Sunday, April 2, 2023 - The Taj Mahal and Agra Red Fort - Part 1

 

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April 2 – Mumbai, India – Part I 

This will be a very photo intense report, so I am splitting it into 2 parts. 

We arrived in Mumbai yesterday around noon. It is a city of 28 million people. It is known for many things, one of which is smog. It reminds us of Los Angeles in the 60s. There are also lots and lots of boats in this huge natural harbor.

But the G20 will be in India this year in September. So all of India seems to be picking up a bit. Several fellow travelers that have been here before have commented that it is much cleaner than it had been. 

We have signed up for a tour through Viator to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Red Fort. It will be a grueling day. We were to meet our transportation from the ship at 2:00 a.m. That means getting up around 12:30 a.m. We ordered room service for 1:00 a.m. and it was delivered on time. We shared an omelet and English muffins. 

Our transportation delivered us to the Mumbai airport where we spent some time getting boarding passes and finding our gate. Our flight was due to depart at 5:00 a.m. We were part of a group of 14, all from the Viking Neptune, but for the most part, we recognized people, but didn’t “know” them. Our flight was on time and we arrived in Delhi about 7:15. We met our guide for the day after baggage claim and proceeded to the parking area where we were divided into 4 vehicles. 

It took about 4 hours to drive south to the city of Agra. We did have a “comfort” stop along the way and got a cup of coffee. Our vehicle is a small Toyota SUV. It will hold 5 passengers, but the two in the back row have very little leg room. The parking area at the Taj is a ways from the grounds. This entire area has been developed for the tourists that visit. Golf carts (or other) take groups from the parking area to the entrance gate. Along the way are souvenir shop after souvenir shop with some small restaurants thrown in for good measure. This being Sunday, (which is a holiday in India) the crowds are massive today.

Electric golf carts that hauled about 15 people at a time from the car park to the entrance.

"Other" forms of getting to the entrance.

We queue at the entrance and are quickly inside. As we walk along, I see a large building, but it is red sandstone. It is lovely with a lot of detail carved into the stone. What goes through my mind is: “I thought it was white?” The red building is only a “gate” but huge and beautiful and as you walk through the gate, the Taj Mahal is revealed. It is WHITE. Surprisingly white. Just like any photo you’ve ever seen only more than any photo you’ve ever seen. Absolutely stunning!

First glimpse of the gate.

Beautifully carved details as well as inlay floral designs and calligraphy.

An impressive way to be introduced to the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal was built between 1631 and 1643. It is a mausoleum built for the beloved wife of Shah Jahan. The site is 42 acres and walled on 3 sides with the river forming the 4^th side. It cost about $1 billion in today’s dollars to build and receives about 6 million visitors a year. 

Photo op from the area just inside the gate. Gardens, pools, some flowers, the Taj, the mosque to the left of the Taj, the guest house to the right which matches the mosque. The mosque and the guest house are both in red sandstone. And people everywhere. Beautiful saris, we even saw one gentleman in a fancy embroidered knee-length coat with jewels and a jeweled and feathered turban, It is then time to visit the Taj Mahal up close and go through the mausoleum. There are no photos inside. And you wear booties when you get close to the building. Behind the Taj Mahal is the Yamuna River. The water in this river originates in the Himalayas and is a tributary to the Ganges River. 

Just a few people.

It takes a special ticket to be allowed on the base of the Taj and to go inside.

The floor around the outside of the tomb is white marble and red sandstone.

Details of the caligraphy, the inlay and the carving.

More inlay

The entrance to the tomb.

From the Taj Mahal looking back at the gate and the people.

A fence carved out of sandstone.
 

 

 

After soaking up about as much as we can handle, we headed for lunch. We enjoyed our meal and headed off to do visit an embroidery shop. Not just embroidery. In this shop, they use very fine wire, mostly copper that has been colored. They build up layers, so the finished piece is quite 3 dimensional. With many pieces they add semi-precious and precious stones and jewels. We found a piece that we couldn’t resist. (I tried taking a picture of it, but the photo didn't do it justice.)