We left Delhi early this morning via train bound for Agra, known for its marble inlay work and jewelry, as well as its immense wealth of architecture such as the Taj Mahal. The train ride was about a 2 hour trip, with all passengers riding backwards the full way. I'm not complaining, though, as we were in an air conditioned compartment!
Most of our day was spent visiting a World Heritage site, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory). During the second half of the 16th century, this city was built by Akbar, who ruled over North India and parts of the south from 1556 to 1605. He is known for being one of the greatest Mughal rulers, and even though he was illiterate, took great interest in intellectual discussions on religion. He was a Muslim, but was known for being very interested in the ideas of other religions. In fact, the architectural styles of the city reflect both Islam and Hinduism. He was also known for being a military genius and had 300 wives and 5,ooo concubines. His Hindu wives were allowed to practice their religion within the city walls.
Most of our day was spent visiting a World Heritage site, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory). During the second half of the 16th century, this city was built by Akbar, who ruled over North India and parts of the south from 1556 to 1605. He is known for being one of the greatest Mughal rulers, and even though he was illiterate, took great interest in intellectual discussions on religion. He was a Muslim, but was known for being very interested in the ideas of other religions. In fact, the architectural styles of the city reflect both Islam and Hinduism. He was also known for being a military genius and had 300 wives and 5,ooo concubines. His Hindu wives were allowed to practice their religion within the city walls.
As we went into this complex of buildings, you would step through doorways that led to one architectural marvel after another, all made of red sandstone from the area. From his personal chambers (pic 1) to the sleeping quarters (pic 2) to the life-sized gameboard, there were surprises galore. Supposedly, his concubines were used as the game pieces. There was also an area where he would sit on top of the building and have music played on a stage surrounded by water (pic 3). So many of the buildings had beautiful carved work on the ceilings, columns, etc. (pic 4) We went into another area where he built a palace for his favorite wife, who bore him 3 sons. It was a huge complex in itself, complete with a separate summer and winter palace, as well as a temple for her private worship. The last area we toured was the religious area, where he had one of the largest mosques in India built, as well as his Victory Gate, built after winning a major battle (pic 5). There is no way that the pictures capture just how vast all of these areas were and the massive size of the buildings. Luckily for us, they had carpet strips stretched across the long courtyards in front of the mosque where we had to walk barefoot, as the stone was incredibly hot to our wimpy feet!
On the way back to the hotel, we saw several camel carts, so I can add another animal to the list of sitings (pic 6). The last picture shows what I can see out the hotel window - yes, it's our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal (pic 7)! Tonight, we're all charging our camera batteries and making sure we have an extra memory card. We also have all commented today that this time next week, we'll be home!
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