Agra, India

The next morning we left Delhi with our driver and started the journey to Agra.  On the highways in India, when you travel from one state to another, you have to stop to pay a road tax.  When we made one of these stops a monkey jumped up on the car window after the driver left the car to pay the tax.  Chris took this picture.

After he took the picture, the own of the monkeys got very angry that we hadn’t paid him for the photo.  He started banging on the window and trying to get into the car.  Chris pushed him out, locked the door and put on his sleeping mask to help ignore him.  When the driver returned, we sped off.

When we arrived at the hotel in Agra, we were tired and dirty, but we were greeted warmly and each given a “bindi” (the dot on the forehead which is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration. It is also said to protect against bad luck.)

Our first stop in Agra was the famous Agra Fort, also known as the Red Fort.  This UNESCO World Heritage site is about 2.5 kilometers northwest of the Taj Mahal. The fort can be described as a walled city.

It was during the reign Shah Jahan, the same man who built the Taj Mahal, that the site took on its current state in the late 1570’s, though the building’s origin dates to earlier than 1000 AD.

At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort, who was concerned about the amount of money his father was spending on construction projects. It is rumored that Shah Jahan died in Musamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.

Outter wall leading to the fort.

Gate of the fort inside the outter wall.

Jahangiri Mahal inside the Agra Fort. The Mahal was the principal palace for women belonging to the royal household.

Ornate columns and architecture.

Small pool inside of the palace.

The inner wall of the palace and the fort with the gardens to the left.

The outter wall and the gardens between the wall and the buildings.  In the past, these gardens held large numbers of exotic animals.

View of the Taj Mahal from the Red Fort.

Fountain in the fort.

Holding the Taj Mahal from the Red Fort.

Diwan-i-Khas, Hall of Private Audience - was used to receive kings and dignitary, features black throne of Jehangir (made of black onyx) also overlooks the Taj Mahal.

Courtyard and garden for the fort.

The Hall of Public Audience where common citizens could come to address the Mughal or Emperor.

Peacock Throne of the Mughals and Persian emperors where the public could address them.

The Hall of Public Audience where common citizens could come to address the Mughal or Emperor.