Gatiman Express, Indian Railway’s one of the fastest trains, proved the appropriateness of its name by covering 188km in just one and a half hours.
Our boys had monitored its speed throughout the journey from Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin station to Agra's Cantonment station and recorded the highest speed of 172km/hour.
They were happy with the train's breakfast, which included bread, butter, jelly, juice, banana, roti, vegetables, egg and tea.
Amidst the boys' excitement over Gatiman's speed, we reached our much-awaited destination, the city of the Taj Mahal, at around 9.40am.
Situated on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Agra is arguably the most popular tourist destination in India. We hired a taxi from the station to go to our hotel, the Taj Resorts.
Akil Khan, the veteran driver, impressed us with his wit and humour during the 15 minutes' short drive. We booked him for 2 days' sightseeing in and around the city. At the hotel lobby, we came across a number of European tourists, dressed in traditional Indian attires.
We promptly got refreshed and started out for Fatehpur Sikri, a small city predominantly in red sandstone, built by Mughal emperor Akbar the Great in the second half of the 16th century.
Located 45km away from our hotel, Fatehpur Sikri, which means the City of Victory, was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years.
On the way, we had our lunch at Govind Restaurant and reached at the entry gate at around 2.30pm.
We hired an English-speaking guide to know titbits of the city built in honour of the great Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chisti, whom Akbar requested to pray for a male heir to the throne. The saint blessed the emperor and soon the first of three sons was born to him. Akbar named his first son ‘Salim’ (later emperor Jahangir) in accordance with the saint’s name.
Entering the palace complex, the guide took us to “Jodha Bai Mahal”, the largest palace in Fatehpur Sikri commissioned by Akbar in 1569 for his favourite queen consort, Mariam-uz-Zamani, commonly known by the misnomer “Jodha Bai”.
The palace, divided into two distinct chambers- a summer palace and a winter palace, is a testimony to the blending of Hindu and Mughal architectural styles.
The next palace we visited was built for Akbar’s first wife, Ruqaiya Sultan Begum. A Mughal princess by birth, Ruqaiya was the daughter of Humayun’s youngest brother, Hindal Mirza. Though her palace is not as big as Jodha Bai’s, we were simply spell bound at the intricacies of Turkish carvings and drawings on the walls.
The third palace, decorated with Chinese paintings and drawings, is said to be allocated for Dona Maria, a Portuguese princess from Goa. While the guide was narrating the life styles of the secular Mughal emperor, the characters of 16th century appeared alive to us.
The guide informed that it is at Fatehpur Sikri where the legends of Akbar and his famed courtiers, the nine jewels or Navaratnas, were born. When we approached to Anup Talao, a magnificent, one-of-a-kind water tank inside the complex, we could feel the presence of India’s greatest classical vocalist Mian Tansen, one of Akbar’s Navaratnas.
It is said that the music maestro used to render his performance sitting at the centre platform of the Anup Talao and the admiring Emperor used to enjoy the heavenly tune from the top floor of Khwabgah, which is in front of the water tank. Also, Anup Talao is the same place where the young musician Baiju Bawra defeated Tansen in a music duel to avenge his father’s death.
While we were looking at every nook and corner of the magnificent complex, including Diwan-E-Khas, Diwan-E-Aam, etc, we could not but praise the emperor's taste for architectural finesse.
Then we went to the Jama Masjid adjacent to the marble Tomb of Saint Salim Chishti. The main entrance to the mosque is Buland Darwaza, also known as the “Door of Victory,” built in 1575 by Akbar to commemorate his victory over Gujarat.
The highest gateway in the world, made of red and buff sandstone, displays the sophistication and excellence of technology in the Mughal Empire. The town of Fatehpur Sikri was abandoned by Akbar in 1585 when he went to fight a campaign in Punjab. It was
Later completely abandoned by 1610 due to the scarcity of water in the area. Akbar's loss of interest may also have been the reason for abandonment since it was built solely on his whim.
Having spent more than two hours in the abandoned town, Akil Khan drove us to Mehtab Bagh, built by Emperor Babur in the early 1500s, which perfectly aligns with the Taj Mahal on the opposite bank of the Yamuna.
It gradually became popular as the “moonlit pleasure garden” after Emperor Shah Jahan had chosen the site as the perfect place to appreciate the beauty of the Taj Mahal. Though associated with the myth of Black Taj, the excavations have provided ample evidence for a garden complex.
Entering the garden, we felt a shiver in our hearts at the first sight of the world’s famous icon of love, the Taj Mahal. If it hadn't been dark, we could have marvelled at the exquisiteness of Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh for hours. It is like a peaceful oasis, the perfect escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. It was already 7:30pm when we came out of the garden. We visited a local handicraft factory selling showpieces, woollen items, paintings etc. After having dinner at a veg restaurant, we returned to our hotel.
We woke up early in the morning. Yesterday, we enjoyed the beauty of the Taj under the setting sun from the Mehtab Bagh garden. Today, we shall enter the Taj's complex and appreciate its beauty under the rising sun. Akil Khan came to our hotel at 5:30am.
Having reached the entry gate within less than 10 minutes, we hired an English-speaking guide, Munna "bhai", to know every bit of the history associated with the finest example of Mughal architecture.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628–58) built the monument, with a blend of Indian, Persian, and Islamic architectural styles, on the southern bank of the Yamuna River to immortalize his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Middle-aged Munna bhai was a good storyteller as well as an expert photographer. Mumtaz, the emperor’s inseparable companion since their marriage in 1612, died during childbirth in 1631.
Widely recognized as India’s most famous tourist attraction, the Taj Mahal was constructed over a land area of 42 acres in 22 years using materials from all over India and Asia.
It is said that more than 1,000 elephants were engaged in the transport of building materials. Some 22,000 laborers, painters, embroidery artists and stonecutters were engaged in creating the architectural gem.
The perfect proportions of space and structures as well as the impeccable incorporation of decorative materials, made it the world’s most attractive structural compositions. Unesco declared the complex a World Heritage site in 1983.
Having spent three hours or so, we ended our long-cherished visit. At the exit gate, we purchased a number of miniature "Taj Mahal" for our dear and near ones.
We returned to our hotel at 9.15 am and had our complimentary breakfast. Our next mission was Agra Fort, situated on the same side of the Yamuna like its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal.
Akil Khan could not take us to the fort due to the sudden illness of his daughter. We called an Uber and reached at the mighty fort at 11.00am. While we are appreciating the architectural excellence of the edifices constructed during rthe eigns of different Mughal rulers, our elder son suddenly spotted a distant but clear view of the Taj. The view instantly reminded me of the emperor Shah Jahan's imprisonment by his son, Aurangzeb. The unfortunate father was fondly taken care of by his beloved daughter, Jahanara, until his death. During confinement, the emperor used to stare at his immortal creation through the window of his room.
The history of Agra Fort before the invasion by Mahmud of Ghazni is not clear. Agra assumed the status of capital when Sikandar Khan Lodi (1487–1517) shifted his capital from Delhi and constructed a few buildings in the pre-existing fort at Agra. After the first battle of Panipat in 1526, the Mughals captured the fort and ruled from it. In 1530, Humayun was crowned here.
The fort got its present appearance during the reign of Akbar. Also known as the "Lal-Qila" or "Qila-i-Akbari", the fort served as the prime residence of the Mughal emperors until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. While
We were roaming in the colossal complex, we could visualise the historic characters moving around us. In 1983, UNESCO inscribed the Agra Fort as a World Heritage Site due to its importance during the Mughal Dynasty.
It was already 1:45pm, when we returned to our hotel. We quickly checked out and reached Agra Fort railway station within 15 minutes.
Our Jaipur-bound train left the station at 2.50pm sharp. While I was looking at the sunny nature outside, an undefinable sense of accomplishment was playing in my heart.
Md Ahmadul Haque is a banker
