He is called by many titles, but one sticks out in my mind. The “King of Marvels”. Rightfully so. It would have been enough to say he founded Taj Mahal, to honor his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, his favorite wife. But there is more. Truly, his reign was marked by a golden era in arts and architecture in this exotic country. Incredible India, Incredible Shah Jahan!
It sparkles under the sun. It glistens under a crescent moon.
This is how the Taj Mahal looks when viewed from Agra Fort, just 2 kms away.
Besides Taj Mahal, give credit to Shah Jahan for a few more heritage sites. There’s Agra Fort, just a stone’s throw from the iconic Taj Mahal. It is also the place where Shah Jahan breathed his last. Right there in the Octagonal Tower of Agra Fort where he was imprisoned by one of his own sons following a war of succession. Sad. As cliché as it sounds, it’s where he viewed the “eternal teardrop on the cheek of time”. And while Taj Mahal sparkles, the Agra Fort is another marvel in its own right.
Hall of Private Audience (Diwan i Khas) inside Agra Fort
Diwan I Aam. Hall of Public Audience.
Once the capital of India before Shah Jahan moved it to Delhi, Agra is never short on monuments and forts. Most people just visit the Taj Mahal. Well, it is certainly worth seeing, and I perfectly understand if tourists spend more time there or wish to simply have their “moments” by not adding more sites to their list after seeing the Taj. But the Agra Fort sort of completes the journey to Agra. Shah Jahan is an absolute builder of marvels and his preference for buildings made of white marble shows in this addition to the red sandstone fort started by his grandfather. The Moti (meaning pearl) Masjid is a fine example of Mughal architecture.
The 16th century Mughal monument known as Agra Fort
Agra has lots to offer beside the Taj Mahal.
There are more. But Shah Jahan’s final masterpiece is the Jama Masjid, touted as the largest mosque in India. Amidst the chaos of the bazaar just across it, this “Friday Mosque” can hold as many 25,000 devotees. Like many other temples, we left our footwear just outside the mosque to walk on tiles dating from the 17th century. Towering over Old Delhi, the mosque is an aberration in this otherwise chaotic world of rickshaws and narrow alleys. A ride in one of these rickshaws past many open-fronted stalls, many spilling into the alleys, breaks all tranquility gained from a few minutes inside the Mosque courtyard. Incredible!
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