Friday 16-07-2010, I fell short on the Luck part. Every Friday Taj Mahal is closed and I came to know about it today morning when I was all ready to visit Taj and suddenly the Hotel gatekeeper asked
"Sir,kaha nikal liye itni subah subah".
I replied "TAJ dekhne ki barson ki tamanna ko poora karne".
But then he replied "Aaj toh taj band rehta he"
I said "Kyun"
Gatekeeper "sirji aap Taj dekhne aaye aapko itna bhi maloom nai,ki har Friday maintenance aur Namaz ke liye Taj band rehta he"
I said to myself Grrrr..Subah Subah dimag ki #&*#&@# gayi.
So that means either I have to wait for next day OR else I can move ahead without visiting the TAJJ !!
I still had half day in my hand to decide about it.
To wait or to move ahead..These thoughts were coming in my mind again and again and again. I took a walk to visit Agra Fort which was very close to the hotel I was staying.
Agra Fort
The fort is similar in layout to the Red Fort in Delhi, but comparatively in better preserved condition. As most part of the Delhi Fort was razed by the British after the Mutiny. Main attraction of this fort is its defensive structure and beautiful red sandstone construction. This fort is also called as Red Fort of AGRA.
The fort has a beautiful view of his masterpiece, the Taj Mahal, on a clear day. There are two main Entry gates to this fort Delhi gate(Hathiya - Paur) and Amar Singh Gate (Akbar Darwaza).I made an entry from the second one ;)
History of the fort
It encloses the palatial residence of the Mughal kings and the state treasury and mint. Originally the residence of the Chauhans, the fort was seized by Mahmud of Ghazni in the 12th century, and later occupied by Sikander Lodi in 1506. His son, Ibrahim Lodi lost the battle of Panipat to Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. Since then, it has been the seat of the Mughal administration, and home to all the Mughal kings thereafter.
The Aram Bagh, a Persian garden built by Babur by the banks of the Yamuna was the first Mughal construction. To Akbar's credit goes the construction of the fortress walls, and developing the city as a centre for art and commerce. While Jahangir added to its landscape with a number of gardens, Shah Jahan refined its interiors with marble and pieta dura inlay, and gave it international recognition with the construction of the Taj Mahal, before shifting his capital to Delhi. However, Aurangzeb returned to Agra before relocating his capital to Aurangabad in 1653.
I roamed in the fort for almost two hours.Every section,every inch,every part of it was very-very beautiful.The main compounds inside the Agra fort are Bengali Mahal,Akabari Mahal,Jahangiri Mahal,Khas Mahal,Mina Masjid,Anguri Bagh,Diwan-I-Aam,Diwane-E-Khas,Mussman Burj,Hammam-i-Shahi and many more.
Diwan-I-Aam
Mussman Burj - a tower with a beautiful marble balcony.When Shahjahan was imprisoned by Aurangzeb,he used to have a view of TAJ from this balcony.
Jahangiri - Mahal
Jahangir's Bathtub(hauj)
Prison :D
MISC
After visiting the fort went back to the hotel and I was still thinking what to do and then again the Gatekeeper speaks up.
"Sir dekh aaye Taj Mahal"
"Nai Washroom jaa rha hu Taj Mahal khada karne,aa rahe ho dekhne " :D :D
He stares and smiles :)
I picked up my bike and went to Taj to confirm that,what people are telling is truth.Kahi public Maamu toh nai bana rahi he.Meanwhile I also called Amit Ji(Hiambuj) to confirm about the same,he was also cluless about it.Also got a call from one more fellow BCMT'ian about the same.Mr Rajat(Classicrajat)
But then later I found it true.Taj was all surrounded by the Huge walls.Wasn't even able to have a sneak-peek.But then I made my mind to stay for the day and pay a visit to THE TAJ MAHAL tomorrow.
So,the first half was spended on visiting the Agra Fort, still have half day left on my hands.Mathura-Vrindavan was nearby..Let’s roll I say.
Mathura-Vrindavan is on the way to Delhi from Agra.NH2 is the highway with all four lanes, but lots of city traffic, lots of city commuters...
Just when you exit busy lanes of Agra and come out of the city on NH2..There you will find another Mughal architectural masterpiece "Akbar's Tomb"
Akbar's tomb is a mix of various architectural styles. The tomb carries the characteristic flavor of the airy tiered pavilions of the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.Akbar's son Jahangir got the monument fully completed by constructing its topmost portion in white marble. Sikandra tomb of Akbar is of a pyramidal shape and has five stories in toto. In the basement is situated the real cenotaph of the Emperor, while the top floor comprises of the false cenotaph. There are four gardens which lead to the main structure of the tomb and it’s called as charbagh.
After paying detailed visit to Akbar's Tomb, I started for Mathura. It was another 60 Kms from there. Reached Mathura in few hours and headed to Krishna Janma Bhoomi.Security was very tight out there, You can't even carry a single stuff inside.Mobile,camera,wallet..nothing. Three to four level of security checks.Phew !!..Finally got in, did the darshan and went to Vrindavan.
Visited few temples and went to Yamuna ghat..Sat there alone..in peace for a while and started my return journey to Agra.
Reached Agra around 7 pm.
What to do now, it was just 8 o clock so I went for city darshan, and not to forget Agra is famous for its PETHA's.So enquired about the original and Best Petha makers. And everyone replied the with same name "panchi petha" at Sadar.Now I recall this Petha wala which Rajat Bhai(classicrajat) was reffering.So in today's dinner all I had was PETHA :D :D..Angoor Petha..Saada Petha and all kinds of Petha's.Got 2 Kgs of them packed with me for my bugger roommates.
Went back to the Akbar Hotel and it was time to rest..Good night All
Cheers
Biru
No comments:
Post a Comment