Agra: Well worth the effort

Fatehpur Sikri
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On our way to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, we stopped at the abandoned hilltop city of Fatehpur Sikri. Arthur Erickson, the architect of Simon Fraser University, had visited this sight prior to designing our university and it poses many similarities. Emperor Akbar of the Mughal Empire built his court at Sikri in honor of a Sufi saint who promised the emperor a male heir. Akbar built the city so that it encompassed all types of architecture borrowed from Islamic, Buddhist and Jain influences. Today, the city feels like a ghost town as the wind whistled through the barren red sandstone palaces and mosques.

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Next, we proceeded to the overcrowded streets of Agra to visit the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Agra’s monuments were built under the Mughals in the 16th century, whose capital city shifted between Agra and Delhi for many years. The Agra Fort was an amazing sight with 2.5km of bulky, red sandstone walls that surround it. Inside, through the Amar Singh Gate is Shah Jahan’s open court, the Diwan-i-Am with its carefully maintained gardens. Shah Jahan had so many women in his harem that he built a separate mosque for them known as the Gem Mosque, or Nagina Masjid that was made of white marble decorated with colorful gems and stones.

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The next morning we were up before sunrise to go to the Taj Mahal. Cars are no longer allowed within the vicinity of the Taj because of the pollution altering the color and beauty of the white marble. Instead, we took the electric shuttle bus. The sheer beauty of the Taj Mahal was overwhelming at dusk as the sun slowly crept over the clouds and illuminated the translucent white marble. Up close, the Taj is hardly white at all as inlaid precious stones create beautiful flower patterns framed by Arabic script.

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The tale of the Taj Mahal is a sad, love story. Shah Jahan built it after the death of his beloved wife as a burial tomb. He wanted to create something of beauty that would sustain the hands of time. The body of the Mughal emperor was also laid in the Taj Mahal next to his wife. The serene beauty of the Taj was truly captivating as I stood on the marble platform staring up at its domes and minarets. It felt like I was being engulfed by its mesmerizing presence, making it a once and a lifetime experience.