Three Knots, Three Wishes: Knot Three - Agra Fort

Finally, the last part of the series is here! 

                                         

After the Taj Mahal, we headed to the Agra Fort in the evening. For me, the fort was the most favourite part of the whole trip!
Here are a few photos from the tour of the fort,

The tour of the fort was quite short, as 75% of the area has been delegated to the army. So unlike other forts in India where one can feel the magnitude and enormity of the fort walls by walking through the whole fort or climbing up its steep hills, here one paid more attention to the delicate cravings and their meanings in each of the structure, Shah Jahan and Mumtaz's famous love story, his infamous feud with his son Aurangzeb and his life with his daughters (the lesser known) Jahanara and Roshanara Begum. 

It was exciting yet a bit scary to be able to walk through these walls with a bag pack and a camera, when once there was life in this palace, filled with many of the queen's maids, king's soldiers and the royal family itself, who lived and breathed in the same place that we do now.

--fin--

Three Knots, Three Wishes: Knot Two - Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal certainly needs no introduction; the pride of India, it is one of the finest structures built during the Mughal period, admired for its beauty worldwide.
It was just two km away from our hotel and as my mom is really fond of horses, we decided to take a horse cart to the eastern gate.

A very happy customer

As it was a Saturday, and Taj Mahal is closed every Friday, there was quite a crowd (and not to forget, the heat as well.) So the atmosphere was quite opposite to the one in Fatehpur Sikri where we were left to ourselves, while here we had vendors and photographers hovering all around the place and tourists in both sarees and shorts.

The fun facts you learn when you visit these places are my favourite! Like this time I learnt that Shah Jahan had also built two domes in memory of his other two wives as well; one at the eastern gate and the other one on the western gate or that the foundation of the structure is made up of wood which strengthens when placed in water and deteriorates when in the absence of it.

We also got to witness how the local handicrafts are made out of marble. First the design is craved out from the marble slab and then thin strips of gemstones are added to it. It takes three to five months to finish one piece. Painstaking work but beautiful, isn't it?

And lastly, one full view of the white beauty,

Last but not the least;

Next up: Agra Fort!

Three Knots, Three Wishes: Knot One - Fatehpur Sikri

After reaching the hotel and catching up on some sleep, we drove down to Fatehpur Sikri. Now, let me admit something, I didn't know that Fatehpur Sikri actually consisted of two different structures, as in 'Fatehpur' referring to Salim Chisti's dargah* and 'Sikri', the complex consisting of palaces, and other utility buildings for the king.

Akbar had built three different palaces in Sikri, each one for his wife and each one integrating mughal architecture with the local architecture from the queen's native place. For instance, Akbar's Christian wife loved paintings, therefore her whole palace had been decorated with them. The intricate detailing and the different architectural styles merge beautifully as one.
Here are some photos from Sikri,

Fatehpur on the other hand consisted of a large complex with the dargah to one side and facing it, the grand and enormous Buland Darwaza.
It is said that anyone who prays at the dargah gets what he wishes for. That's why the jalis of surrounding the tomb are filled with knotted threads; each knot signifying one wish asked from God.**

*dargah = tomb/shrine of a Muslim saint
**knotted threads = each person knots the thread 3 times, signifying 3 wishes; one wish for yourself, one wish for your family, and one wish for other relations. 

Next up : Taj Mahal!

First impressions; sights from Agra

While majority of the kids were obediently waiting for their school bus outside their homes on Friday morning, we made way across Delhi onto a near empty Yamuna Expressway for our short weekend gateway to Agra. Here are a few photos from the road, 

We shared our breakfast with this one!

My favourite photo!

Farms that run along the highway

For a city that encompasses both the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, I imagined Agra to be somewhat bigger. The city is made up just four or five main roads, most of them with hotels and restaurants, and the others going around the Agra Fort.

We reached Agra under two hours flat, but upon entering the city we again got stuck in traffic! But this time we saw horses, 

and people, 

with some sights from the pavements,

and graffiti on the walls.

Welcome to Agra!
Next up: Fatehpur Sikri!