Nov 15, 2015 Saturday, Agra

Today is a major highlight…our visit to the Taj Mahal.  Jessica's driver didn't show up on time so she got to ride a pedi-cab over to our hotel.

We were up quite early and took one of the hotel’s golf carts to the East Entrance to get in line.  Gates opened about 7:20am, major security screening to get onto the grounds.   

The Taj is a mausoleum built by Shan Jahan for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  Construction started in 1632 with the main building completed in 1648 (16 years later).  The rest of the complex was finished 5 years later.   

The main entrance is through great gate houses made of red sandstone and marble.  The detail was exquisite and the gates gigantic.



Taj above the Complex Walls

Main (South) Gate

Main (South) Gate

White Taj Mahal seen through the Main (South) Entrance Gate

The views with the reflecting pool and from various points in the extensive gardens were beautiful. 

Up close it is obvious that a lot of attention went into the decorating of the surfaces. 

Besides carving the marble...

...they used a technique called pietra dura, a decorative art form in which semi‑precious stones are cut into shapes and inlaid into marble. 

All this writing is stone inlay

The crowds weren't too bad and people watching was interesting.

This picture was taken as we were leaving.  Mary turned around several times, but there was always a large crowd.  This time, the crowd had parted, leaving just the ladies looking at the Taj.

School kids getting a picture holding the tip top of the Taj.

The gate houses, surrounding walls and some walkways were made of red sandstone with marble inlay.  There was just as much attention to detail in these buildings and they were just as beautiful.

Ceiling detail

Ceiling inside a gate house

Sandstone plaza and fence.

Mehman Khana (Guest House east side of Taj Mahal)

South gate house and Wall

More Taj Mahal photos

After breakfast and checking Jessica out of the Radisson we headed off to Agra Fort, a massive sandstone and marble structure.  About 70% of the fort is still used by the Indian Military with the remainder open to the public as a museum.  The fort was built by the Mughals with much of the current structure built by Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal. 

Main Entrance to Agra Fort (Red Fort)



Fort walls

Crowds at the main gate.

Main walkway into the fort

Jahan spent the last years of his life imprisoned in Agra Fort when he was deposed by his Son, Aurangzeb.  He would spend his days in his apartments overlooking the river and the Taj Mahal.

Balcony on Jahan's Apartments

Fountain

View of the Taj

The interior is finished with carved sandstone, marble and petra dura.

The most magical and ethereal areas was the Shish-Mahal or Glass Palace.  It is closed to the general public but our guide knew the guy with the key and we were able to get a tour…just the 3 of us plus 3 others who were in on the secret.  The rooms are covered with glass mosaic tiles and when the guide waved lit candles in front of the walls the entire room just sparkled.

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More Agra Fort Photos

Lunch was at the Pinch of Spice restaurant nearby: then Jessica headed back to Delhi and home while we headed off to a pietra dura facility.  We had a private showing of the process, which is fascinating and exacting.  A piece of marble is painted with henna (rusty red color) in order to better see the design.  The design is then etched/carved into the marble using sharp instruments.  We got to try to etch the marble.  Indian marble is apparently much harder than Italian marble and we can attest that it is hard to make a dent in it. 

Paul trying his hand at etching marble.

In the meantime, semi-precious stones are sliced into thin pieces and the individual pieces are filed into shape using hand operated emery wheels in a centuries old process.  Typical stones used are jasper, turquoise, malachite, lapis, coral, and carnelian. 

Carving the stones on emery wheels.

The carved stone pieces are then glued into the carved/etched design. 

Larger pieces may have several thousand individual pieces of stone inlaid into the design that can take months to complete.  Consequently the finished pieces with a large number of individual stones are quite expensive.

We had no plans to really buy much but maybe a few Christmas items.  However, we had been looking for some time for a new end table for the TV room and once Mary walked into the showroom she immediately saw some table tops that would work beautifully in the room.  So we bit and bought one, plus a few Christmas pieces.  The table top we bought was primarily lapis, the blue matching our furniture very well.

Had been looking for a new end table...and found it in India.

After spending much more than intended, we took a drive through the streets and markets...

...to the “Baby Taj”, the Tomb of I’timal’ud’Daulah.  It was built between 1622 and 1628 for Mirza Bhiyas Be, the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal.