Asleep at Agra Fort, Agra

Asleep at Agra Fort, Agra

I went to Agra in March 2009 and it had already become quite hot. I saw this foreign tourist catching up on sleep at the edge of the Diwan-e-Aam. And yet it was only 11 am or so.

All Dressed Up!

All Dressed Up to See the Taj Mahal, Agra

The Majestic Taj Mahal at Sunset

The Beauty that is the Taj Mahal, at Sunset, Agra, India

I was looking at my old Agra pictures and could not help but post the Taj Mahal at sunset once again. The scale of the Taj Mahal is so majestic that in spite of the multitude of people that are always present there, it still towers above everything, quite aloof, quite perfect.

I mean look at the size of the human beings in the picture! The Taj Mahal in all its glory at the sunset, let us see when I visit it again!

Agra Eye Anyone?

Not me. Quoting from the Telegraph-

More than 2.5 million tourists visited the Taj Mahal last year, but officials hope to increase the figure, and the amount of tourist income, by linking the Taj to neighbouring historic buildings and adding the Agra Eye - a sophisticated Ferris wheel modelled on the London Eye.

For the record I never went up the London Eye too in my three visits to London.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Reflections of the Taj Mahal, Agra

Come evening and the reflection starts to appear in the water tanks in front of the Taj Mahal, Agra

I wish I had a more steady hand, reflection of the Taj Mahal, Agra

Taj Mahal from the Banks of River Yamuna

Taj Mahal from the Banks of River Yamuna

Camel for Ride, Agra

Camel Ride, near Mehtab Bagh, Agra

Nagina Masjid, Agra Fort

Nagina Masjid, within Agra Fort Premises

Nagina Masjid, only the top is visible from durbar-e-aam, Agra Fort

People at the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort

The Lady is all dressed up for the visit, I took this picture at Agra Fort

Another group of brightly attired ladies at the Taj Mahal, pausing to catch their breath

Itmad Ud Daulah's Tomb- Agra

Entrance to Itmad Ud Daulah's Tomb, Agra

Itmad Ud Daulah's Tomb, Agra

I am putting in auto posts for the rest of the week as I am in Lucknow and not sure if I would have a regular internet connection. See you all next week. Hopefully with loads of new pictures from Lucknow.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Sunset at River Yamuna, Agra

Sunset at River Yamuna, Clicked from the Taj Mahal Premises, Agra

More Images of the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal at Sunset, Agra

All Eyes on it, The Taj Mahal, Agra

French and Czech Signs in Agra Shops

The Last Print Out (Right Bottom) in English Saved me! A Shop at Sadar Bazaar, Agra.

If you know any of the languages in the picture above, do drop a comment.

This restaurant also sold South-Indian food near the south gate of the Taj Mahal Agra apart from whatever they are selling from this board. When I asked the owners which language it is, they said Czech!

Lazy Sunday Photo- People Around Taj Mahal, Agra

Photographers, Photographers, Everywhere- Taj Mahal Agra

As I have said before it is very easy to include people in your shots at the Taj Mahal than to exclude them. For a few hours I tried to find isolate spots but then gave up and started looking for interesting shots of people.

Back to the Taj Mahal- A Couple Looking at Yamuna, at Sunset

I am wondering while I am posting all these pictures, if I too would end up at some corner of the internet as a part of the crowd in someone elses shots! And if I would ever stumble upon it?

Anguri Bagh (Garden), Agra Fort

Anguri Bagh (Garden of Grapes) Agra Fort

Graffiti at the Taj Mahal, So Sad

Tagging their Names along the Taj Mahal, Such a Sad Practice

The Taj Mahal at Sunset

As the Sun sets- The Taj Mahal, Agra

Taj Mahal Entrance, West Gate seen from the Taj Mahal

The Entrance to the Taj Mahal, as Seen from the Taj Mahal, Agra

Inching towards the end of the semester, so more photos and less words.

Minaret of the Taj Mahal and Yamuna River at the Sunset

Minaret of the Taj Mahal and Yamuna River at the Sunset

I feel this one is worth a thousand words, so I will stop right here. I really like this one, the only eyesore is the watermark.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taj Mahal with the Ramp, The Stephen Hawking Connection

Taj Mahal (Agra) with a Ramp- The Stephen Hawking Connection

When my brother-in-law saw this picture of the Taj Mahal, he told the ramp was erected at Taj Mahal after a visit by Professor Stephen Hawking. Now if Amrit said it, I had to believe it but I searched for the Stephen Hawking connection with the ramp and the Taj Mahal. And sure enough it is true. Frontline carried the story in 2001-

There is heartening news for thousands of physically challenged persons across the country. The Archaeological Survey of India has decided to make its monuments including the Taj and Khajuraho accessible to them by providing ramps.

As a direct consequence of this decision, temporary wooden ramps provided by the ASI during the recent visit of eminent physicist Stephen Hawking would now be a permanent feature at the Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar.

I wonder why should it take a Stephen Hawking to get a ramp at something like the Taj Mahal. Is that the kind of vision we have?

Watching Out from Agra Fort

Watching Out from Agra Fort

You can see the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort. I wonder if the couple was gazing at the Taj Mahal? There were so many people both at the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort that it was almost impossible to click a shot without people walking through your composition. After a while, I started enjoying including them in my shots! This is something I rarely do oherwise. I still can't point my camera to the faces of the strangers most of the time. But if they are not looking in my direction, then it is another matter.

Tourists at Agra Fort

Tourists at Agra Fort, I leave all the Story Telling for this one to You

PS. (Updated March 18, 2009, many hours after the main post) Oh Boy! I enjoyed the poem by Paradox so much in the comment section that I decided to post it along with the main post.

She found the weather hot,
So she went around in a short,
Now she sizzled
And the local lads were bedazzled.

She wore the color pink,
They stared and did not blink.
With each other they jostled
And how they ogled.

Faithfully they followed her
And were clicked by a photographer.
They thought they were sort of cool-la,
But not more than the blogger Mridula.

Colorful Fabrics for Sale in Agra

Colorful Fabrics for Sale in a Souvenir Shop, Agra

I know, I know this is no Taj Mahal at sunset but I have clicked more than 400 pictures and I hardly like 5 of them as of now! I have to let the pictures grow a little old on me before I can think of posting them here.

Painting at Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, Agra

Painting on the Walls of Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, Agra

Came back from Agra yesterday night. At my sister's place today so can't load pictures from my SLR here. I am quite excited about the pictures, after all I managed to be around Taj Mahal at sunset twice.

I had read about Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb at Indiamike. This time we landed up there and it is a beautiful monument. I just can't wait to see the pictures from the bigger camera. We could not manage Fateh Pur Sikri though, next time maybe.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taj Mahal as Seen from Agra Fort Window

Taj Mahal- As Seen from Agra Fort Window

A Weekend Trip is on Cards!

Taj Mahal- Agra

A weekend trip is on cards and no points for guessing the destination. Let us see if beauty or the hassles of the place win.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Agra Fort, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Agra Fort, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taj Mahal, The Good Old Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal as seen from Agra Fort

The Taj Mahal needs no introduction nor am I going to give one. I took this picture when I just had a Nikon point and shoot camera. I feel that with a better lens, the Taj Mahal views are magnificent from the Agra Fort and I should give it another try. I will of course need two things, a better lens and a will to drag myself to Agra again.

Taj Mahal Lawn Mowing, I consider this my Best Shot of the Taj Mahal!

I still remember the moment very clearly. We (Dilip, Sunil and I) were walking towards the Taj Mahal and suddenly I saw these bulls positioned in front of the Taj Mahal. Images of all those dignitaries posing (Princesses Diana in particular) flashed through my eyes and I liked what I saw more than anything I had seen before. In fact there was another tourist along with me who ran towards this side path and both of clicked away. I have of course posted the picture of the bulls and the Taj before but then I like it so much that I thought I can post it once again.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

I wonder how my two nephews agreed to stand for this picture. Well, in those days I had no SLR and the my first digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 3200 gave me this kind of a hazy zoom. Even with the SLR I have a wide angle lens. Hopefully, things will change this week. I plan to head to Chandni Chowk and buy a new lens for my SLR that will give me a better zoom.

How Many People Visit the Taj Every Year?

My search skills are not as good as I thought them to be! I was trying to find out the number of people visiting the Taj everyday and when I could not find out much, I turned to Indiamike. The super folks there did some search and we now have some numbers. I find the whole thread such a great help.


Mickey S

This UNESCO document, dating from 2003, gives the following figures for visitor numbers:

2000: 1,955,404 Indian; 39,757 overseas; Total: 1,994,161
2001: 1,977,458 Indian; 249,267 overseas; Total: 2,226,725

Unfortunately, this seems to be the most recent UNESCO document relating to the Taj Mahal.

This MSNBC news page quotes figures for 2005:

Quote:

The ever-popular Taj Mahal received 593,637 international visitors and 364,997 locals over the year.

although the number of Indian visitors seems to be way out of line with UNESCO's figures for 2000/2001.

You could try emailing the Archaeological Survey of India directly, at directorgeneralasi@gmail.com

Go Search for Agra on Google!

Taj Mahal Needs No Introduction!

I ask you to go and search for 'Agra' on Google. Follow the first link, Welcome at Officiald Website of Agra, the site is maintained by the Government of India agency, National Informatics Center, or what we all know as the nic.in site.

You get a bare looking page. Follow the tourism link. Of course, the first description is about the Taj Mahal. I reproduce it below. The highlighting is mine. And I mean this really from the nic.in site.

Completed in 1653 A.D., The Taj Mahal built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favourite Queen, Mumtaz. Finished in by Marvel, it is perhaps India most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monuments took 22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, Masons and Jewellers to built and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustad Isa, The Taj Mahal the bank of the Yamuna river. It can be observed like a Mirage from the Agra Fort from where Emperor Shah Jahan stared at it, for the last eight years his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is a masterpiece of symmetry, Seeming to be floating in the air from a distance, and each revealed as an illusion experienced as one enters through the main gate. The verses of Holy Koran as inscribed on it and at the top of gate 22 small domes, signifying the number of years the monument took to built. The Taj Mahal has been built on a Marvel Plateform that stands above a standstone one. The most elegant dome of the Taj, with diameter of 60 feets, rises 80 feets, over the building and directly under the dome is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan's tomb has been irected next to her's by his son Aurangzeb. Fantastic Inley works using semi-precious stones decorate and interiors.

Open Time : 6 A.M. to 7.30 P.M. (Friday is closed)

And I invite you to sample the whole page. It is full of such errors. I wonder who is responsible for managing the site? I mean who let this page go? As the page comes on the top for the keyword Agra my hunch is that it must be getting some traffic. I mean I never knew the Taj is made of marvel!

But then, I guess the Taj Mahal needs no introduction ...

And NIC does carry a disclaimer. I wonder which 'respective department' maintains this masterpiece. And I wonde, wonder (thanks Atual for pointing out the error, see being open to feedback can do wonders for you) why don't they invite a feedback from their readers.
"Disclaimer: Site designed and hosted by National Informatics Centre. Site contents owned, maintained and updated by respective departments. NIC does not take any responsibility regarding website contents"

A Trip to UK and a Paper on Agra is on Cards

From the Backside of the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort in the Distance, Agra, India

And before that I have to finish a paper. So, I am mostly like a dead fish these days. Comments go unanswered and I hardly can think of anything to post. The paper is on 'online destination image of Agra' and I have two co-authors. Even in my dreams I think of 'touts' and the Taj.

And then there is a 10 page visa document to be filled, papers to be attached and hotels to be booked. As much as I hate it when the comments go unanswered, it will be like that for a few weeks.

Roof Top View of Taj Mahal

Roof Top View of Taj Mahal

What happens when you reach to see Taj Mahal on Friday? You have to be contented by viewing it from the roof top of nearby restaurants as the Taj Mahal is closed on Friday. Even though we didn't go there on Friday we sat on one of the roof top restaurants because of the queue we encountered in the evening. We had gone inside in the morning of our one day trip.

And it is because I am trying to write a paper on online destination image of Agra, along with two other authors that you find my blogging so patchy these days! And this state of affairs will continue at least till the end of October.

Taj Mahal Again

Taj Mahal, Agra

I came across a blog post by Sunil about his recent trip to Agra. He makes quite a few interesting observation-

Having driven from Delhi through the scorching sun , we reached Agra around noon. Hordes of guides and other self proclaimed local experts hounded the car park. With no energy or inclination to offer any resistance, we quickly hired a guide who promised us to take us into the premise within a very short time.

And I used to think maybe this happened more to people who traveled by public transport or wanted to hire a taxi etc.

And this one again is hilarious (when it is not happening to you)-

Ah! Here we were further delayed, because in spite of everyone vouching for me, the guards, suspecting my nationality insisted to see my Indian passport as proof which I did not have it on me at that time. I was suggested to pay 750 Indian rupees as a foreign national. After much deliberations and me speaking about half a dozen of Indian languages, one of the officials was finally convinced about my indianess and allowed me in.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Some More Images from The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal and some of the work on its walls.

I took this day trip to Taj Mahal a year back with my two nephews, and it was the first trip to the Taj for my elder one. I still remember his expression when he actually saw the monument. 18 year olds don't drop their jaws at most of the things these days. But that day his jaws almost dropped to his knees. And yet, the Agra city has earned such a reputation.

The Queue at the Enterance of Taj Mahal in the Evening

We (my two nephews and I) visited the Taj Mahal in July 23, 2006. We visited the monument in the morning and thought of spending some time again in the evening. But when we saw this queue, we gave up!

Taj Mahal, Agra: Shatabdi to Shatabdi One Day Trip

Taj Mahal! Surely my words are inadequate to describe the beauty of the monument. So, I won’t even try. I will restrict myself to the more mundane aspects of getting there on a day trip from Delhi and coming back in one single piece.

We, my two teenaged monkey nephews and I, decided to do a day trip to Agra to spend sometime at the Taj Mahal and Agra fort (Sesha, my husband, still refuses to visit any place that does not has the Himalayas in the background).

We did what is known as a ‘Shatabdi to Shatabdi’ trip. The trick is to take the morning (6.15 am) Bhopal Shatabdi Express to Agra Cant. (8.15 am ish arrival) and take the evening Bhopal Shatabdi (8.22 pm) from Agra Cant. to reach Delhi the same day at 10.30 at night. We also decided to drive to the New Delhi Railway station from Gurgaon and leave our car parked there till the night.

The train arrived right on time at Agra Cant. and deposited the three of us quite clueless on the platform. I had read at Indiamike about prepaid Taxi stand and that was our immediate destination. Our cluelessness must have been quite apparent to the taxi driver who was trying to direct us to the pre-paid booth but skepticism was written all over my face as to his directions. He pointed out the exit to us and we decide to trust him that far because the railway signboard concurred with his directions.

Once we exited, it was easy to spot the prepaid taxi booth. I stood in the line for the ticket. And while the people from other countries before me were asking for taxis to Maurya Sheraton and the like, I could read the signboard at leisure. That is where I came across the phrase ‘Shatabdi to Shatabdi’ tour first. It was packaged at Rs. 950 (taxi charges only) for a non AC vehicle and Rs. 1400 for AC vehicle. It included a trip to Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Tempting as it sounded, I decided to stick to our original plan to hire a taxi just to the Taj Mahal. The good folks at the prepaid booth charged me Rs. 125 for the service.

The hard sell started in the taxi itself. Our driver for this trip, extended the offer to retain the taxi for the entire day at the charges of an additional Rs. 325. We told him we were not interested. He persisted saying he could take us to the market too and we politely told him we would not do any shopping. He said I will not find any taxi vacant to take us back to the station in the evening and it would not be safe for us at all to roam on our own. I told him it would be really sad if I can’t feel safe in our own country in broad daylight. After trying for 15 minutes he gave up.

By that time we were almost at the Taj Mahal car parking. Most types of motorized vehicles are not permitted beyond this point. We decided to walk the remaining one kilometer though one can take a cycle rickshaw or a horse drawn tanga to the entrance. The dual pricing policy remains in place in spite of some news that I read quite sometime back that hinted at some changes. Indian nationals pay Rs. 20 and the foreign nationals Rs. 750.

Taj Mahal had braces as repair work going on the day we visited.

But bring in a bit of tree into focus and no one would know about the repair work!

My elder nephew was visiting the monument for the first time and as soon as it came in the full view, he went silent and his jaws dropped in sheer amazement. So did ours’ even though it was not the first time for my younger nephew or me. The guide explained various things to us but something else caught my attention.

I have seen so many famous faces peering in front of it but I liked what I saw on Saturday 21, 2006. I would have liked it even more if there were no long sticks in the picture.

After the guide took us through the history of the monument, we wandered along for quite sometime on our own. It is said that the Emperor Shahjahan cut the hands of the craftsmen who completed the monument but our guide had an interesting take on it. According to him it is not true. He said the emperor made the craftsmen sign an agreement that they will not practice their craft anymore and hence the saying: it is like cutting their hands, a mere figure of speech. I wish his version is true but I guess there is no definitive answer out there?

By 12 noon my nephews stopped speaking. I knew then it was time for lunch. The Taj Restaurant (run by the Ashoka Group, government owned) is just a two to three minute walk from the main entrance towards the car park and that is where we crashed. It is moderately expensive and we had a hefty meal. Midway through our meal, I had a nagging suspicion that they may not accept a credit or a debit card. On inquiry, the waiter confirmed my fears. I had enough cash on this occasion but I told him to put a sign on the entrance that cards are not accepted or someone may just realize it too late!

Stomach full, our eyes started drooping but we walked out and took a tanga to the Agra Fort (Rs. 25) that is roughly 2 kilometers away from the Taj Mahal. Only 15 to 20 percent of the fort is accessible to public and rest is out of bounds either because of renovation work or because of the presence of the army.

A View from the Agra Fort

When our guide showed (same story here too, charge Rs. 150, even though his card said Rs 275) us Divan-e-Aam (a place where the king would meet the common people) my younger nephew remarked as I was clicking a picture, “Why can’t they include such a picture in our history text books? When I read about it in class 7^th I had no clue it would be such a place.” Good question indeed, why not?

The fort is full of history, so many great kings, battles, polts, treachery, the place has seen it all.

Diwan-e-Aam at Agra Fort

Once again we embarked on the photography session after the guide completed the tour and we sat for an hour and a half near the Hava Mahal for the simple reason that there indeed was a cool breeze blowing around it. I was reading ‘Mansfield Park’ by Jane Austen for a while and wondering what activities people would have been doing 300 years before at the same place. And yet some have the courage to write graffiti. Even though we saw it at the Taj itself, Agra Fort has it real bad.

Babitas of the world leave the Taj Mahal Alone!

Graffiti at the Agra Fort

View of the Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Around 4.30 in the evening we decided to take a tanga back to the Taj and spend some more time there but the huge queue deterred us. Instead we went to the restaurant of ‘The Rooftop Hotel’ (seedy and overpriced place, but from their roof you can see the Taj in all its glory) and had our tea.

We decided to head back to the railway station soon after. The search for auto was complete after a little bit of bargaining. The auto guy charged us Rs. 40 after bargaining (So much for prepaid taxi that charged us Rs. 125 for the same).

My kids once again enjoyed the train journey though we all were very tired by now. The air conditioned chair cars of Bhopal Shatabdi has decent leg space that contributed to the happiness of my nephews, as at six foot plus both will have significant difficulties if the leg room is not ample.

Once we reached Delhi at 10.30 at night it was a struggle to reach home because of some moronic ‘kanwaria’ festival going on. They organized some kind of running/walking event at night and of course they had to block traffic with their mini trucks to make way for the runners. But for this, I don’t think I would change much from our day out. On second thoughts, I would also choose a cooler month than July for our next visit. Maybe we will go again in October or November.