Date: 15/12/11
Route: Taj Mahal-Agra Fort-Jaipur
--Taj Mahal--
We reached Taj Mahal at 8am. Gotta walk a distance before we see the white marble building.
Entrance.
The gate to enter Taj Mahal.
There you go~! Taj Mahal is just in front of our eyes!
Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.
Taj Mahal with water reflections.
Taj Mahal mosque.
We gotta remove our shoes as we stepped to this compound of Taj Mahal.
Banks of River Yamuna.
River Yamuna.
This is the entrance to see the tomb area. No cameras allowed.
One of the 4 towers found around the area.
Indian students came here for their excursions. Like their English-styled uniforms.
I am not sure if all Indians are so curious about foreigners. It was a "scary" experience for me. I realised they wld look at you closely, snap pics of you with their handphones etc. A group of young guys actually asked E.W and I to snap pics with them. I wanted to reject them but E.W was ok with it. Haha! Felt like some "superstar" as 4 of them took their turns to take pics with us.
The garden area.
Marble artwork.
Shot taken with dramatic effect.
Saw these squirrels at the garden area. Used my long zoom lens to snap them!
I have never took such a close snap of animals. Very pleased!
Power squirrel!
--Lunch--
My simple lunch~ I am quite impressed with myself for not getting sick of curry. Lolz!
We're on our way to the marble factory shop. Saw the garlands on the street.
--Marble factor shop--
Mini Taj Mahl with lighting effects.
All the expensive stuffs...lol!
--Agra Fort--
If you think there's only one impressive building in India, you're very wrong. India has many impressive buildings and forts. Agra Fort is one of them!
The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city. The Mughals captured the fort and a vast treasure - which included a diamond that was later named as the Koh-i-Noor diamond - was seized. Babur stayed in the fort in the palace of Ibrahim. He built a baoli (step well) in it. Humayun was crowned here in 1530. Humayun was defeated in Bilgram in 1540. Sher Shah held the fort for five years. The Mughals defeated the Hindu King Hemu finally at the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556.(from Wikipedia)
Realizing the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558. His historian, Abdul Fazal, recorded that this was a brick fort known as 'Badalgarh' . It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from Barauli area in Rajasthan. Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Builders worked on it for eight years, completing it in 1573.
(from Wikipedia)
Jahangir Palace.
Lots of monkeys here.
The Khas Mahal.
Anguri Bagh.
Inside the Musamman Burj, where Shah Jahan spent the last seven years of his life under house arrest by his son Aurangzeb.
Taj Mahal from afar.
Diwan-e-Khas.
The evening sun.
Monkey.
--On the way to Jaipur--
Our day has not end. It's a 5-6 hours journey to Jaipur.
Saw the sunset in the bus.
Thanks E.W for helping me to snap the pics. She had to walk to the front of the bus to snap them.
--Hotel Ramada--
This is my buffet dinner at 9pm plus. Delicious food! I am surprised to see other hotel guests having dinner at such a timing too.
Our room. Hotel Ramada is impressive, and the best hotel I stayed during the trip.
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