Agra Fort

My next stop was Agra where I had a few things on my list to see – the Taj Mahal (of course!), Agra Fort, and the little-known ancient city of Fatepur Sikri.   While in Agra I got in touch with the extended family of my good friend Milan Pathak (who I knew from work in Switzerland).  The family turned out to be terrific hosts and gave me a great insight into family life in India.  Milan’s uncle, Mr. S.K. Sharma, had recently retired from his post as head of the Archaelogical Survey (which manages all the historic sites in India), and he was therefore able to arrange personal tours for me through each of the three sites in and around Agra.

First stop was stunning Agra Fort…

The palace used to have working water fountains throughout it to cool and soothe the royals.  This beautiful stonework was part of one of those fountains and incorporates coloured stone from all over Asia and as far away as Europe.

The Taj Mahal across the dry river bed as seen from Agra Fort.

   
                                                             Cutting grass the old fashioned way!

One of the open-sided royal halls.

After leaving Agra Fort, I took a few hours to walk around the town, visit the market and meet some of the locals.  These people are incredibly poor, but amazingly warm and welcoming.