Mahal, built between 1632 - 1653 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died during the birth of their 14th child.
We arrive by train early in the morning and the first sight to greet us is the huge and impressive Red Fort. Agra isn't what I expected at all, the roads are in surprising good shape and they also aren't as congested with traffic compared to other Indian cities....there is however a very strong smell of egg in the air, which we think may be due to the river or the open sewers.
We decide to visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise as the light is meant to compliment the white marble the best at this time. It doesn't let us down and we are in awe of it's shear scale and beauty, it is no wonder it took 22 years to build by over 20000 artisans brought in to India from all over from Asia.
The Red Fort
View of the Taj Mahal from the Red Fort
Richard posing
Me posing
wow, genuinely magnificent, and spot on with the getting up at ungodly hour decision, you've reaped the rewards with perfect lighting and minimal crowds.
ReplyDeleteThe Red Fort – does exactly what it says on the tin. Or on its defensive walls.
ReplyDeleteKarl Pilkington, of Ricky Gervais fame, was less than impressed by the Taj Mahal & concluded that the Raj must have felt rather guilty about something to go to such lengths. FOURTEEN children would do it I reckon.