Let me share my experience on my latest outing to Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The occasion was a Training-Program at Delhi clubbed with Sunday. Me and my colleague Mr. Ranjan Biswal decide to head to Agra and visit Taj-Mahal and Agra-Fort.
From Delhi, Agra stands around 200 Kms via NH-2 and its a smooth 3.5 to 4 hour drive if you leave in the early hours of the day. For people living in the National Capital Region, Agra is not a new holiday venue and most of them don't mind visiting this city as you can also make a 1 day trip to Agra (Leaving early morning from Delhi and returning late night). On the way we passed through many places of religious importance to Hindu's like Vrindavan - where Lord Krishna spent his childhood & Mathura - where Lord Krishna was born.
The Agra Fort
After starting late in the morning, we headed for some local shopping and landed at The Agra Fort, which is close to the Western Gate of Taj-Mahal. There is a parking right across the road for private cars and cabs. Yet again, the first thing that we noticed about the fort was the numerous touts literally following us to be our guide. We decided to move away all of them and head to the fort after getting our entry tickets. The Agra Fort has 16 palaces, a few mosques, gardens and this is where Shahjahan spent the last 8 years of his life looking at the Taj-Mahal from his prison, where his son Aurangzeb kept him. They say that Shah-jahan wanted to build a black Taj-Mahal exactly opposite the white one on the other side of River Yamuna, which bothered Aurangzeb as he thought a lot of money will be spent in this second Taj-Mahal and very less will remain for the security of the fort, which was of prime importance. Hence Aurangzeb decided to take over and imprison his father. Shah-jahan was kept in a prison from where Taj-Mahal was visible via a rare stone, which later was removed. Shahjahan spent the rest of his life in the Agra Fort, in his prison only looking at the Taj and offering prayers to the God Almighty.
The Taj-Mahal
We reached Taj-Mahal, West Gate (Paschimi-Darwaza) at around 4PM and this is where the entire experience became a mix bag of pleasure and irritation both! The moment we stepped out of our car, there were at least 3 rickshaw pullers & touts/guides telling us to hire them. Taj-Mahal is closed on Friday so do not plan a visit to this place on a Friday. The entry for an Indian National is INR 20, whereas for a Foreign Tourist, it is INR 750.
We were certainly a little tired when we were standing in the security check area, but it all literally vanished the moment we entered the place and saw this master piece, also listed as a World Heritage Site. The Taj-Mahal looks wonderful and you cannot easily take your eyes off this wonderful building. It is a huge complex which has good arrangements for water and paid toilets, you are obviously not allowed to take any eatables inside. You need to take your shoes off before you enter the main building of Taj-Mahal. From here, some fantastic views of the Taj, The Mosque and The Araamgah await you. Just ensure your camera batteries are charged to the top of it and you have your best smiles on! The entry to the grave of Mumtaz-Mahal is closed now, however you go pretty close to it and enjoy the marvelous piece of Mughal Architecture there. After 3 - 4 hours, we decided to head straight to our cab and call it a day.
Overall the entire experience went off fine and re-assured my belief in Agra as one of my favorite destinations for a short holiday around Delhi. The only thing that did not please me was the locals there. They were not very helpful in giving directions. Also, for a city which is home to a world heritage site, I thought the cleanliness and traffic management could have been better – after all we get people from all over the world visiting Agra. The touts / guides must be controlled - they spoil the experience, we should have something like a tourist grievance cell there.
That's all from me in this post about Taj-Mahal and Agra-Fort. There are other places that you can visit around the city like Fatehpur-Sikri, Buland-Darwaza, Salim Chishti-ki-Dargah and many more.... In case you wish to know more, just hit me on my email I will be happy to help :)
