Post written by Laura
As mentioned in my previous ‘Delhi‘ post my Intrepid tour didn’t include a visit to one of the most famous monuments in the world, so I had arranged my flight to arrive a day early where I had pre-booked a day trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.
Agra is 134 miles south of Delhi and with the two cities connected by a multi lane highway the drive is straightforward. Except if you are staying in the centre of Delhi, as I was, it can take at least an hour to reach the edge of the city which results in a 3 – 4 hour drive each way.
Taj Mahal
The infamous Taj Mahal is listed as one of the 7 wonders of the new world, the others being:
- The Colosseum in Rome, Italy
- Petra in Jordan
- Chichen Itza in Mexico
- Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Macchu Picchu in Peru
- Great Wall of China
I was collected from my central Delhi hotel by my driver Hardeep in the early hours at 2:30 am. It felt surreal, having arrived in Delhi the previous day, to be travelling through the empty streets and then speeding along the 3 – 4 lane highway in the dark. I had booked the tour with Viator but as this trip runs daily, and I was the only one on that day, I had a driver and guide to myself.
Once we reached Agra, we stopped and picked up Manish who would be my guide for the day. To preserve and protect the Taj Mahal from traffic fumes, it isn’t possible for vehicles to drive to the entrance, so Hardeep dropped off Manish and myself and we walked in the dark for about 500 m to the entrance.
We arrived at about 5:20 am, i.e. about 10 minutes before opening time. This was good as we were near the front of the already forming queue.
Large bags and backpacks are not permitted and neither is any type of food or tobacco or camera stands amongst a number of other banned items. My very small and very lightweight backpack was fine although it was checked at the entrance.
We walked through the ‘Great Gate’ and once inside Manish and I were greeted with the stunning Taj Mahal just before sunrise.
Manish took time to explain the history and that the ivory-white marble monument was commissioned 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Unfortunately the weather was a tad cloudy so I didn’t see a fabulous sunrise but it was enough to cause a slight reflection on all of the marble.
The Taj Mahal took 22 years and more than 22,000 labourers to build and it is perfectly symmetrical. It is covered in semi precious stones and the marble of the exterior has intricate carvings.
Using shoe covers, Manish and I went inside the Taj Mahal but taking photographs was not permitted so I was unable to capture the spectacular interior which contains the tombs of Mumtaz and the emperor Shah Jahan himself. There wasn’t really a queue and we were able to wander through at relative leisure.
Manish then gave me some free time to explore the gardens and the site of the Taj Mahal by myself.
Thankfully as I had arrived early there was no queue to take my turn and sit on the famous ‘Princess Diana’ bench where Manish took my photo.
Once we left the Taj Mahal, Manish and I took a tuk tuk ride through the surrounding streets and back to meet Hardeep. Next on the agenda was an included breakfast!
We pulled up outside the Marriott hotel where I was taken inside by Manish who left me for 45 minutes to enjoy a tasty buffet breakfast.
Baby Taj
Feeling nicely full and refreshed, the second monument of the day was the Baby Taj aka the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah! This is another Mughal mausoleum which was the first monument to be built between 1622 and 1628 in India of white marble, just before the Taj Mahal.
Again with our shoe covers, Manish took me inside and explained each of the rooms which contain the tombs of I’timad-ud-Daulah and family members.
Also symmetrical, there are 4 identical gates which surround the Baby Taj.
There was virtually no other people visiting the impressive Baby Taj and with the intricate detail it was well worth it and I would recommend.
Agra Fort
Our final monument was Agra Fort, also known as ‘Agra Red Fort’ because of its massive red sandstone walls.
This historical 16th century fortress was built by the the Mughal emperor Akbar both as a military base and a royal residence.
This is one of the most significant buildings located inside the grounds of Agra Fort. This was constructed as a form of Islamic architecture and was the main palace for women and was used by the wives of Akbar.
In front of the Jahangiri Mahal Palace is the Hauz-i-Jahangiri is a huge bowl called ‘Jahangir’s Bath Tub’ which was used for bathing. This is made out of one single piece of stone.
Manish and I continued from the Jahangiri Mahal palace towards the white marble structures where he explained the history of each.
Summary
Getting up at 2 am, especially having had very little sleep (on the plane) the previous night was tiring. And the 3 – 4 hour drive each way was long. But it was 100% a brilliant decision to make the effort and visit these spectacular masterpieces and a wonderful introduction to my trip to India!
I had booked with Viator and the trip was operated by Crystal India Holidays. I had excellent communication in advance of the tour with Amit via Whatsapp who gave me clear instructions in terms of the timings, agenda and information for the visit.
frombluetogreen.com 
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