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AgraSep 28, 2005
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Inside the inner sanctuary of the Tomb of Akbar.
Lisy strolling through some interesting architecture in the Agra Fort.
An old royal palace inside Agra Fort, the local people have such...
We hopped in a tiny compact car with our very friendly driver named Shiam, who was from Nepal, and drove 6 hours south to the city of Agra. It seemed like the city of Delhi continued forever. We saw shocking poverty and experienced such chaotic traffic that rush hour in LA would be a breeze by comparison. But eventually we got into the countryside and saw how the rural people lived. Many of the farmers lived in little mud huts, and there were "holy" cows all over the place.
The most famous site in Agra is the Taj Mahal, but we also visited the tomb of Akbar (one of India's great past kings) and Agra Fort. It was interesting to see how the burial sites and religious locations differ here from Europe. But there are similarities too. Many of Europe's ancient cities were surrounded by walls to protect them from invaders, and the same type of fortifications were built here. It was very hot, but we were required to dress conservatively since we were visiting Muslim mosques.
