Travels - Bluegreen Butterfly

Demonstration of inlays

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 a finished product of marble cut octagonally to depict the pattern used in Taj Mahal with thousands of very small semi-precious stones inlaid to create the final design.

Carvings, inlaids and technology

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 back light.

Upon touring around the fort perimeter and numbers of palaces and buildings, they seemed like just ordinary ones except for the delicate works of stone, but checking everything, you can see the wisdom of old. This window is just an ordinary closed window as seen from outside but when inside, it serves as a natural air conditioning that it really sucks air and makes the room cold and maintain it that way as it can’t go out. It is even more powerful that the modern fans. On the right, I didn’t know that there is someone on my back, lol. On the first photo, it is a well that used to collect the waters which cool down every room in summer, how they cooled them down is through their hollow stone walls circulating the water around with slaves and workers pumping the water up to the palaces. For me it is just simply, amazing.

View to the Taj Mahal

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 Taj, the tomb of his beloved consert. It is also the place from where the Taj Mahal is visible very clearly and appears like a shining piece of moon or the most beautiful palace of the heaven that has fallen on the earth.

From the Saman tower this is the only view we can see of the Taj Mahal, my very first one, in that foggy day.

The Water Gate

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 so perfectly, that every thing was symmetrical and aligned.

Agra Fort

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 natures of the Mughal rulers. This is the gate of the Fort with the drawbridge chain.

The Mughal Agra

We finally arrived in Agra, the once a big capital of the country in Mughal times. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, the 7th wonder of the world, and other very interesting culture and architecture of the old times, the last centuries that are somehow shadowed by the popularity of the Taj Mahal. That is why we came into Agra for. The hotel transport picked us up at the airport, we were the only passenger of the plane, so we were the only travelers in the airport in that evening. The city of Agra is under a military security, and besides, Agra is a military airport also, and later did we know about military fort, I will show later. Before entering Agra community we had to pass through a security gate. It is just a different place. Hubby said that we might see the true face of India here which is right, that i have fun and enjoyment, capturing beautiful photos, though I have to watch that it is allowed in a certain area.

The Mughal Agra is a a very nice hotel, only that we have to change room because of the AC, but besides that, everything was beautiful, the grounds are very neat and refreshing with all the water arts and plants. The people are very nice too and hospitable. One guard must have been enjoying greeting us every time we pass by, and he could also be our photographer but he should also be in one of the photos. But I really liked it. I had been wanting to take pictures of their attires and shoes, i think it’s beautiful.

The Mughal Express

Imagining the geolocation of the place, it is bearing north so as hubby’s Indian friend warned, it is so chilly cold in there. Very very cold, and we were fortunate that during our flights, it was not so foggy or we would have been stranded or further delayed. Upon arriving in the hotel Thursday, hubby arranged for the tour for two days and then we found out that the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays! We still had Saturday so for Friday we will just see some other important and interesting places around the old place. While waiting for the tour guide and transport, we roamed around the hotel grounds in that chilly cold morning I had to wear several layers of clothing.

The Mughal Express train, as we had not tour guide that time, I assumed it a remain of the express train they had, the main mode of transportation in the Mughal era which was capitalized in Agra. It is run by conventional methods.