We saw a beautiful sunrise on our drive from Delhi to Agra--the sun was huge and looked like a solid sherbet orange dot in the sky. As we entered the outskirts of Agra, we could see the hazy outline of the Taj Mahal and the massive red Agra Fort. We also stopped to feed some monkeys a few sweet treats and hard candies which they unwrapped and popped in their mouths.
Walking through the gateway and seeing the Taj Mahal, framed by the gateway arch, is absolutely breath-taking. With a bare backdrop and the contrast between the blue sky and white marble, it really is a magnificent site. Then as we walked the grounds and moved closer, we learned how it was actually built and what the 20,000 workers put into each day of those 22 years! One of the fascinating bits of info is that the Taj Mahal is actually a 42 acre grounds including 3 gates, 1 gateway, 1 mosque, 1 mausoleum, and a few additional buildings. The memorable white marble mausoleum is the most photographed though the surrounding red sandstone buildings are also impressive feats. Each archway, of multiple buildings but particularly the mausoleum, has chapters of the Koran written. Also there are 4 towers at each of the 4 corners of the mausoleum, and since they were built to fall away from the mausoleum (if they ever fall), they are at an 87 degree angle instead of 90....actually maybe 83, something in the 80s!
We had a tour guide who provided us with great fun facts on the Taj Mahal mausoleum, which he called 'a noble tribute to womanhood.' He was also an enthusiastic photographer who had us posing all over the grounds! Most pictures were taken with our cameras but I took a few today with my phone which are uploaded here.
After Taj Mahal, we visited a marble handicraft studio where we learned about the decorative ornamentation that we saw on parts of the Taj Mahal buildings. All the colorful decorations are gemstones; one artist carved out the marble and one artist shaped gemstones into fine pieces to fit in place. Since they are gemstones, they don't fade, which they would if just painted. The process is very precise and detail oriented, and big pieces of the decorated marble take years to make. Three special components of the white marble are 1) it is non-porous due to the crystals in it 2) it is translucent and 3) the minerals in it make it strong and scratch-resistant. The art is so specialized, they even measure young children's fingers to see if they'd be the better marble artist or gemstone artist.
Lastly, we hit Agra Fort, and I'll be honest, I was getting tired so I didn't retain as much information there. It was essentially a walled-in city, massive grounds and many sections including some red sandstone and some white marble. I do remember that part of it was a concubine for 5000 women and there were areas for people to be on house arrest (with a nice view of Taj Mahal, pretty spiffy). Also, it has a wet moat and a dry moat with about 4 different gates to pass through to actually get in!
Ok, that's all for day one as I am utterly pooped in Uttar Pradesh! Tomorrow we take on Jaipur...
PS I also saw one of the big five that I missed in Botswana--check out the water buffalo crossing the street!
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