There's also some good news though, the pills we got yesterday seem to work and now we can joyfully fart again without fear to soil our pants ;-)
Another good thing is that we're finally going to see Taj Mahal, woohoo !!
But first we're going to visit Fatehpur Sikri.
The roads are good and Raju makes very good speed again so I think we're going to arrive early.
After a couple of hours and multiple almost-collisions (we left quite some amount of rubber sticking on the road) we arrive at Fatehpur Sikri.
The historical city was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar in 1570 and served as the empire's capital from 1571 until 1585.
Akbar was a follower of Salim Chisthi a holy man who lived in the region of Sikri near Agra, who later blessed him with three sons. Believing the neighbourhood to be a lucky one for himself, he had a mosque constructed there for the use of the saint. Subsequently, he celebrated the victories over Chittor and Ranthambore by laying the foundation of a new walled capital, 23 miles (37 km) west of Agra in 1569, which was named Fatehpur ("town of victory") after the conquest of Gujarat in 1573 and subsequently came to be known as Fatehpur Sikri in order to distinguish it from other similarly named towns. Palaces for each of Akbar's senior queens, a huge artificial lake, and sumptuous water-filled courtyards were built there. However, the city was soon completely abandoned and the capital was moved to Lahore in 1585. The reason may have been that the water supply in Fatehpur Sikri was insufficient or of poor quality. Or, as some historians believe, Akbar had to attend to the northwest areas of his empire and therefore moved his capital northwest. Other sources indicate Akbar simply lost interest in the city or realized it was not militarily defensible. In 1599, Akbar shifted his capital back to Agra from where he reigned until his death.
The surviving palace and mosque are a tourist attraction and a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE monument. The site itself is a ghost town and only 5% of the original city remains.
The buildings of Fatehpur Sikri show a synthesis of various regional schools of architectural craftsmanship such as Gujarat and Bengal. This was because indigenous craftsmen from various regions were used for the construction of the buildings. Influences from Hindu and Jain architecture are seen hand in hand with Islamic elements. The building material predominantly used is red sandstone.
Kokechi in Fatehpur Sikri
inner entrance gate to Jama Masjid (mosque) and the courtyardBefore we go through this gate we need to take of our shoes because we're entering "muslim territory".
Today is a very hot day, well over 40°C in the shade, and the stones of the courtyard are so hot that they burn our feet. Luckily they had some narrow mats crossing the courtyard to walk upon but with all those people there was often no room on them which forced us to walk on the hot stones anyway. A bad day for our poor feet.
Today is a very hot day, well over 40°C in the shade, and the stones of the courtyard are so hot that they burn our feet. Luckily they had some narrow mats crossing the courtyard to walk upon but with all those people there was often no room on them which forced us to walk on the hot stones anyway. A bad day for our poor feet.
Tomb of Salim Chisthi
inside the tomb, look at all the marble carved panels
a carved marble panel inside the tomb
the mosque
a row of chhatri
one of the remaining entrance gates to the cityAgain we were in awe for the rich and delicate decorations of another historical site, these people never stop to amaze us and we wish we could see it like it really was in those days.
On our way back to the car we need to pass the usual gift shops and for once these have pretty things. The prices they ask are well over the top and the bartering begins. I pretend to have almost no money left and show him my empty pockets leaving him no choice to accept the price I'm offering if he wants to sell anything. Not happy with the amount he looks at my sunglasses and says he thinks they're pretty and that if I give them up I can have the items for the price I'm offering. I guess I have not much need for them anymore anyway so I agree and call myself the proud owner of some nice souvenirs.
On our way back to the car we need to pass the usual gift shops and for once these have pretty things. The prices they ask are well over the top and the bartering begins. I pretend to have almost no money left and show him my empty pockets leaving him no choice to accept the price I'm offering if he wants to sell anything. Not happy with the amount he looks at my sunglasses and says he thinks they're pretty and that if I give them up I can have the items for the price I'm offering. I guess I have not much need for them anymore anyway so I agree and call myself the proud owner of some nice souvenirs.
a funny little guy doing his very best to release me from some of my "monetary" burden, he made me laugh (a rare sight)After a hot and busy day we finally arrived in Agra in the late afternoon and while we visit Agra Fort we got our first glimpses of the Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world !!
Tomorrow we will see it in all it's splendor, I can't wait ;D
Agra Fort was commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565, and is another of Agra's World Heritage Sites, A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort states that it had been built before 1000 but was later renovated by Akbar. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time (Remember the guy who was in exile in Udaipur ?), and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Dīwān-e-'Ām and Dīwān-e-Khās (halls of public and private audience), Jahangir's Palace, Khās Mahal, Shīsh Mahal (mirrored palace) and the Musamman Burj.
Here in this fort Shah Jahan was put under house arrest when his son Aurangzeb revolted and seized power. Shah Jahan died here 8 years later.
entrance to the Fort
the audition hall
a look inside
Shah Jahan's quarters
view on the Taj Mahal from the Shah's quarters
Taj Mahal on the river bank
After our visit to the Fort and the first glimpses of Taj Mahal it's time to go to our hotel, freshen up a bit and to hit the town.
There's a coffee shop nearby, we already saw a couple of internet café's and we still need some souvenirs to take home so we have a lot to do before tomorrow ;-)
On a side note : before I came to India people warned me of it's smell, they said that India smells like shit (literally). Well I never noticed that during our trip ... until here in Agra, it really stinks here but after 30 minutes or so you're used to it.
Agra Fort was commissioned by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565, and is another of Agra's World Heritage Sites, A stone tablet at the gate of the Fort states that it had been built before 1000 but was later renovated by Akbar. The red sandstone fort was converted into a palace during Shah Jahan's time (Remember the guy who was in exile in Udaipur ?), and reworked extensively with marble and pietra dura inlay. Notable buildings in the fort include the Pearl Mosque, the Dīwān-e-'Ām and Dīwān-e-Khās (halls of public and private audience), Jahangir's Palace, Khās Mahal, Shīsh Mahal (mirrored palace) and the Musamman Burj.
Here in this fort Shah Jahan was put under house arrest when his son Aurangzeb revolted and seized power. Shah Jahan died here 8 years later.
entrance to the Fort
the audition hall
a look inside
Shah Jahan's quarters
view on the Taj Mahal from the Shah's quarters
Taj Mahal on the river bankThere's a coffee shop nearby, we already saw a couple of internet café's and we still need some souvenirs to take home so we have a lot to do before tomorrow ;-)
On a side note : before I came to India people warned me of it's smell, they said that India smells like shit (literally). Well I never noticed that during our trip ... until here in Agra, it really stinks here but after 30 minutes or so you're used to it.
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