India 2016 (part XLIX): Agra

Agra, Uttar Pradesh:

Taj Mahal in smog

India’s fastest train, the Gatimaan Express, brought me from Delhi to Agra – home of the world-famous Taj Mahal.

The smog in Agra was just as shocking as it was in Delhi on the previous day, shrouding the Taj Mahal in a gloomy mist. Since I had visited the Red Fort during my previous trip to Agra in 2010, I skipped this sight and instead went to the Itimad-ud-Daulah (“Baby Taj”), the Mehtab Bagh, Akbar’s Mausoleum, and the Jama Masjid. Agra is a hectic place and the hassle at the entrance to the Taj Mahal is terrible, but in the evening I was happy to admit that its sights were definitely worth the trouble.

India’s fastest train, the Gatimaan Express

the southern gateway to the Taj Mahal

West Gate

gateway

ornaments at the gateway

panoramic view towards the Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal in smog

panoramic view of the Taj Mahal

view south towards the gate

Mosque on the western side of the Taj Mahal

Jawab on the eastern side of the Taj Mahal

panoramic view of the Taj Mahal

distorted Taj Mahal panorama

ornaments at the Taj Mahal

ornaments at the Jawab

at the Jawab

Taj Mahal

Itimad-ud-Daulah (“Baby Taj”)

ornaments at the Baby Taj

inside the Baby Taj

ornaments

tomb inside the Baby Taj

ornaments at the Baby Taj

Itimad-ud-Daulah (“Baby Taj”)

intricate carvings

Itimad-ud-Daulah (“Baby Taj”)

panoramic view across the Yamuna River

Itimad-ud-Daulah (“Baby Taj”)

ornaments

entrance gate

in the Mehtab Bagh

view towards the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh

Taj Mahal in smog

women cutting grass along the Yamuna River

view towards the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh

street food

gateway to Akbar’s Mausoleum

ornaments at the gateway

Akbar’s Mausoleum

entrance hall of Akbar’s Mausoleum

western gate of Akbar’s Mausoleum

Akbar’s Mausoleum

panoramic view of Akbar’s Mausoleum

Akbar’s Mausoleum

Blackbucks in the park around the mausoleum

Blackbuck in the park around the mausoleum

gateway to Akbar’s Mausoleum

Delhi Gate at the Red Fort

Jama Masjid next to Agra Fort Railway Station

Jama Masjid

After a full day in Agra, I took the evening train back to Jaipur where I would stay the following weeks. Work would eventually bring me to Jaisalmer, which I reached via Jodhpur and Bikaner.