Monday, August 28 Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar's Tomb in Sikandara

I woke up at 5 am, and Nikhil and I took a taxi to the Taj Mahal to see it when it opened at 6 for the sunrise. We were amongst a handful of tourists there, which made for great pictures. It was totally peaceful and serene, definitely worth the sacrifice of 750 Rs and sleep. Instead of yellow like last night, the marble façade of the Taj was now painted pink in the sunrise. The tomb was so quiet in the morning, and Hindus bathed in the sacred ghats on the banks of the Yamuna in back of the tomb. I hired a photographer to take my photo in a series of picturesque spots. We took a bike rickshaw back to the hotel, and had breakfast before leaving for Agra Fort, another World Heritage site. The fort was surrounded by 2.5 km of red sandstone ramparts to deter invaders. A crocodile-filled moat was surrounded by a high wall with holes for archers, surrounded by a dry moat filled with lions and tigers. In a day you could be breakfast for crocodiles, killed for lunch by guns, and supper for man-eating tigers. The doors were built along curving pathways, designed to deter elephants who could not make fast turns. Construction began in the 16^th century. Inside the walls were a series of beautiful archways, thrones, mosques, prisons, and houses for the wives of the emperor. A colonnaded hall enclosed Akbar’s throne, from which the view of all columns were unobstructed. The emperor had 300 concubines, one for every day of the year (because Muslims have Fridays off). The concubines’ residences were guarded by eunuchs, who were physically stronger than women but didn’t have the desires of men. Eunuchs gained power because no one could oppose them. If you refuse to give them money at births or weddings, they will strip their clothes, embarrassing you in front of your entire family. They could rule India; people are so afraid they’ll strip that they won’t even keep them in prisons. They are also used as playthings by men inhibited by the strong sexual separation in India. The prison was beautiful, made of white marble with semiprecious stones as inlays. It housed Shah Jahan, imprisoned by his own son Auranganzeb. Shah Jahan didn’t mind being locked up, so long as he had a view of the Taj Mahal. Because he was nearsighted after being nearly blinded by his son, a mirror was installed that had a view along the river, of the Taj. The rest of Agra fort is still used by the Indian army as barracks. I went in the luxurious pool upon returning to the hotel. A bunch of us tried playing underwater telephone, which was hilarious and utterly impossible. I stocked up on lunch at the Five Star. They had beef kebabs, with which I filled several plates. On the way back to Delhi, we stopped shortly at Sikandara, the site of Akbar’s tomb. It was like the poor man’s Taj Mahal. They only had like two employees. The security guard offered to be a tour guide; that’s smart, he’s trying to make money for being here. Then the tomb’s caretaker was also a tour guide and singer. When Amber asked him if it was the real tomb, he replied by belting out a song about Allah in Urdu. Hilarious. The tomb complex was enormous, and was in the center of a garden divided into four quadrants. There were wide avenues leading from ornate gateways to the tomb. I went to use the bathroom, but they tried charging me, so instead I walked a couple feet and went in the bushes. While I was peeing, hawkers continued to try and sell me jewelry. The ride back was long and boring. We stopped at a rest stop that charged 30 Rs for chai, while the shack 10 feet away outside probably charged 3. The whole drive I felt sick to my stomach. I suppose it’s the result of eating five plates of beef at lunch. Delhi traffic was horrible. When we got back to the apartment we found our bathroom had been used and our stuff had been moved. I was mad, but it could wait because I was too sick.