Aladdin's adventure at Taj Mahal in Agra

Meruka India Tourism Service
India Wildlife and Medieval Tour for Mr. Aladdin
Mumbai – Rajkot - Sasan Gir – Alang - Ahmedabad – Delhi – Corbett – Delhi - Neemrana – Jaipur - Ranthambhore – Fatehpur Sikri – Agra – Delhi - Bandhavgarh – Kanha – Pench – Nagpur – Mumbai

34 Nights – 35 Days
Cut short to 30 days due to VISA issues


Day 17: Agra

Today early morning visit world’s most popular and beautiful monument: Taj Mahal with its’ fabulous view at the time of sunrise. Taj Mahal, beautiful architectural monument among the 7 wonders of the world; this historical masterpiece is illustration of the fusion of diverse architectural styles.

Taj Mahal is crown of all the loveliest buildings in the world, a symbol of eternal love, afterwards visit Agra Fort: built in 1576 AD., by great Mughal Emperor Akbar, structured and designed with red stoned barricaded; in the fort you will find most splendid Pearl Mosque and various other classic example of art: Jahangir Mahal, Moti Masjid, Macchhi Bhawan, Nagina Masjid, Diwan-i-Khas, Sheesh Mahal, Diwan-e-Am, Meena Bazaar and Musamman Bhurj where from Emperor Shahjahan, prisoner of his son rebellious Aurangzeb, he put his father in the cell of Agra fort, where from he could see his love reflecting through the Taj Mahal, where his loveliest wife was cremated.

The sightseeing continues visiting Itmad-Ud-Daulah: is the perfectly proportioned marble mausoleum Itmad-ud-Daulah. Noor Jehan constructed this splendid marble monument in her father's memory. This double storied marble tomb is replete with mosaic, inlaid with semi-precious stones. Later return to the hotel for overnight stay.


Thursday 21st of January 2016 and my alarm went off @ 6 thirty. I don't want to change my wake-up time even though I would like to sleep. But I'm better off getting up early every day as I will soon be on early morning game drives again.

My Driver will come at 9 o'clock and we will get on the Agra sight-seeing tour as per below itinerary:
1) Taj Mahal
2) Agra Fort (Red fort)
3) Itmad-Ud-Daulah: is the perfectly proportioned marble mausoleum Itmad-Ud-Daulah
4) Oswal Emporium to watch the replica of Taj Mahal


But it doesn’t look good looking out my window, foggy. Well, I will at least see the Taj Mahal even though it will be hard to take any pictures. I called the room service and I was soon having a Yet another Smiley on www.aladdin.stpot of tea in my room and I enjoyed the tea while updating my web page. I'm long Yet another Smiley on www.aladdin.stafter as there isn't much time while I'm on my safari adventures. So I have enough to do without getting bored.

I wouldn't have minded a few extra hours of sleep as I'm tired after all the early mornings. But it is Yet another Smiley on www.aladdin.stkind of nice as soon as I'm up and have had my hot shower. But sometimes it feel like I'm about to fall asleep over my computer.

I went for the breakfast buffet quarter to 9 and I took a plate of potato croquets and chicken Indian sausagessausages while I was waiting for my onion & cheese omelette. Chicken sausages, what the he**? I didn't had any high expectations but the sausages turned out to be very good. So good I had a second plate.

The Potato croquets was OK but a wee bit spicy. And when I went for a second plate I discovered that it was fish croquets. I only read croquet when I had my first plate. I was thinking that there is only potato croquets, anyway, I never had a second plate.

It took us about 10 minutes to drive to Taj Mahal. It was not the same gate I had used last time as I went straight down to Taj Mahal back in 1992. My Driver would pick me up after an hour and he warned me for hookers.
- Hookers?
- Yeah, many people 10 Rupees 20 Rupees and want to sell souvenirs
- OK
- You have problem call me

I got out of the car and there were plenty people and Guides offering their service. I told them to bugger off and I walked down towards the ticket office.

750 Rupees to come inside for foreigners, 2 bottles of water and shoe covers included. Support from one guy to get ahead in the queue. Indians only pay a fractions of the price, but they have to stand in a queue. My e-cigarette was not allowed inside. I went out again and I left the e-cigarette in a souvenir shop.

Back to the gate again and through the security and I said good bye to the guy that had escorted me. He wanted to join e and I told him that I wanted to walk around alone. But there were plenty people annoying us inside. Taking pictures for 100 rupee per picture.

Guides and I don't remember everything but I just ignored them, some of them gave up but some of them were really persistent.

They had offered shoe covers when I was walking down to the ticket office, but they are for free so you know when if you come to visit here. And when you enter the Taj Mahal building you need the shoe covers. And I walk around enjoying the site in silence as I don't have any Guide. I told my Driver that I didn't wanted any Guide as Meruka India Tourism Service would supply a Guide for the whole Agra tour. A Guide talking about souvenirs and his friend's shop. No thanks!

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

(/ˌtɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl/, more often /ˈtɑːʒ/;[3] Persian for "Crown of Palaces", pronounced [ˈt̪aːdʒ mɛˈɦɛl]) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–1658), to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42-acre complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Taj Mahal
No thanks

The Taj Mahal
The gate to Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
And as I have paid “foreigner” price I can cut the line

The Taj Mahal
This is the gate I used back in 1992

The Taj Mahal
This is the gate I used back in 1992

The Taj Mahal
The last gate before Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
The last gate before Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
The last gate before Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
The last gate before Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
A foggy morning

The Taj Mahal
A foggy morning

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
I cannot see the Agra Fort through the fog

The Taj Mahal
A forbidden picture from inside the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal
My foreign priced ticket

The Taj Mahal
I'm leaving Taj Mahal
Pictures by Aladdin

I could not see the Agra Fort from Taj Mahal because of the fog so I told my driver that I wanted to change the program
1) Taj Mahal Completed
2) Itmad-Ud-Daulah: is the perfectly proportioned marble mausoleum Itmad-Ud-Daulah
3) Agra Fort (Red fort)
4) Oswal Emporium to watch the replica of Taj Mahal


So I wanted to go to the Itmad-Ud-Daulah before the Agra Fort as there might be a chance for sunshine so I can see the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort. We took of towards the Itmad-Ud-Daulah or as my Driver called it: The Baby Taj Mahal.

It took us 10 to 15 minutes to get to the Baby Taj Mahal and I paid 110 Rupees to get inside. Indian tourists are charged 10 Rupees. I spent about 15 minutes at the Baby Taj Mahal before I was back in the car again on our way to the Agra Fort.

OK, if you are in Agra and you don't have anything else to do, visit the Itmad-Ud-Daulah. But it was pretty boring and not very interesting. Well, it was not interesting at all to be honest.


Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah

(Urdu: اعتماد الدولہ کا مقبرہ‎, I'timād-ud-Daulah kā Maqbara) is a Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Often described as a "jewel box", sometimes called the "Baby Tāj", the tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah is often regarded as a draft of the Tāj Mahal.

Along with the main building, the structure consists of numerous outbuildings and gardens. The tomb, built between 1622 and 1628 represents a transition between the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture – primarily built from red sandstone with marble decorations, as in Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and Akbar's tomb in Sikandra – to its second phase, based on white marble and pietra dura inlay, most elegantly realized in the Tāj Mahal.

The mausoleum was commissioned by Nūr Jahān, the wife of Jahangir, for her father Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, originally a Persian Amir in exile, who had been given the title of I'timād-ud-Daulah (pillar of the state). Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was also the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl (originally named Arjūmand Bāno, daughter of Asaf Khān), the wife of the emperor Shāh Jahān, responsible for the construction of the Tāj Mahal. Nur Jehan was also responsible for the construction of the Tomb of Jehangir at Lahore.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Ticket to the Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Gate to the Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Gate to the Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal

Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahal
Pictures by Aladdin

The Agra Fort, 300 Rupees and I was soon inside. Looks like they have “freshen” up the place since I was here last time. It is an impressive fort and I can just imagine to build the place. And Itmad-ud-Daulah/ Baby Taj Mahalback then, coming up with a plan to build something like this and you would most likely not live to see it completed.

And this for was for sure not built in a forth night and we can only guess how many people died in accidents during the construction.

And it seems like only a part of the Agra Fort was open for visitors. I could see a huge house behind some green gates. And the fog prevented me to see Taj Mahal so this was wee disappointing. But it was nice to walk around the fort and there were plenty Rose-ringed Parakeets flying around. So it was a nice time to spend an hour


The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.

It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its current state. Legend has it that Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made from white marble. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his own.

At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed and restrained by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort. It is rumoured that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Agra Fort
Agra Fort

The Agra Fort
Agra Fort

The Agra Fort
Agra Fort

The Agra Fort
Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

The Agra Fort

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula krameri, Ring-necked Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet / Ring-necked Parakeet

The Agra Fort
Time to leave

The Agra Fort
Time to leave
Pictures by Aladdin

I spent an hour or so here and as I remembered it from when I was here 1992, the Agra Fort is more impressive than the Taj Mahal. I was soon back at the parking place where my Driver was Oswal Emporiumwaiting and we took off towards the Oswal Emporium to watch the replica of Taj Mahal

My Driver told me that the Oswal Emporium was a marble shop and I was disappointed. But let's go to see the Taj Mahal even though I knew how this visit would most likely turn out. And I was right.

A salesman were walking 2 feet behind me telling you how nice just this item was and they had of course a special price for me

And I was right, this is exactly how it turned out and THE DIDN'T HAD ANY TAJ MAHAL. Well, Oswal Emporiumthey had small marble Taj Mahals, but for sure nothing I was impressed by or would like to have at home.

But the salesman went on and on about what an unique piece it was. Everything was unique in the shop and they were not afraid to charge you for the marble. 1500 US gave you a small tile with a picture of Taj Mahal on tile.

3500 US gave you a bigger piece of marble with a picture of Taj Mahal on it. I smelled a scam as I know how much their monthly salary are.

And marble is not very expensive.

But I managed to kill 20 minutes in the marble shop. 20 minutes that I will never get back. HOT Oswal EmporiumTIP! Skip this if you ever come to Agra.

But YOU got some forbidden pictures out of it. No camera allowed and I could not help myself. No camera allowed, isn't this so 50's or 60's. Today, who cares? Seriously, no camera allowed! What the duck do they have here that is so secret they need to have signs with photography forbidden. Are they for real?

I left with the salesman, now the distance had shrunk to 1 feet, after me asking if I wanted to come up on the second floor Oswal Emporiumwhere they kept the really fantastic pieces.

I said no thanks and I went out to look for Clarks Shiraz Hotel in Agramy driver.

Well, we had finished everything and I was back at the Clarks Shiraz hotel around 12 thirty

I spent the rest of the day in my room. I have been in India before so I really don't feel like going out on town in the noise and stench. And I have seen what I wanted to see here in Agra, Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. Impressive buildings. Well, my Driver will come and pick me up at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning and we will drive to Delhi for another exciting adventure. Yeah, click HERE!

Sverigedemokraterna



       
                  
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Flag of Skåne / Skånska flaggan Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.


                                       

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