Agra

We were back in Agra. Arrived at our hotel just after lunch and found a wedding going on. Indian weddings are incredibly lavish affairs. The red carpet was out and traditionally dressed girls were waiting to greet guests. Sadly we were not invited. Just then our guide turned up and we went off to look at the Red Fort.

At 94 acres, Agra’s Red Fort is better described as a walled city. Much of it is still in use by the Indian military. Built in 1500, by the Lodi Dynasty it was taken over by first Mughal ruler, Babur (a direct descendent of Genghis Khan) in 1526. The Sur Empire controlled it for a while. In 1556 the Mughals were back. Emperor Akbar made some serious modifications – 4,000 builders, 8 years. Akbar’s grandson, Shah Jahan not only built the Taj Mahal but also worked on the Red Fort and established its current state. The building changed hands several more times and in 1803 was taken by the British East India Company. After the Indian uprising of 1857 control passed to the British Raj. Since 1947, with Indian independence, the Government of India claim ownership.

It was terribly busy. People everywhere. Often, when we visit old building, I try and take photographs to give the impression that we are the only ones there. In India that is almost impossible. I gave up trying. This may not sound like a big deal but you would be amazed at the kind of photobombing that can happen if you are not paying attention. Random people with random expressions doing strange things. My India strategy is to take plenty of photos so that I can drop the ones with the distracting characters. I know, I could remove excess people using image processing software. But it is time consuming and not always very effective.

Shah Jahan built the Taj in sight of the Red Fort. Then he added some balconies and rooms to the fort just for looking at the Taj. Maybe it helped him settle down in the evening to see the mausoleum of his dead wife. He never remarried. Such was his love. That is how the story goes. He still had plenty of women in his life. Estimates range from a few hundreds to several thousand. This would include wives (4), concubines, female relatives, and a large retinue of servants and guards. Women in the harem provided entertainment (singing, dancing) and fulfilled various roles, with eunuchs guarding them.

Having looked at the Taj from the Red Fort we went off to see the Taj again. This time at sunset. It was as crowded as ever. Fortunately there was less haze so conditions for photographs were much improved. Still far from ideal, I would say in my defence.

We wandered down the left hand side of the gardens of paradise. Took a few pictures with slightly different lighting before. Sadly, the sunset was a bit of a non-event. I was hoping for a brilliantly lit sky, blazing beams of light, glowing clouds and fantastic colours on the buildings. What I got was a damp fizzle. The sun seemed to just give up and sank into a colourless obscurity below the horizon.

Undiminished, we vowed to return in the morning and do the job properly. Opening and closing times for the Taj are based on the sun. It opens 15 minutes before sunrise and closes 15 minutes after sunset. Sunrise was 6:15 am. It was another silly, early start. But there was a chance of getting a better photograph.

We were queuing in the dark. Not just there for opening but at the front of the queue to get pole position for rushing to the optimal viewpoints. The security at the Taj is very restrictive on what you can take in. Too many cameras, tripods, any writing implements, anything that looks political, anything that might cause offence, drinks, food and so on. Men and women enter through separate lines so that a guard can frisk you. Rucksacks and bags need to be thoroughly searched. This can take a while. By now, our third visit, we had got our possessions down to bare necessities. A camera each with a spare battery. No bags.

Skipping quickly through security like old pros, we were at the main entrance by first light. There were few people around and almost no hawkers. This then is my advice if you want to visit the Taj, do it absolutely first thing in the morning. We left after less than an hour and it was already filling up by then. Before then, for just a few precious minutes, we had some space to ourselves.

The morning sky was featureless and bland. Not ideal but much better than the misty morning when we first visited. A little mist still clung to the river. The sunrise was practical rather then spectacular. Gentle water-colours and a pleasing glow to the east. Best of all, some clear views of the Taj Mahal in all its glory. I was a bit unsure as to whether we should visit the Taj more than once but the last visit turned out to be the most gratifying. I got quite enthusiastic about some of the images. This rarely happens when I am photographing buildings.

By half past seven we were back at our hotel enjoying an Indian cooked breakfast. Masala cheese omelette on a stuffed spicy paratha. Oh yes.