First trip to India with a group [North India Golden Triangle 8 days] Part 4: AGRA

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

The Taj Mahal is not only a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, but also one of the Seven Wonders of the World!

The reason why it is one of the seven wonders is that in order to prevent earthquakes, the Taj Mahal was built on a branch of the Ganges with a wooden base, paved with stones and sand, and overlapped eight times before covering it. But now there is no water underneath, and it sinks 5 centimeters every year, so there are annual irrigation measures.

The breathtaking Taj Mahal!

(opens in a new tab)

I have to say that this design is really good! Although there are a lot of people, you can still take very quiet photos. All places of interest and historical sites should learn from this~ Moreover, the four pillars next to the main hall will tilt outwards, so that they will not be concave when viewed from the bottom up. It is really considerate! Although there are legends everywhere that “the Taj Mahal is the queen’s last wish”, the tour guide told a story that is not available on Google: In addition to his three wives, this king also loved his cousin deeply. However, because his cousin was five years older than him, his parents were unwilling (not because they were close relatives), so they waited until their parents died before getting married. During the 14 years of marriage, they gave birth to 13 children. When the last one was born, he died in childbirth at his parents’ home. The king found out about it two months later, so he built a monument. The king didn’t like red, and his wife had fair skin, so he found white and transparent marble, which changed color four times a day. However, it took 60 years to use this material. The king was already 48 years old at that time. Later, it was changed to bricks with marble sheets on the outside, and the working hours were reduced to 22 years. Two years later, his third son imprisoned him because he wanted to build a second black mausoleum for himself, but at that time the country was in economic crisis and he was not allowed to squander it, so the main entrance had to be made of red gauze rock instead of marble. The king died after being imprisoned for seven years, and his body was buried in the Taj Mahal. The coffin we saw was just a model, it was really in the basement. Therefore, the legend that “my wife’s last words were to build a memorial mausoleum for her” is unlikely. We don’t know whether it’s true or not, so we just treat it like a fairy tale~

[

It is said that the gems embedded in the Taj Mahal under the moonlight will reflect light. Such a dreamy scene is only open on the full moon day of every month. I didn’t encounter it this time. I will have a reason to come again next time~ Tens of thousands of craftsmen were used to build it, so a mosque was built next to it for the craftsmen to worship.

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

When I walked to the mosque next to the Taj Mahal, an old Indian man waved me over. After approaching with confusion, he began to point out to me one by one the best places to take pictures of the Taj Mahal from the mosque. There were about 10 of them! (opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

As the meeting time was approaching and he was rushing to leave, the old man said he wanted to pay him. After hurriedly paying him, he ran as fast as he could. Although it was for the meeting, it felt like he was running away from being blackmailed. Although the point of guidance is good, I didn’t expect that such a person would be allowed in a national attraction where all photographers in the park have licenses and market prices!

(opens in a new tab)

The gate is a typical Islamic dome building. There are 11 domes on the front and rear of the main entrance, for a total of 22 domes, representing each year of construction. After finishing the admiration, we went to the marble store and Kashmir wool shawl store arranged by the travel agency. I stayed at the RAMADA PLAZA AGRA hotel with a strong Islamic style for these two nights. You can tell by looking at the stars and dome in the lobby~

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

【Day6-1】Sikindara, also known as the Mausoleum of Emperor Akbar

(opens in a new tab)

It is the mausoleum of the third generation King Akbar the Great, and is also known as the “Little Taj Mahal”. It has exactly the same door. Although it is a mausoleum, the interior is still so gorgeous that I couldn’t help but take pictures. (opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

Infinite arches are full of aesthetic elements.

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

The Arbor in full bloom is also beautiful.

(opens in a new tab)

[Day6-2] Agra Fort, also known as the Red Fort

(opens in a new tab)

It is also a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. It is said that the “Victory City” suffered from the plague. The third generation king did not want to spend too much, so he expropriated the 11th century Turkish castle in 1565 and renovated it. Because the buildings are made of red sandstone, it is also called the Red Fort.

(opens in a new tab)

Next to the original castle, the fourth-generation royal palace was also built here. It was built with limestone and the walls were hollow. It would be cooler to hold water in the summer. In the fifth generation, they discovered that filling the walls with water would damage the walls, while marble was cooler and would not damage, so they built another palace with marble, inlaid with sapphires and 12 diamonds for lighting. Later, these gems were dug up by the British and are now in the British Museum. (opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

(opens in a new tab)

The tour guide told another story: The king who built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned here for five years by his third son. During this period, he only had one meal a day. Once it was said that the king wanted to eat watermelon, San’er killed the king’s favorite eldest brother and brought watermelon to him. The king was frightened and got sick, and strange things grew on his body. He still wanted to take a look at the Taj Mahal while he was ill. San’er put diamonds in the room to reflect the Taj Mahal, and the king comforted himself in the reflection. A year later, the king died. The third son was supposed to bury the body in Agra, but that night the two daughters secretly moved it to the Taj Mahal and buried it next to their mother. Because Islamic regulations prohibit exhuming the body, the son had to give up the pursuit.

(opens in a new tab)

The tour guide said, don’t think this king is very pitiful. After all, he killed his mother when his father was ill and she took care of him, so that he could get the throne.

(opens in a new tab)

It’s really a shuddering Indian non-fairy tale~ But there seem to be many versions of the story here, so you can just refer to it~

(opens in a new tab)

Collapsed buildings and trees can be seen everywhere on the roadside, and the power of the wind disaster is truly felt.

(opens in a new tab)

Next article: Part5: New Delhi NEW DELHI, experience and summary (opens in a new tab)

— First time traveling to India with a group [North India Golden Triangle 8 days] full series Part1: Overview and New Delhi NEW DELHI (opens in a new tab) Part2: Jabil JAIPUR (opens in a new tab) Part3: BHARATPUR (opens in a new tab) Part4: AGRA (opens in a new tab) Part5: New Delhi NEW DELHI, experience and summary (opens in a new tab)

---

Further reading

• First trip to India with a group [8 days in the Golden Triangle of Northern India] Part2: JAIPUR
• First trip to India with a group [8 days in the Golden Triangle of North India] Part3: BHARATPUR
• First trip to India with a group [8 days in the Golden Triangle of North India] Part 5: NEW DELHI, experience and summary