Agra - A Love Story
If Delhi was a journey of the spirit, Agra is a story of the heart. This ancient city has been many things to many people but is now best known for being the location of the Taj Mahal. Today, on our journey here, we were able to watch a love story of Shakespearean proportions and several centuries unfold in marble and sandstone.
We began our day with an early departure and a long bus ride. Some of us slept, some of us watched the scenery change from urban to rural and back to urban again, and one of us detangled the various strings of beads she had purchased the day before.
Our first stop was the Agra Fort, the primary residence of the Mughal emperors until the mid-17th century. Today it is an enormous UNESCO World Heritage Site of 94 acres, a lot of which is still actively used by the Indian military. It’s as impressive as it is beautiful, made of red sandstone, white marble, and (rather than painted walls) inlaid floral patterns made of semi-precious gems.
Perhaps the most famous Mughal emperor to live in the fort was Shah Jahan, who resided there with his court, including his three wives. While his first two wives were marriages of duty, his third marriage to Mumtaz Mahal was a romance. They had been in love for years and were finally able to marry when Shah Jahan was at the height of his power, and the richest man in the world. The sweeping views from their bedroom in the fort speak to the power they wielded.
To finish the day, we traveled the short distance from the fort to the Taj Mahal. Here, Shah Jahan created a memorial tomb for the wife he so loved. It is almost impossible to overstate the beauty and ethereal effect of the Taj Mahal, and our students were visibly and vocally moved by seeing it for themselves.
We began our day with an early departure and a long bus ride. Some of us slept, some of us watched the scenery change from urban to rural and back to urban again, and one of us detangled the various strings of beads she had purchased the day before.
Our first stop was the Agra Fort, the primary residence of the Mughal emperors until the mid-17th century. Today it is an enormous UNESCO World Heritage Site of 94 acres, a lot of which is still actively used by the Indian military. It’s as impressive as it is beautiful, made of red sandstone, white marble, and (rather than painted walls) inlaid floral patterns made of semi-precious gems.
Perhaps the most famous Mughal emperor to live in the fort was Shah Jahan, who resided there with his court, including his three wives. While his first two wives were marriages of duty, his third marriage to Mumtaz Mahal was a romance. They had been in love for years and were finally able to marry when Shah Jahan was at the height of his power, and the richest man in the world. The sweeping views from their bedroom in the fort speak to the power they wielded.
To finish the day, we traveled the short distance from the fort to the Taj Mahal. Here, Shah Jahan created a memorial tomb for the wife he so loved. It is almost impossible to overstate the beauty and ethereal effect of the Taj Mahal, and our students were visibly and vocally moved by seeing it for themselves.
Our group moved slowly through the grounds and gardens, and the closer we got, the more perfectly preserved the building appeared. Although it was built almost 400 years ago, it is still immaculate in its symmetry and finishes. Each line of its dedication in calligraphy is inlaid in the marble in black stone. Against a hazy, white Agra sky, the pale building appeared to float.
Like all good Shakespeare plays, this story has a villain: Mumtaz and Shah Jahan’s younger son, Aurangzeb. Upon the completion of the very costly Taj Mahal, Aurangzeb seized power, announced his father was unfit to rule, and imprisoned him back in the Agra Fort, where he could see, but never visit, the extravagant mausoleum he had constructed for his wife. Only after his death, eight years later, were the two reunited in the Taj Mahal, side by side.
On the way back to the bus from the Taj Mahal, everyone seemed tired and perhaps a little overwhelmed by seeing one of the seven wonders of the world up close, which was why it was so wonderful that we had the good fortune of running into some very friendly wandering cows. Sacred to Hindus, the cows felt like an auspicious good omen for our new adventures tomorrow in Jaipur.
Brimmer and May School
69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.