Weekend Trips

Margaret and I changed our plans a bit and arranged for a day trip to Agra from Jaipur this past Saturday. We had our own vehicle to take us to the Taj Mahal and then to Fatehpu Sikhri on the way back from the Taj as well as guides at both locations. The Taj was as amazing and spectacular as I had imagined. That white marble dome, when you first see it through a dark archway, takes your breath away.

With over 10,000 visitors each day, this is quite the tourist attraction for both Indians and foreigners. For foreigners it's a hefty Rs 750 to see it ($18). Indians can view it for Rs 20. The advantage to paying Rs 750 is that we get a bottle of water and very cool little surgical booties to wear over your shoes when walking around on the white marble. Personally, I'm happy to pay that much if it will help preserve and restore this treasure for future generations.

The King built the palace as a tribute to his second wife after she died giving birth to his 14th child. He meant to build an identical black Taj Mahal across the river, but his son imprisoned him before he could realize that goal. You can see the foundation from the back of the Taj.

Agra has banned all new industrial ventures around the city- since 1994- because the acid rain is deteriorating the pristine white marble. Despite these efforts, winds still blow, and you can see a haze of smog over the city.

We followed this amazing visit up with a visit to Fatehpur Sikhri, which is a palace built by Akbar, one of the Mughal emperors. He tried to unite religions by taking on 1 Hindu wife, 1 Christian wife, and one Muslim wife. His Hindu wife is the only one who bore any children. He attributed this to a blessing given by a local holy man, who is now buried in a separate structure next to the palace. Now, people bring offerings- money, flowers, and cloth- and visit his grave to make a wish. It was a very touching experience walking through the chamber and seeing people place their cloth and flowers.

Sunday we took a day trip around Jaipur and were able to see more palaces and forts. Unfortunately...I'm out of time and the pictures aren't uploading, so check back tomorrow for pictures of the Taj and Jaipur.