Sultan Sikander Lodi established his capital in Agra in 1501, but the city fell into Mughal hands in 1526. The city reached its magnificence between the 16th and 17th century which is when the Taj Mahal and other major mausoleums were built. After multiple power shifts the British had control, but then they moved their administration to Allahabad. After that, Agra developed as a center for heavy industry and it became famous for its chemicals industry and air pollution. Now the major source of income is the Taj Mahal and the tourism that comes with it.
The Taj was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. He was so heartbroken that it is said that his hair turned grey overnight. After his death in 1666, Shah Jahan was buried next to his wife.
Over two million tourist visit the Taj Mahal every year. This is double the population of the city of Agra.
Construction started in 1632. The main building was completed in eight years, but the whole complex wasn’t completed until 1653 (31 years).
In total, some 20,000 people from India and Central Asia worked on the building. Specialists were brought in from as far away as Europe to produce the exquisite marble screens and inlay work.
The Taj went through a huge restoration in 2002 have been gradually discolored by city pollution. It was cleaned up with an ancient face-pack recipe known as multani mitti (soil, cereal, milk and lime). Now only nonpolluting vehicles are allowed within a couple hundred meters of the building.
The Taj went through a huge restoration in 2002 have been gradually discolored by city pollution. It was cleaned up with an ancient face-pack recipe known as multani mitti (soil, cereal, milk and lime). Now only nonpolluting vehicles are allowed within a couple hundred meters of the building.
My tour group at the Taj. We had such an amazing group for our 15 day journey in Northern India. In the back row, from left to right there was Pam (former teacher from Brisbane, Australia), Chris (photographer and jack of all trades from Michigan and Florida depending on the time of year), Megan (writer and avid photographer from Atlanta), Sigrid (recent high school grad from Norway), Rags (Ragnhild) & Camilla (teachers from Norway), Hayley (teacher from Reading, England), Glenn and Julie (married couple from Adelaide, Australia), Emma (electrical engineer from Ireland), Terese (government worker from Ottawa, Canada), and our guide Shakti. Front row is Sinny (recent high school grad from Norway), Jill from Cairnes, Australia, me, and Sofia (labratory worker from Greece, but currently living in Switzerland).
The Red Fort-Construction on the Red Fort was begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565. It was originally built as a military structure, but later Shah Jahan transformed it into a palace.
View of the Taj Mahal from the Red Fort.
Sheros Hangout is run by survivors of acid attacks. We got to hear the story of Ritu who was attacked with acid by her cousin over a land dispute. She has had seven surgeries so far, but she will need to have more. On average, survivors of acid attacks will need about 40 surgeries in their lifetime. It was quite an emotional visit and it was hard not to cry. It really puts life into perspective. For more information you can go to www.stopacidattacks.org I was so glad we got to visit this place. It was quite hapenstance really. We had gone to watch the sunset over the Taj Mahal, but it was cloudy. There was about another 45 minutes before the sunset, but we all knew it wouldn’t clear up so it was pointless to wait. Someone just happened to mention that it would be a great time for afternoon tea, and this cafe came to our guide’s mind so we went. They were actually closed for renovations, but all the people were there working on the renovations. They were so happy to have us that they set up some table outside for us and the owner himself made a batch of Chai tea.
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