This afternoon’s tour is of Agra Fort, the huge red stone fortress situated on the opposite banks of the Yamuna river, 2 km from the Taj Mahal. The fortress was originally built by the Mughal ruler Akbar in the 1500s, but was added to and renovated by his son, Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan through the 1600s. The fortress takes up a square mile worth of territory and is a blend of old (red sandstone) and new (marble) Mughal architecture, particularly inside where Shah Jahal added marble replacements for the ladies areas and the guest quarters.
The scope of the fort is pretty amazing, with double ramparts and huge circular bastions. There is an inside secondary wall as well, where warriors could hide and then throw hot oil onto any opponents who made it over the moat and through the first set of bastions.
We cross over what was once a moat, walk up through the “oil alley” and enter into a courtyard leading into the Palace of Jahangir, used by royal ladies as their palace and gathering place, all the while listening to Bhanu on the whisperer (am I audible?) explain the fortress and what to do/see. We are set free here in the outer courtyard, so we wander through the palace and the interior with gardens planted like a patchwork quilt, inspecting the red sandstone carvings and architecture, which are massive – gorgeous in their detail – but simply massive. And carefully navigating around a huge hole in the courtyard grounds that used to contain a tree whose water would quench a convicted prisoner's last thirst before being put to death.
Next, we head to Kas Mahal, the marble part of the ladies quarters. It’s a beautiful open area, one you can imagine the ladies enjoying all those ages ago, with an impressive view out to the the Taj Mahal across the river.
From here we cross over into the guest quarter areas, where the tortured history of the fort comes to life, because it is here that Shah Jahal was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, after the death of Mumtaz Mahal. For 7 years, he lived in these quarters, with access to the small courtyard and a mosque he had previously built for himself, only able to gaze across the river at the beautiful mausoleum he had built for his favorite wife. The quarters are nonetheless beautiful, with intricate carvings and decorations, and we spend a good deal of time exploring all the rooms and the upper portico, although with a somber mindset understanding how Shah Jahan must have felt exiled in his own palace by his traitorous son.
Reversing our steps, we head back to the hall of public appearances, the Diwan-I-Am, walking around the tomb of Lord Colvin, a military officer (called the Lt. Governor of the Northern Provinces) who tried to protect the fort from a mutiny in 1857, and later died of Cholera in the fort. Since the British soldiers couldn’t escape the fort, they buried him here in front of the Diwan-I-Am. The burial site is a little odd by all standards, since this was a revered and royal place for the Mughals/local Indians, and the British weren’t exactly here to protect them – but to overthrow them.
With free time still on our hands, we entertain ourselves by walking past the prisoner “well” where they threw prisoners sentenced to death, and then watched as a local guy fed a Squimonk right out of his hand. So Sweet!
Back to the bus we go for the short ride back to the hotel, filled with the sights and sounds of India: The nut lady on the sidewalk, pushing wedding decorations down the road, the market, more wedding decorations in an amongst the scooters, the Egnlish Wine & Cool Bear Model shop (who thought up those combinations? and where is their proofreader?) and finally more wedding decorations. As Bhanu will tell us, this is a very special and good time to get married (the stars, horoscopes, numbers, etc., are aligned).
No comments:
Post a Comment