ONE DAY IN AGRA CITY
Your India trip would not be complete if you didn’t visit Agra, the city in the north of India where the famous Taj Mahal and Red Fort are.
YOUR INDIA TRIP WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE IF YOU DIDN'T VISIT AGRA, THE CITY IN THE NORTH OF INDIA WHERE THE FAMOUS TAJ MAHAL AND RED FORT ARE. IT IS BEST TO GO AGRA AT NIGHT TO SEE THE TAJ MAHAL AT DAWN, BUT OTHERWISE, YOU COULD GO TO AGRA FROM NEW DELHI AND RETURN WITHIN A DAY.
HOW TO REACH AGRA?
From New Delhi, there are many transport options to reach Agra. If you travel in a group (four or more people), you can rent a car to easily travel in the most economical way. Otherwise, you can choose to take a highspeed train to Agra Cantonment train station, and take a taxi to the attractions for a partial cost savings. The easiest way to book a train ticket is through local travel agencies or it will be a bit complicated if you directly book your ticket via the Indian Railway website.
To spend a whole day in Agra, I chose the early train at 6 am (there is a slightly later train at 7:45 am) departing from New Delhi station; In the afternoon, there are two trains at 5:15 pm and 7 pm departing from Agra Cantonment station. It takes two hours to travel by train between the two cities. While the seats are a bit old but still quite comfortable and you can get a little sleep before your visit.
THE LEGENDARY TAJ MAHAL
The greatest highlight of Agra is the legendary Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world, recognized by UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site in 1983. This mausoleum was an inspiration for Disney to create the palace in “Aladdin”. There is such a great love story behind it that the Indians consider the Taj Mahal to be a symbol of the eternal love of Emperor Shah Jahan and his childhood love - Empress consort Mumtaz Mahal.
Mumtaz Mahal died when she gave birth to their 14th child. Six months later, Emperor Shah Jahan began the construction of the Taj Mahal. It took him 22 years and about 20,000 artisans to complete the mausoleum. The Taj Mahal became the largest construction at the time and the pride of India. To symbolize the purity of the Empress, the entire mausoleum was built of white marble from all over India and neighboring countries. In all, 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble, including jade from China, turquoise from Tibet, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, sapphire from Sri Lanka and carnelian from Arabia, etc. The decorative elements were created by applying paint, stucco, stone inlays or carvings, including passages from the Qur’an. Today, visitors can learn about the carving technique in craft villages around Agra or buy sculptures there as souvenirs.
Located next to the Yamuna River, a branch of the legendary Ganges River that flows across Agra, the Taj Mahal is the best example of Mughal architecture and incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian, Turkey, Islam and India. From the entrance, you can observe the beauty of the massive Darwaza main gate with characteristic arches of Islamic architecture. There is always a large number of tourists stopping to take photos of the mausoleum from afar.
Behind the gate, there is a lush garden with a pool reflecting the image of the mausoleum. It was once planted with many roses and daffodils, however, in the Crown rule in India, the British changed the landscaping to more closely resemble the formal lawns of London.
Looking to the left, you will see the Masjid (mosque) and to the right, Naqqar Khana (guest house). The largest and the central focus of the entire complex of the Taj Mahal is the tomb where Mumtaz Mahal buried. Initially, the Emperor commissioned the mausoleum to house the tomb of his favourite wife, but when he died, it also became his tomb.
What made me quite interested in looking at the mausoleum was that the four minarets are designed to tilt slightly outwards to prevent them from crashing on top of the tomb in the event of collapse.
Today, after nearly 400 years, the
Taj Mahal is a must-visit destination for people to come and see its architectural beauty and express their admiration for the royal eternal love. Therefore, every day there are about 40,000 visitors to Taj Mahal. On peak days, this number reaches 70,000.
THE RED FORT
Only 2.5 km from the Taj Mahal is the famous Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. This is where Emperor Shah Jahan was confined for the last 8 years of his life, after he was deposed by his own son because of his neglect of his country during the building of the Taj Mahal. Perhaps the son also understood his father’s heart, so he confined him to the Musamman Burj tower, the most beautiful place to see the Taj Mahal from Red Fort. Not inferior to the Taj Mahal architecture, Red Fort is also considered one of the magnificent structures that Emperor Shah Jahan left for India in the 17th century.
The fort was made of red sandstone, hence the name “Red Fort” to distinguish it from other fortresses. The hustle and bustle in front of the Red Fort’s main entrance partly reflects the appeal of this place. After waiting in line to pass through the security gate, you will a large number of tour guides waiting to offer you their service in leading your exploration and telling you more about the history and architecture of each apartment in the fort. This is when you arrive at the main campus of the fort. It takes about two hours for you to explore this place. You can pass through rows of pavilions with different uses such as the dining room, the bedroom, the entertaining room and the main court. Each pavilion has a unique beauty and contributes to creating the heavenly Red Fort. The deeper I went inside, the more I felt that a single person is so small inside towering city walls protecting the fortress. The walls are built from massive red sandstone and neatly arranged to prevent enemy attack. It is said that the walls and pillars were all elaborately decorated with expensive materials such as gold, silver and gemstones.
When the sun shines on them, the pavilions glow, worthy of the prosperity, power and grandeur of the palace during the Mughal dynasty. This is why building the Red Fort was so expensive and the best artisans had to be employed. However today you will no longer see the gems or gold decorations on the fort; they have been removed to avoid theft.
“Listening with your ears does not compare to seeing with your eyes” - this proberb is very true to what I experienced in Agra. What I have read, watched and heard cannot stop me from being enchanted on my actual visit. It is worth spending a slow day in the middle of a madding crowd to hear more about Indian history, see more of the architecture and understand more about the Emperor’s eternal love.
MORE INFORMATION:
Visa: Submit your visa application at the Indian Embassy/consulate or submit your e-visa application online at the website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/ Registration - the fee is from 40 USD or more, depending on the length of the visa period (1 month, 1 year or 5 years).
Itinerary: From Hanoi and HCMC, it takes only about 5 hours for you to fly directly to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi (India). From New Delhi, you can reach Agra by taxi, rented car or bullet train.
Time: The best time to visit Agra to explore the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort is from November to March when the weather is pleasant. From April to June, the weather is very hot. The weather in July - September is cooler but very humid, because August is the peak of the rainy season.
Transport:
Public transport in India is quite complex, old and crowded. If you travel only in the city, you can negotiate with a taxi driver or use the Grab app to book a car.
To travel between cities, you can take public bus, but the most convenient way is to rent a private car or take the bullet train. Accommodation: Hotel rooms in New Delhi are quite affordable with the price for one night is about 300,000 VND or more.
Cuisine: Indian cuisine is famous for its spicy curry dishes with a distinctive aroma. They usually use their hands to pick up food and only use their right hand when eating.
Clothing: You should not wear revealing clothes in India.
Other notes:
In India, they often ask for tips so you should have small denominations on hand.
You should carefully check the information from different sources when a taxi driver offers the fee, or when you go to the train station to buy a ticket but do not find a ticket booth because there are so many scams which overcharge you for a ticket.
Sightseeing tickets usually have two types, one for international tourists and the other for Indians.
You should pay attention to the closing time of the attractions to avoid your late arrival. For example, Taj Mahal and Red Fort will not accept guests after 3 pm.
Taj Mahal is closed on every Friday for the Muslims to come and pray at the mosque inside the mausoleum.
You should only carry a small backpack/bag because when entering the temple, you are not allowed to bring food, makeup, toys and dangerous items such as knives, scissors and lighter.
Currency: India uses the Rupee (INR) with 1 INR = 325 VND.
Estimated cost: Round-trip airfare costs about 5 million VND and the average cost of living is about 900,000 VND per day.
RED FORT IS ALSO CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MAGNIFICENT STRUCTURES THAT EMPEROR SHAH JAHAN LEFT FOR INDIA IN THE 17TH CENTURY. THE FORT WAS MADE OF RED SANDSTONE, HENCE THE NAME ³RED FORT´ TO DISTINGUISH IT FROM OTHER FORTRESSES.