It was on 21st Feb. 2017 when I fulfilled my desire to visit the historical monument at Agra - the Agra Fort. I reached there early morning. The Amar Singh Gate, where the 3-wheeler dropped me is just opposite a memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
As I approached the entrance, the deep and wide moat (the ditch) surrounding the outer walls (approx. 70' high) caught my eye. I suspect that the emperors must have arranged some crocodiles also in the moat to further safeguard their fort in their era.
After passing through several gates, I found myself staring at a beautiful and vast lawn just in front of a majestic building - marked as Jahangir Mahal. It was a great place for selfies, or just for watching the soothing greenery and brilliant flowers. Don't know whether any of the three Moghal emperors - Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan got his portrait done at this site or not but today, it happens to be the most popular place among the tourists for photo shoot!
I feel that such inter-racial exposure is necessary and a sure way to make this world a better place to live. This also is the essence of what tourism is all about.
As I moved towards Jahangiri Mahal (palace of Emperor Jahangir), I came across a large stone bowl protected with an iron grill. Tourists were trying to look into it but its height prevented them to reach at it.
I don't know if the Emperor Jahangir really bathed in this bowl in the open ground. If seems more logical to assume that this was shifted here as a memento of his earnestness to keep himself cleaned everyday.
Well, as I moved ahead towards Jahangir Palace, the intricate carvings greeted me everywhere. The artisans of that era knew how to work on different stones - red stone, marble and could embellish the mundane stone into breathtaking pieces of art by employing various techniques - inlay, overlay, engraving, carving, etching, fretwork etc. Kudos to those unnamed artists.
One courtyard leads to another and we learn that it is Roshan Ara pavilion, and then it is Jahan Ara pavilion, it is the Emperor's seat where he attended his court (Diwan-e-aam = audience of the masses), Diwan-e-khas (Audience of the council of ministers), Mina Mosque, Nagina Mosque, Moti Mosque and so on. Since I have never been a bright student of History, I care for these palaces for their aesthetic value mainly.
Before I conclude here, the squirrels at the Agra fort deserve a special mention here. They are so bold that they jump on the palms of tourists to collect their food. They must have learnt by now that these tourists never hurt them.
Let's go to some other trip soon. Hope you found this trip entertaining and useful for you. Namaste.
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