It was a full day for us, and that afternoon we headed to a taste for Taj, viewing it at the back from across the river Yamuna. The Taj is perfectly symmetrical in all four sides so you will have the same view from whatever angle.

Our next stop over was to the Itmud-ud-daula known as Baby Taj. The main gate is made of red sandstone, with a double storied structure which has got inlay work of white marble. Towards it and towards Yamuna, a beautiful Baradary is there, in which below there are some rooms which were provided with curtains of Khas-khas and were used as a cool retreat from the summer heat. The upper chambers were used as bathrooms by the Royal Ladies. The ceiling was decorated with gold and silver, were scrapped away by the Jats during their short occupation of Agra, but were repaired later on by lord Curzon. But many original things in there had been long stolen by the people.

Itmud-ud-daula …

Our tour guide has been very nice and informative, a real tour guide who knows them all a tourist will ask. The hotel driver that drives for us was also a quiet guy who drives good. (In India vehicles are right-hand driven; and “horn please, OK”.) Anyway. It was already passed noon so we have to eat at some Pizza Hut place and get a good lunch. I wanted us four to eat together, hubby and me, the tour guide and the driver, and I kept asking for the driver but he did not get inside. Right, hubby later told me that the tour guide, might have not wanted the driver to join us, as there is still in this …

At Oswald Emporium we stopped by after the tour to the Agra Red Fort to see the demonstration of inlays. It is not an ordinary work their expertise in shaping those delicate semi-precious stones are obtained by years f experience, and they actually come the families or descendants of those who who build the Taj Mahal and the Fort. See they still used some conventional method that had been used by the 13th century builders for there is no equivalent apparatus in today’s technology that can do the same precision and ease of the equipment. See how wise the old age is. Below is a close-up of one side of the octagon showing how the small stones were inlaid.

This is …

These are some of the stone carvings and semi-precious stones inlaid in the columns and walls of red sand stone they imported from Rajasthan and of marble stone, known as the hardest kind. Thousands of their workers came from Persia (Iran) and Turkey who were experts in stone works. All imported materials were transported by camels, and I can say that it is pretty fast transport, see my camel ride experience.

Their type of marble is the hardest kind yet they had carved into it shapes and patterns to accommodate their designs. These marble stone were crystallize, and with proper light, will reflect light from behind thus making it look like transparent. Some of the in laid semi-precious stones also reflects …

The Jasmine Tower, Samman Burj, or Musamman Burj or Octagonal Tower is one and the same building, which was built by Jahangir for his empress Noor Jahan. Later on it was remodelled by Shah Jahan for Mumtaj Mahal. It is a miraculus work of marble fulligral work, in laid with semi precious colorful stones. As there are so many jasmine pieces adorned in this tower - hence it is called Jasmine tower also. It is aslo the same place where Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, was kept as a prisoner by his son Aurangzeb. It is also his death place, where he breathed his last in the lap of his dear daughter Jahan Ara gazing towards the …

To see such massive architectural works that has been standing for so many centuries is amazing enough, knowing the efforts and the transportation of the materials and peoples in that time, using camels, elephants and other beasts of burden carrying their imported jems and the stones to build the palaces and buildings, but what made us appreciate it in total awe is the inlaid works that seemed so intricate and delicate work of art by expert people of that time. Jewels and semi-precious stones were inlaid to the main stone creating colorful and beautiful pattern depicting their style in their era. It was really amazing considering the amount of work and man-hours those thousands of workers and slaves had to do for so many …

There is a gate situated in the middle of the wall which is in the way of the Yamuna river. This gate is called the Water Gate. During the time of the Mughals, flowing waters of the river used to touch the walls of the fort. This gate was the entrance door of the bathing room and was used by the Harem ladies and maids. This gate is now closed.

After going through the Amar Singh Gate we walk over a ramp and enter the Great Courtyard. On the right hand sight, there’s the many pillared Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience). It is really amazing that those people who did not have the precision of technology could do such geometrical works …

On the southern extremity of the fort is the gate opened for general public. Our tour guide told us that big portion of the fort is closed to public by the government and military. The Amar Singh gate was built by Shah Jahan after the name of the great Rajput hero, Amar Singh, who slew the emperial treasurer Salabat Khan after insulting him in the full court of shah Jahan in 1644 A.D. that turned the mughal army into him. Riding on his horseback, Amar Singh jumped of the high walls of the fort near the spot where the gate is now. His sincere horse was half in the ditch and half on the road dead on the spot. In …

Place : Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Best time to visit : November to February
Timings : Open daily from 6 am to 5.30 pm
Admission: Child up to 15 years old free, adult 750Rs. ea
Agra has yet another important places to visit aside from the Taj. And since Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, we head up to the Agra Fort five minutes from the hotel. It is a very massive architecture spanning several square kilometers in area. the famous fort of Agra is basically constructed by mighty Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great. It is an amalgamation of buildings and palaces, which were built by Akbar, Jihangir, Shah Jahan and even Aurangzeb. Thus it is a vast museum of building of various tastes and …