(Agra, India) - Do you dream of seeing the Taj Mahal, but the tours you exasperate? With a little resourcefulness and spirit of adventure, you can visit his pace this architectural marvel of the Mughal Empire and at the same time, two other historic sites in the same period, less known, but also included World Heritage of UNESCO.
The Indian capital New Delhi, the Taj Mahal is 200 km south-east, in the "small" city of Agra (1.7 million). Most travel agencies offer a round-trip bus on the same day. The easiest option, which, however, leaves little time and freedom to visit the majestic mausoleum built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1644 in memory of his favorite wife (he had three) dead layered the birth of her 14th child.
Shame to have done all this way if we can not observe - and photograph - from different angles and lights this complex marble perfect symmetry, which has the power to move even the souls generally impervious to architectural feats.
Trains from New Delhi and Agra daily in three hours. A commission ranging from 50 to 150 rupees ($ 1 to $ 3), any hotel or small agency in the capital reserve you a ticket in an air-conditioned compartment (about $ 6 each way). Better, however, to go a few days in advance.
It is also possible to buy yourself an electronic ticket on the website of Indian Railways (irctc.co.in), provided you have an American Express credit card and a lot of patience .. .
Barely Has it trod Agra we understand why many travelers choose to not dwell in this dirty city, noisy and chaotic, even compared with the rest of the country. Ambient greed corollary of mass tourism, attacks at any time, drivers of rickshaws (three-wheeled taxi) to souvenir sellers or paani bottle (water bottle).
To avoid the unpleasant surprise of a hotel safe only photo we have nothing booked in advance. Conclusion after visiting a dozen hotels in the cohabitation with cockroaches in a filthy room and uncomfortable (but cheap) do not mind, it's easy to accommodate a few hundred meters from the Taj Mahal. As a bonus, the restaurant on the roof of several hotels Tajganj - the old neighborhood that surrounds the Taj - offers breathtaking views of the monument. Otherwise, it is better to seek refuge in one of the most modern facilities (and more expensive), two or three miles away.
The Taj at dawn
Certainly sleep in Agra has many inconveniences, but the reward is priceless. It is harvested at dawn, around 6 pm or 7 pm, when the Taj Mahal comes before us, long before the arrival of the buses organized by the searing heat and blinding sun that prevail throughout the rest of the day.
Upon opening, multilingual guides await tourists. If you choose to hire one of them, please listen up front about the price and make sure it is accredited by the authorities. We have to content ourselves with our favorite information provided by our travel guide part.
It took us four hours to go around the complex. Busy four hours spent inspecting the grounds of precious stones inlaid in the walls of the mausoleum (pietra dura), to imagine the characters in shades of marble (as the disturbing appearance of Albert Einstein above the door north - see photo), or to observe the families of monkeys lurking on the fortifications.
Not to be missed either, the tiny museum of the Taj, a little back gardens, where there are plans for the complex as well as portraits painted on ivory of Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Arjumand Banu, known Murtaz Mahal "the chosen one of the palace."
Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
Largest fort in India, the Red Fort of Agra, two kilometers west of the Taj is in itself a good reason to extend his stay in the city. Much better preserved than its namesake in Delhi, the Mughal imperial fortress is a perfect example of Hindu, Islamic and other influences on the architecture of this dynasty. Between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, the emperors successively added their touch, a palace at a time. It is also here that Shah Jahan, dethroned and imprisoned by his own son, has spent the last eight years of his life, with the only consolation a window overlooking the Taj Mahal, where the love of his life was based.
To end with the discovery of the megalomania of Mughal rulers, it remains only to board a dilapidated coach to Fatehpur Sikri, about thirty kilometers from Agra on a road (fortunately ) rather linear.
The mid-sixteenth century, Emperor Akbar decided to move the capital from Agra to this small remote village, after his prayers to an old local hermit had given her three son. A few years later, while the palace to his three wives - a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian - and other majestic buildings had just been completed, the city had to be abandoned. The location was too isolated from the rest of the empire to be the center, besides the supply of water was inadequate.
Visit Agra and its surroundings by yourself, is to admire the excess wealth of India yesterday ... but also to rub the disorganization of its current tourism industry.
Source : here
The Indian capital New Delhi, the Taj Mahal is 200 km south-east, in the "small" city of Agra (1.7 million). Most travel agencies offer a round-trip bus on the same day. The easiest option, which, however, leaves little time and freedom to visit the majestic mausoleum built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631 and 1644 in memory of his favorite wife (he had three) dead layered the birth of her 14th child.
Shame to have done all this way if we can not observe - and photograph - from different angles and lights this complex marble perfect symmetry, which has the power to move even the souls generally impervious to architectural feats.
Trains from New Delhi and Agra daily in three hours. A commission ranging from 50 to 150 rupees ($ 1 to $ 3), any hotel or small agency in the capital reserve you a ticket in an air-conditioned compartment (about $ 6 each way). Better, however, to go a few days in advance.
It is also possible to buy yourself an electronic ticket on the website of Indian Railways (irctc.co.in), provided you have an American Express credit card and a lot of patience .. .
Barely Has it trod Agra we understand why many travelers choose to not dwell in this dirty city, noisy and chaotic, even compared with the rest of the country. Ambient greed corollary of mass tourism, attacks at any time, drivers of rickshaws (three-wheeled taxi) to souvenir sellers or paani bottle (water bottle).
To avoid the unpleasant surprise of a hotel safe only photo we have nothing booked in advance. Conclusion after visiting a dozen hotels in the cohabitation with cockroaches in a filthy room and uncomfortable (but cheap) do not mind, it's easy to accommodate a few hundred meters from the Taj Mahal. As a bonus, the restaurant on the roof of several hotels Tajganj - the old neighborhood that surrounds the Taj - offers breathtaking views of the monument. Otherwise, it is better to seek refuge in one of the most modern facilities (and more expensive), two or three miles away.
The Taj at dawn
Certainly sleep in Agra has many inconveniences, but the reward is priceless. It is harvested at dawn, around 6 pm or 7 pm, when the Taj Mahal comes before us, long before the arrival of the buses organized by the searing heat and blinding sun that prevail throughout the rest of the day.
Upon opening, multilingual guides await tourists. If you choose to hire one of them, please listen up front about the price and make sure it is accredited by the authorities. We have to content ourselves with our favorite information provided by our travel guide part.
It took us four hours to go around the complex. Busy four hours spent inspecting the grounds of precious stones inlaid in the walls of the mausoleum (pietra dura), to imagine the characters in shades of marble (as the disturbing appearance of Albert Einstein above the door north - see photo), or to observe the families of monkeys lurking on the fortifications.
Not to be missed either, the tiny museum of the Taj, a little back gardens, where there are plans for the complex as well as portraits painted on ivory of Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Arjumand Banu, known Murtaz Mahal "the chosen one of the palace."
Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
Largest fort in India, the Red Fort of Agra, two kilometers west of the Taj is in itself a good reason to extend his stay in the city. Much better preserved than its namesake in Delhi, the Mughal imperial fortress is a perfect example of Hindu, Islamic and other influences on the architecture of this dynasty. Between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, the emperors successively added their touch, a palace at a time. It is also here that Shah Jahan, dethroned and imprisoned by his own son, has spent the last eight years of his life, with the only consolation a window overlooking the Taj Mahal, where the love of his life was based.
To end with the discovery of the megalomania of Mughal rulers, it remains only to board a dilapidated coach to Fatehpur Sikri, about thirty kilometers from Agra on a road (fortunately ) rather linear.
The mid-sixteenth century, Emperor Akbar decided to move the capital from Agra to this small remote village, after his prayers to an old local hermit had given her three son. A few years later, while the palace to his three wives - a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian - and other majestic buildings had just been completed, the city had to be abandoned. The location was too isolated from the rest of the empire to be the center, besides the supply of water was inadequate.
Visit Agra and its surroundings by yourself, is to admire the excess wealth of India yesterday ... but also to rub the disorganization of its current tourism industry.
Source : here
