Agra and the Taj Mahal

Yesterday and today were spent in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.  On our way to Agra, we stopped at an abandoned city called Fatehpur Sikri.  This walled city was built during the second half of the 16th century by Emperor Akbar.  He abandoned the city to fight Afghan tribes then moved his throne to Lahore.

Akbar had three wives - one Christian, one Muslim and one Hindu.  Only his Hindu wife bore him a son, and therefore she received the most magnificent palace within the city.  Because Akbar was Mughal and his three wives were from different religions, the architecture of the site reflects Asian, Islamic and Hindu architecture.  You can see the different types of arches - scalloped is Hindu, smooth is Islamic - as well as the pagoda type structures in these photos.

Notice in the photo of the arch the combination of Hindu and Mughal designs - the elephant trunks turn into dragons.

The highlight of our day, and the entire trip, was our visit to the Taj Mahal.  Shah Jahan built this monument in memory of his wife who died shortly after giving birth to their 14th child in 1563.  While she was pregnant, she asked her husband what he would do to remember her if she died and he promised to build the greatest mausoleum in the world - which should teach us men to hold our tongues when our wives are giving birth!

The Taj Mahal took 20 years to build by 20, 000 workers.  All the marble was shipped in from a site 300km away.  The artwork is all inlay of precious and semi-precious stones.  The Taj glitters both during the day and in the moonlight!  Mumtaz Mahal is buried right in the center of the building.  We were awestruck - all of us could have just stood there and stared all day.  It is absolutely breathtaking.

Yes, here we are on Diana's bench:

The entire compound is symmetrical - all four sides of the building look the same except for the verses from the Koran around the doors.  To the west is a mosque and directly opposite to the east is an exact copy that was used as a guesthouse.

After the Taj, we had our daily "this tour sponsored by" ritual at a marble inlay factory.  We received a lesson on the process and then the sales pitch began.  The pieces were beautiful.  A plate sized piece started around $280 and then prices went up fast!  We saw a fantastic table top for an 8 person table that had just sold for $22, 000!!  The salesman said he had tables that ran into 6 figure territory.  Most of the table tops in the picture below run from $4,000 to $15, 000.

Here's a few shots of our incredible hotel in Agra!

Today, we visited the Agra Fort.  Emperor Akbar build this fort and his sons added to it over time.  Shah Jahan lived and died here.  The workmanship here was the same as the Taj Mahal.

This fountain is one piece of marble:

The screen we're standing in front of is made from one piece of marble.  One mistake and you start all over!

The next photos show the level of detail in the inlay and carving:

The suits arrived this evening and after a final fitting and having them sent back to the tailor, they fit great!

We're doing our final power shop tomorrow and then MJ and the boys will be flying home.  My colleague, Laurel Irving-Piott will be joining me and we'll begin our chapter of the adventure!